43rd Pacific Circle Consortium Connecting Past and Present in the Pacific

B y N i c o l e C a lvo , E du c at i o n S p e c i a l i s t at War in the Pacific National Historical Park

2019 marks a momentous year for Guam and her people as they prepare to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the island during World War II by U.S. military forces. The occupation of the island by the Japanese Imperial Army from December 1941 to July 1944 dramatically changed the lives of the indigenous people of Guam, the CHamoru, forever. In commemoration of this historic milestone in Guam’s history, Pacific Historic Parks (PHP) will host the 43rd Pacific Circle Consortium (PCC) Conference this July in Tumon, Guam.

Established in 1977, PCC is an initiative in international cooperation between educational research and development institutions in the Pacific region to promote international and intercultural understanding and cooperation among the peoples and countries in and around the Pacific Ocean. With a membership that draws an international crowd, we anticipate session presenters as well as conference participants from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Malayasia, The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, Mexico, Vietnam, and the United States. PHP has been a member of the Pacific Circle Consortium since 2016 and has taken inspiration from previous conferences as it provided teachers a forum on educational global trends and opportunities to generate innovative curriculum ideas in their respective communities.

It is the hope of PHP that by working in partnership with various local and federal agencies in Guam, Hawaii and Saipan, we inspire teachers to engage youth to reflect on the lessons learned from World War II in the Pacific. By hosting PCC in Guam for the region’s educators, we will highlight pivotal moments in Guam’s history, focusing on a theme revolving around remembering our past, understanding its ramifications, and moving toward the future. Hence the theme of this year’s consortium is Connecting Past and Present in the Pacific: Educating Across Generations. Subthemes for conference sessions are as follows: 1. Effective School Improvement Initiatives 2. Innovative Approaches in the Teaching of History in Primary and Secondary Schools 3. Education Curricula for the 21st Century & Reflections of World War II 4. Impact of Globalization within the Pacific 5. Transference of Traditional Knowledge

Jaclyn Balajadia, the Education Manager for PHP and the Co-Chairperson of the 43rd PCC explained, “Hosting PCC in Guam offers educators in our region a chance to participate in presentations, discussions, and networking that will contribute to the advancement of educational research and development in the Pacific, as well as to share the historic sites, monuments and memorials at War in the Pacific National Historical Park.” Local teachers will also have the opportunity to earn professional development graduate credits by attending the conference.

Since November of 2018, PHP has conducted outreach presentations at local public and private high schools and middle schools to encourage the island’s teachers and administrators to participate and enroll as conference registrants. Balajadia said, “We hope to fill the Hyatt Regency in Tumon, Guam with 300 educators from Guam and the region of Micronesia as well as from the other Pacific island countries and territories that are members of the Consortium to engage in a forum that can shed light on best practices and innovative strategies to help our children become life-long learners.”

Cindy Rapadas, PHP’s Regional Director of Guam and Saipan and the Co-Chairperson of the 43rd PCC, said, “With PHP’s vision to be the leading organization supporting significant historical sites in the Pacific for future generations, we are able to provide this incredible opportunity for teachers – who are the backbone of any educational system – as we look for ways to expand how we reach these younger generations to understand and perpetuate the memory of the events and honor the people involved in the historic sites all across the Pacific. We are excited and we welcome all to participate as conference presenters, registered attendees and/or donors.”

The 43rd Pacific Circle Consortium will be held at the Hyatt Regency Guam in Tumon, Guam from July 8-12, 2019. For more information, visit the website at www.pccguam2019.org.