This conference brought together youth from all four FSM states, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Guam and CNMI for a two-day meeting with the theme of “Weaving Cultures into Youth Services in the Micronesian Region.”
In his keynote address, Mori spoke to the different parts of the theme.
He said the first element of the theme for this conference underscores the importance of culture and that in the Micronesian context, culture and traditions “enrich us, sustain us, and make us strong.”
He said culture has a role in “weaving all of our values together, and where we have commonalities in our cultures, we find strength. Where we have differences, we find enrichment.”
He said there is no other event in the region that is “as significant and important as this conference, since all of the youth present represent the next generation of hope; the future of Micronesia.”
Mori told the youth that they have a role to play in the development and aspirations of these islands and he challenged them, as young men and women of Micronesia, to rise to the occasion and assume their role, and continue the prospect of a unified region.
