TINIAN — Tasi To Table continues to grow and is now offering a four-month youth program on Tinian that island leaders want to extend for another eight months.
Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan smiles as he shares a few words during the Tasi To Table rod & reel presentation on June 26, 2021 at Kammer Beach, Tinian.
Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan said he is grateful for what TTT has already done for the youth of the island.
“Tinian is a very small community, but what TTT brings to the island has a big impact,” he added.
Aldan at the same time thanked and congratulated Gov. Ralph DLG Torres for boosting youth programs like TTT through partnerships with the community and businesses.
The mayor said the island youth used to go to summer camps that taught them traditional fishing methods, but those camps no longer exist.
“So I’m really happy that TTT is bringing these things back to our kids. It’s important for them to learn proper fishing skills and what are the do’s and dont’s when they’re out there. I was excited to hear that they were able to take the kids out on a boat. A lot of us here on Tinian don’t own boats,” the mayor said.
“After teaching these kids how to prep, I’m sure they will be happy to go fishing with their uncles and cousins. That’s a necessity for an islander — you must know how to fish. I’m not a fisherman but I know the basics of fishing, and I know what the boat captain expects me to do. So again, the TTT program is an awesome opportunity for our kids.”
The secretary of the Tinian Municipal Council, Juanita Mendiola, agreed. “I think it’s very important to learn fishing skills first-hand and be a part of the fishing life of the islands,” she said.
“It’s been part of our history and it’s very critical that they know how our people have survived through the years,” Mendiola added.
Providing the youth with useful skills “is an expensive venture, but when you’re talking about investing in our children then that’s an investment well worth it,” she said.
“We are facing challenges right now, but we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that [the TTT] program continues. With the help of the kids, their parents and the community, we can pull this off.”
