Canoe Building Providing skills and jobs for the Marshall Islands   by Tobi Nagy

CANOES OF THE MARSHALL ISLAND Waan Aelon in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Island) or "WAM" is a grassroots non-profit community program educating the youth on the Marshall Islands (located in the Pacific), based on the traditions of the Marshallese canoe. WAM provides vocational and life skills training to youth-at-risk using the medium of traditional outrigger canoes, boat building and woodworking.

As traditional cultural values are dieing in the Pacific, giving way to the "Coca-Cola" popular culture, that is prevailing throughout the world, WAM has proved to be an excellent program that links the new generation with the old, working together to keep this unique aspect of Marshallese culture alive, while simultaneously addressing serious social problems affecting youth in Marshallese society, with its high unemployment rate.

WAM uses the medium of canoe and boat building and sailing to provide more than vocational training as preparation for employment, it also addresses the sense of self worth that has disappeared from Marshallese youth, so that even in the absence of a vibrant labour market, they can still play a worthwhile role in their families and communities. WAM empowers the youth by teaching them traditional and modern sustainable skills which include outrigger canoe building, maintenance and repair,

Youth at Risk Like most Pacific nations, over the last decade there has been high unemployment rate within communities. This combined with the decline in traditional cultural values has been one of the major contributors to the emergence of a youth crisis in the Marshall Islands.

"About two-thirds of the Marshall Islands population is under 24 years old and is growing at one of the highest rates in the region. Coupled with this, about half of secondary age children are not attending school due to lack of classroom space and teachers, poor academic performance, inability to pay school-related costs, lack of parental interest and support, and inadequate motivation by students."

"This combined with a lack of employment opportunities and lack of life- and work-skills, has led to an excessive incidence of youth idleness, increasing crime, a growing rate of gang related violence, substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, teenage pregnancy, depression and suicide."

Youth Unemployment At 30.9%, total unemployment in the Marshall Islands has almost trebled from the 1988 census figure of 12.5%. From 1998 to 1999, the number of people of working age grew by about 7,500 but there were only 85 more people employed in 1999 ( a total of 10,141) than in 1988. The Marshall Islands has the highest unemployment rate of any US-affiliated island in the Pacific. The situation is not likely to improve rapidly - in the absence of large changes to the economic environment, the unemployment rate is forecast to continue its historical trend of almost doubling every 10 years, anticipating that by 2014 there will be about 10,000 unemployed in a total work force of 26,000. Put simply there are 600 to 1000 Marshallese entering the workforce each year, yet less than half this number of new jobs created.

The significant feature of this situation is that it is mostly young people that bear this burden. The 15-19 year age group is presently experiencing an unemployment rate of over 70%, and the 20-24 age group faring little better at around 55% unemployment The true situation may be worse than indicated in the statistics, in that significant numbers of young Marshallese take advantage of a free right of access to the USA conferred on RMI citizens to seek better opportunities there.

There are two major causes of this situation. The first is that the generally low level of economic development leads to few employment opportunities. The second factor is the low level of education or youth, and corresponding lack of life skills. The combination is such that many young job seekers are largely unemployable.

Failure of the Education System The overall dropout rate from the schooling system (number of students entering Grade 3 but not progressing to Grade 12) was around 67% in 2003. Given that almost 30% of students that complete elementary school do not progress to high school, a large proportion of young job seekers have only the most basic of education.

WAM Organisation The WAM organisation is run by dedicated staff with support from the international development community, and intermittent support from the Marshallese Government. It has evolved in a dynamic manner, since its foundation in 1989.

WAM has introduced a range of training and development and cultural reinforcement programs, built up services, infrastructure, curriculum, and management systems for effective delivery of its mission.

It has captured the deep respect, enthusiasm and support of the Marshall Islands community, and is poised to deepen and widen its contribution to the social and cultural fabric of the country.

WAM Program WAM has developed a powerful program that simultaneously addresses the cultural malaise across the community as well as empowering youth through life skills and vocational skills training in this context of cultural reinforcement.

In a report by the Asian Development Bank, Youth Social Services Project Interim Report March 2005 has stated that:

"Graduates from the program (alumni) were reported to have positive changes as a result of their engagement with WAM. With respect to relationship changes, most youth reported that the quality of their interaction with family members had improved dramatically. •Many said they are more respectful of their parents and more helpful at home. •They also reported that their parent's views about them had changed and that family members showed interest and pride in their work. •Participants reported that they no longer "run around" and get into trouble in their communities. •They also reported consuming much less alcohol. •Many said they had changed peer groups and are better able to handle pressure from friends and girlfriends. •Their status in the community has changed too; "people know me and respect me now". One of the most significant changes reported by all alumni was in the area of improved self-worth and cultural pride. The process of building traditional canoes has changed their lives. These young people say they now feel good about "being Marshallese" and have much greater understanding and respect for their culture. •They talked about spending more time with their grandparents and being interested in "the old stories"; their memories of customs they heard as young boys are returning. •Traditional leaders talk to them now and are interested in what they are doing. •They strongly believe Marshallese culture must be maintained and passed on to the next generation. As a result of their experience with WAM, these young men and women now have goals for the future. To make these dreams a reality however, most alumni said they still need support from WAM, particularly in terms of finding employment or returning to school. •Many talked about wanting to train other youth to be boatbuilders, carpenters and fiberglass workers; some want to go to the outer islands to contribute to development there….."

It represents a bright light in the not-so-bright future of Pacific nations and has reintroduced traditional culture to help maintain their unique identity while other cultures seem to be sinking in the face of threats and challenges facing indigenous cultures throughout the world.

About the Author

Tobi Nagy is a small business develoment consultant and a specialist on developing sustainable systems. His website can be found at http://www.sustainable-development.net