CEO | Community Development

Cooperative Extension & Outreach | Community Development

CEO | Community Development

Community development involves working with people, places and various interests and roles. The processes involved in community development work embraces the idea of action research through community empowerment leading to improving quality of life, managing change and promoting vibrant communities.

A useful reference to describe the role of community development work is to provide a conceptual understanding of community development and the work of community development practitioners. Two key roles include serving as facilitators to a range of community conversations about information and knowledge levels on key island issues (process expertise) and to help community residents, government and non-government organizations address how to deal with those issues (content expertise).

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I Hale'ta STEM Scholars Program

Islands of Opportunity Alliance - Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (IOA-LSAMP)

The University of Guam I Hale’ta STEM Scholars Program is a learning community that serves as an organized environment for underrepresented minority students -- in particular Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders -- to achieve academic success in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). I Hale’ta translated from CHamoru means “our roots.”

Become an I Hale'ta Scholar!

Are you a full-time Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander student at UOG majoring in a STEM field? Are you looking to engage in rigorous scientific research grounded in indigenous knowledge and cultural practices? The I Hale'ta STEM Scholar Program is for you!

You will experience and benefit from:

Cultural immersion
Community building
Volunteer opportunities
Place-based learning
Faculty-guided research and summer internships
Academic support
Professional development
STEM skills development
Peer mentoring and tutoring
Graduate school exploration

Eligibility:

Enrolled full time at the University of Guam
Underrepresented minority
Majoring in a STEM discipline

Stipend: $250 to $1,000 per semester, depending on involvement as either a member, tutor, mentor, or researcher

Eligibility for Stipend:

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Full-time STEM major

Scholars will:

Attend the orientation session at the beginning of each semester
Participate in twice monthly UOG I Hale’ta STEM Scholars meetings
Volunteer 16 hours per semester toward supporting IOA-LSAMP (e.g. tabling events, community service, environmental stewardship, K-12 outreach, etc.)
Interact with the 9 distinct language-speaking communities across the IOA and the broader Pacific region
Prepare for internship experiences in STEM
Present research at the annual IOA student symposium and other undergraduate student conferences
Participate in community engagement through Indigenous STEM-related events.

Apply Here

Deadline to Apply: Applications for the Fanuchånan (Spring) 2023 semester are due by 5 p.m. CHST on Jan. 31. Priority will be given to completed applications submitted by Jan. 26.

About the Islands of Opportunity Alliance

UOG I Hale’-ta STEM Scholars Program is an integral part of the Islands of Opportunity Alliance (IOA), a network of 11 campuses across Oceania supported by the NSF-funded Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program.

The IOA aims to prepare and diversify the STEM workforce in Oceania by providing culturally relevant education and research experiences, rooted in indigenous languages and cultures. I Hale’ta students from UOG and other students across the IOA will interact through various programs, including an ethnographic study on how Pacific Islander worldviews are incorporated into STEM learning.As part of the IOA, UOG’s campus coordinator communicates with alliance campus coordinators to foster continuity of student progression through the pipeline from community colleges to four-year universities.

IOA Members:

American Samoa Community College
Chaminade University
College of Micronesia
College of the Marshall Islands
Guam Community College
Hawaii Pacific University
Northern Marianas College
Palau Community College
University of Guam
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
University of Hawai’i at Hilo

For more information, contact:

Kristina Sayama
Extension Agent II, Community Development
IOA-LSAMP Campus Coordinator
Tel: (671) 735-2054
Office: ALS 228B
Email: kristina@triton.uog.edu
Program email: communitywf@triton.uog.edu

This project is supported by National Science Foundation grant #HRD-1826864 until August 2024.

COFA CBA-IM project team meets with Department of Agriculture — The COFA CBA-IM project team meets with representatives from the Department of Agriculture, one of several Government of Guam agencies that serve COFA migrants, in October 2022.

COFA Cost-Benefit Analysis & Impact Methodologies Project

The COFA Cost-Benefit Analysis & Impact Methodologies project seeks to strengthen Guam's data collection regarding Compact of Free Association (COFA) migrants to Guam for its reconciliation report to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The project team will be working with the Government of Guam agencies to develop uniform reporting guidelines and cost estimations across the public health, safety, and education agencies that deliver services to COFA migrants.

Phase 1: Establish a cost-benefit analysis to determine the economic contributions of FAS migrants
Phase 2: Develop statistical methodology to determine the costs incurred for providing services to migrants from COFA

The COFA CBA-IM project team meets with Guam Memorial Hospital representatives, one of several Government of Guam agencies that serve COFA migrants, in October 2022.

Background on COFA

Under the Compact of Free Association Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-239; P.L. 99-658), migrants from the Freely Associated States (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau) are authorized unrestricted immigration into the United States and its territories and possessions to lawfully engage in occupations and establish residence as non-immigrant aliens.

The "Compact Impact" costs incurred as a migrant destination for FAS citizens are reimbursable to Guam through the U.S. Department of the Interior; however, Guam's 2004 request for $200 million in debt relief was declined by the U.S. Government Accountability Office due to weaknesses identified in its reconciliation report.

Contact Us

Tel: (671) 735-2051
Email: cofa.cba-im@triton.uog.edu

COFA CBA-IM Project Team

Peter Barcinas, M.S., Principal Investigator
Kristina Sayama, MPA, CM, Co-Principal Investigator
Bruce San Nicolas, Project Coordinator
Johanne Castro, Asst. Project Coordinator
Christopher Monk, Data Specialist

This project is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior to the Guam Bureau of Statistics & Plans. The University of Guam is carrying out the project as a sub-awardee.