EVE BURNS
Nineteen students graduated last week Friday from Waan Aeloñ in Majel (WAM) vocational/ life skills training. It was a hot, beautiful day and many parents and friends came to witness the achievements that of the students and the awards they received.
Biwij John blessed the event with the opening prayers. Rosana Ali, one of the two girls that were graduating, gave the welcoming remarks and the class President Thomlino Langidrik gave a speech for the class.
K&K Island Pride Supermarket also rewarded the students and Red Cross awarded the graduates with first aid certificates for completing that as part of the overall WAM program. WAM provides vocation and life skills training to youth. The program teaches them skills for building traditional canoes, boats and wood working. WAM links the new with the old, working together to keep this unique aspect of Marshallese culture alive. Meanwhile addressing school dropouts in the Marshall islands. WAM helps youth, their families and safeguards Marshallese culture and tradition through canoe building and sailing and providing young people with skills for employment.
WAM Director Alson Kelen said the 19 students graduated with their “lifeskill tools,” which included the program helping them to obtain a birth certification, social security number, ID cards, saving accounts from Bank of Guam and Bank of Marshall Islands, and a BOMI debit card. Some of the graduates have jobs already lined up, while about half of the grads are applying for to further their education through the US Job Corps program.
Read more about this in the October 18, 2019 edition of the Marshall Islands Journal.