70 children ages 7-14 spent the last four weeks in ABLE’s Discovering Amerika Samoa (DAS) Program.
They learned about the territory’s geography, government, culture, history, etc. through hands-on projects, guest lectures from experts and leaders from all over our island, extensive field trips and tours around the island, and demonstrations of arts, dancing and culture.
The success of the program is attributed to the incredible staff of program leads and junior leads that accompanied the participants every day, and led them in activities and discussions.
ABLE President, Elinor Lutu-McMoore remarked, “This program has been an enriching experience for us all. Our founder, HC Afoa Lutu, believed in the importance of educating our children and the importance of understanding one’s identity – E tau lou faasinomaga. We set out to empower these children by instilling in them knowledge about where they are from and hopefully giving them a stronger sense of identity as a result. In the process, our team also learned and grew with them.”
She continued, “Experiencing everything this program provided with our youth has not only been fun, fulfilling and informative, but also deeply necessary. By teaching them facts and traditional practices like what the sua means, who our island neighbors are, and how to elei a tapa design, we’re not only trying to provide them with fun activities but activities deeply relevant to them, and that they’re lacking during the school year.”
