MIC 2023 Cohort Retreat Hosted in Palau
On July 19 - 21, 2023, the Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT) and partners reestablished the Micronesians in Island Conservation (MIC) by bringing a group of inspiring and enthusiastic young conservation champions from across the Micronesian islands in Palau for a three-day retreat. This new MIC cohort consists of the following members: Lincy Lee Marino (Palau), Lalii Remengesau (Palau), Elchung Hideyos (Palau), Mika Obrecht (Palau), Elizabeth Furey (CNMI), Carey Demapan (CNMI), Annette Ludwig (Guam), Tazmin Falan (Yap), Christine Robert (Chuuk), Darla Yatilman (Pohnpei), Keana Segal (Pohnpei), Bond Segal (Kosrae), Lajkit Rufus (RMI), Dua Rudolph (RMI), and Atina Schutz (RMI). These young conservation champions were brought together to usher in a new era of conservation leadership in Micronesia.
The MIC is a peer-learning network that is tailored towards building capacity in emerging young leaders by pairing with a mentor who is a known leader in conservation in Micronesia from any governmental or non-government agency. This ensure that these young leaders learn from their mentors to ensure that they contribute to the effective management of local conservation organizations and agencies that contributes to the long-term conservation outcomes set by Micronesian leaders.
During the retreat, the MIC members were honored to meet and discuss the importance of the MIC with past members. These talks were important in setting the stage for the new members to understand what the MIC is and how they can incorporate the MIC into their life and careers. Furthermore, the facilitators helped the MIC members realigned the network by defining their own goals to help them move forward. In addition to creating a new set of strategic goals for the MIC 2023 network, they also brainstormed their own professional, personal and regional goals and objectives. These new goals will help each MIC member to be held accountable by their peers and ensure that they are progressing towards the goals they have set for themselves.
Throughout the retreat, one recurring theme was the fact that the MIC had helped our current conservation leaders be the leaders they are today. William Kostka of MCT expressed, "Over 20 years ago, MIC allowed me to learn from more senior leaders across Micronesia. Without the MIC, I would have struggled to run the Conservation Society of Pohnpei and the Micronesia Conservation Trust. I am honored to be a mentor to some of Micronesia’s brightest minds and most talented and dedicated emerging leaders." Adding to this, Mr. Wayne Andrew of OneReef said, “MIC opened many opportunities for networking across the region of Micronesia. We were able to meet other people working in the same fields and learn from each other. That is the best part of the MIC - learning from one another and applying our knowledge to our local efforts.”
