From all walks of life in the pacific island nations, we have one common goal and that is to conquer and secure common grounds for a better and great pacific nation as a young and upcoming leaders - One Ocean, One Pacific Nation, PILP G5
The Pacific Island Leadership Program (PILP) runs for eleven (10) weeks and is conducted at East-West Centre in Honolulu for six (6) weeks and concludes with four (4) weeks in Taiwan. The program has been running for the last four years under different framework with specified partway for each program with the aim of creating new dimensions in leadership for young and upcoming leaders. The ‘navigating uncharted waters’ is one of the idealistic outline of the program that forms the basis in which the participants get to know the Pacific Way of leadership focused on addressing the current trends and issues
There are six (6) participants from Papua New Guinea who are among the twenty-one participants from other Pacific Island Countries attending the PILP program which is funded by the Taiwanese Government. The six participants from PNG consists of three women and another three men who work in various sectors of Papua New Guinea in both the government and non-government organisations.
The PILP training covers vast areas of leadership aspects that are designed to provide a way forward leadership capacity for Pacific Islanders to navigate and lead to overcome the current trends and hurdles experiencing in the Pacific Island Nations. The PNG participants are optimistic to take small steps to do what they can in PNG after returning to the country when the program ends. The discussions are underway with mentors at East West Centre to initiate programs that will help overcome the challenges in everyday life for the citizens of PNG and youth empowerment while addressing some of the cross-cutting issues.
The participants from Pacific Islands comes from all walks of life and the program enables the participants to find the common grounds to address issues in the Pacific Islands Nations by integrating the learned leadership concepts into the Pacific Way. The issues of regional and national importance in relation to political, social, environmental and economic concerns are basis of the program which becomes the practical case studies for the participants. The issues are presented with different setting and scenarios which the participants discuss to find a way forward solution.
The training is intensive with classroom lectures on climate change and resilience, practical role plays of leadership issues and scenarios, site visits, group and individual case presentations which are guided by professionals who have working experience with TEDx Programs in the likes of Mr. Philippe Lemonnier and prominent leadership mentor Mr. Keith Coats, the director of Tomorrow Today Global leadership advocacy organization together with other academic professors from University of Hawaii and affiliated institutions.
The introduction of the PILP training program began with the history of Hawaii which has civilization dating back to 1800s with Kamehameha monarchy ruling the Kingdom of Hawaii. The Pacific civilization revolutionary seems to have evolved from Kingdom of Hawaii with the arrival of American Protestant Missionaries who arrived into Hawaii in 1810 and believed to have spread to other Pacific Island Nations from Hawaii to do missionary work. The Kamehameha monarchy ruled the Kingdom of Hawaii until the illegal overthrow of the Kamehameha monarchy by United States of America in 1893 and Kingdom of Hawaii was annexed to United States permanently as a state.
The ancient palace and legislative building during the times of Kamehameha monarchy still remains in downtown Honolulu and remains as a historical site for state of Hawaii. The palace has been restored into a museum and opened to public on special occasions only.
Under the PILP program, participants learns about the Pacific Island history, culture, developing trends, issues and challenges in climate change, politics, economics, social and environment. Hence, the Generation Five participants of PILP program are taking the approach towards the challenges with the slogan ‘One Ocean, One Pacific Nation’. This is to ensure that the Pacific Island nations are recognized by other developed nations of the world for the role Pacific Islands in relation to Paris Accord and others concerning the Pacific Ocean and Climate Change. The participants of Generation Five (G5) PILP realized that, though we are smaller island nations in the Pacific, we have a big tropical ocean that has spectacular marine biodiversity which connects the beautiful shorelines of the island nations, tropical warm waters and beautiful white sandy beaches which are greatly affected by the ongoing climate change. Obviously, we all the Pacific Islanders are fighting for climate change impacts and championing the resilience efforts to live the island way of life in the changing world. A major concern is to sustain and maintain the livelihood of the island life while careful engagement with marine and fisheries opportunities to avoid adverse impacts.
Apart from the academic programs, there are optional weekend activities for the PILP participants to do or learn more on the topics of interest through research, meeting with other participants on the similar program and share ideas or hiking of the popular tourist sites of Hawaii’s Oahu Island. One of the significant sites visited by the team during a weekend hike was the mount Koko Head. A vertical climb of 1,048 stairs/railroad ties, which were originally built over 60 years ago to get supplies to the military bunkers at the top during the Second World War (WWII). The Koko Head itself has three significant depressions or old vents and its last eruption dates back to 30,000–35,000 years ago.
A good number of Melanesian, Polynesian and Micronesian students attends the University of Hawaii’s Manoa Campus and studying under various facilities. The informal meet and greet during the weekends for potluck at Friendship Cycle area brings the diversity into one, a home away from home feeling as families and friends.
The Melanesian treats with buai (betel nut), the Polynesian resorts to communal Kava ceremony and Micronesian appears to be the lively chef among all the islanders with their delicacy and endless smiles with jokes to blend well into the group for potluck gathering, we are Small Islands with Big Ocean or literately; small people with big heart.
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| The group photo of PILP G5/2018 @EWC, Hawaii |
