NMC launches summer youth programs

The Northern Marianas College Campus Unit will be offering two youth programs this summer geared toward preparing the youth for future challenges in high school or in the workforce.

In an interview yesterday, Community Development Institute program coordinator Dawn Chrystal Kenney disclosed that the sessions for both programs, Camp Life and Project Life, will kick off on June 14 and will conclude on July 2.

Kenney said Project LIFE (Lead Into Future Experiences), designed to develop leadership skills, is intended for youths between the ages of 12 and 14. The sessions will run from 8am to 12pm. All interested must pay a fee of $150.

Kenney said the program would feature various ways of learning leadership skills, including public speaking, stress management, team building, event planning, conflict mediation, goal setting, and more. Participants will be involved in activities and workshops on these topics.

During the first week of the program, Kenney said sessions would focus on introduction to leadership, where participants will discover various leadership styles. The second week of instruction deals with professional development, which prepares participants for the workforce and features activities intended to provide and polish skills necessary in the workforce or in school club activities, while week three focuses on personal development.

As for the event planning segment, Kenney said students would have various workshops and will each present development plans for an upcoming rummage sale.

“We hope one of the ideas, or probably a combination of the ideas, will be used,” she said. “With this sale, the kids will be able to practice their skills right away.”

The other program, Camp LIFE (Lead, Imagine, Foster, Experience), is intended for children between the ages of eight and 11. Sessions will run from 1pm to 4:30pm.

During the first week, students will learn about team building and the importance of working together through various indoor and outdoor discovery and strategy games. The second week is committed to exposing children to the joys of entrepreneurship.

“Students will learn basic business concepts and put them to use by running their own business. They will also participate in a Conversational Japanese class, a relevant and useful language that is growing in importance not only on Saipan due to the heavy traffic of Japanese tourists, but also all over the world,” said Kenney.

Week 3 will allow the students to explore and express their creativity through crafts making.

The Camp LIFE costs $20 per day, $75 per week, or $150 for the three weeks.

“Because of the cost, some kids find it difficult to sign up,” said Kenney. “Unfortunately, we have to charge to shoulder the cost of running the programs.”

Further, Kenney called on the assistance of community leaders and businesses for sponsorship of students.

Registration deadline for both programs is on June 9.

Kenney said that depending on the turnout this summer, the programs might eventually become a yearly activity.

“We hope to continue every summer. If we see a lot of participants, that may happen. I hope this becomes a permanent program because I believe all youths should go through leadership training.”