Indigenous Learning Recovery in Pohnpei, FSM

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) launched our Indigenous Learning Recovery (ILR) project with a sakau ceremony at Saladak Elementary School in U Municipality on November 10, 2020. This partnership between PREL, the Pohnpei State Department of Education (PDOE), and the Saladak community was to pilot a program to support the development of education pathways for youth that preserve traditional knowledge and skills and strengthen community involvement in schools. With ongoing support from the Nia Tero Foundation, ILR continues each school year and PREL has expanded the program to include over 1,000 students in grades four to eleven and 42 elders in six schools across Pohnpei. Here, we present lessons learned on how we are building and sustaining partnerships with communities and schools to replant and cultivate intergenerational learning.