A project will provide activities designed to help Cook Islands youth grow physically, mentally, and socially through community service. Impressing U.S. officials who were considering applications from across the Pacific region, the team from the Cooks scooped up this U.S. Department of State Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Small Grant award.

Young Pacific Leader alumni Maru Mariri and her team Travel Williams and Tepou Vaevae were glad to get funding to help with their project.

“We are grateful for the support received towards our project...This project enables our team to inspire our youths to choose better paths and better choices regardless of the challenges they currently face in their lives. It is our hope that the project shapes our youth to become champions and give back to the community,” said Maru Mariri,

Mariri was one of 12 Young Pacific Leaders selected for the inaugural YPL International Visitor Leadership Programme on economic and social development in October 2019. Through this exchange programme she visited Washington D.C., Wyoming, California, Michigan, and Hawaii over the course of three weeks.

Acting U.S. Ambassador, Kevin Covert, said “Mariri examined ways to foster local business opportunities and generate employment opportunities. Meetings and site visits emphasised skillsets that qualify youth for the job market and efforts that demonstrate to businesses the benefits of hiring well-trained youth.”

Mariri and the Cook Islands team was one of 14 awarded funding through the 2021 Young Pacific Leaders Small Grants Programme.

The selected teams representing nine different Pacific nations and territories, will receive up to $10,000 USD (NZ$14,048) to implement projects in the region related to the programme’s core themes of education, environment and resource management, civic leadership, and economic and social development.

In addition to funding, the select grantees attended a virtual kick-off workshop on July 24-25, 2021, where they began to refine their project ideas and learn more about successful grants management. The selected teams will receive mentorship throughout the year to help ensure their project's success.