UOG and NMC partner on new Kupu Conservation Corps in Saipan to empower green workforce

The partnership between the University of Guam’s Guam Green Growth (G3) and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Green Growth Initiative (CNMI GG) celebrated a major milestone last week with the official launch of the CNMI Green Growth Kupu Conservation Corps in Saipan. This regional expansion brings a proven model of environmental workforce development to the CNMI, aiming to train a new generation of leaders for the Pacific green economy.

The CNMI Green Growth Kupu Corps is a collaborative effort, facilitated by the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant), and is modeled after the highly successful Guam-based G3 Conservation Corps. 

According to UOG CIS and Sea Grant Director Austin Shelton Ph.D. the conservation corps programs have already trained over a hundred individuals in various sustainability sectors.

The new CNMI program will build capacity in critical areas across both Guam and the CNMI, emphasizing regional cooperation to address shared environmental challenges.

“You’ve heard that saying, ‘a rising tide floats all boats.’ The more of us that are doing this work together, the better it is for all of us. This is one small way that our people, even though we’re separated by land, we’re connected by water,” said Shelton.

The CNMI Green Growth Initiative is facilitated by the Northern Marianas College (NMC), the leading workforce development institution in the CNMI.   NMC President and Co-Chair of CNMI GG Galvin De Leon Guerrero Ed.D. welcomed the new members to the fold and encouraged them to look for the deeper meaning of the program.

“What I love about this program and what I love about CIS and Sea Grant and the Green Growth Initiative is that it really gets at the core of what we do in education and it’s something that as members of this inaugural cohort I hope you all take to heart, because to me, the point of education is to improve lives,” added De Leon Guerrero.

The CNMI GG Kupu Conservation Corps is supported by the long-standing partnership with Kupu Hawai‘I’s Conservation Leadership Development Program (CLDP), a paid program for early professionals interested in pursuing a career in conservation. The CLDP aims to prepare participants for careers in the rapidly growing green economy in Hawai’i, Guam, the CNMI and across the Pacific.

Cohort member Gabriel Arkoh explained what motivated him to join the corps.

“What inspired me to join is honestly being born and raised here you see a lot of our islands, our island needs us,” said Arkoh. “Being able to be a part of that and creating a better future for everyone, being able to create a better future for those coming up is something that inspires me.”

Members are stationed at two host sites on Saipan:

American Memorial Park

•       Joan Tomokane

•       John Paul Castro

•       Isaiah Joel Torre

•       David Quitugua

•       Gabriel Arkoh

•       Myles Techur

Department of Lands and Natural Resources CNMI Forestry

•       Kazuki Aguon

•       John Kintol

Throughout the workforce development program members receive a stipend and upon completion can also access an educational grant through the AmeriCorps program providing them with both financial and academic support as they transition into full-time environmental work.

Groups interested in hosting a Kupu Conservation Corps member can contact the program’s coordinator Annania Nauta-Kemp at annania.kemp@kupuhawaii.org