SAIPAN — The CNMI Innovation Incubator at the Northern Marianas College has concluded its first Summer Youth Makers Program, a three-day initiative that brought local entrepreneurs, artists, and young creators together to explore new ideas, entrepreneurship, and creative expression.
Held June 10 to 12, the program welcomed 36 Youth Makers ages 11 to 14 from across the CNMI for hands-on experiences led by five local entrepreneurs and creatives in the Incubator network. Through workshops and collaborative activities, participants saw how local entrepreneurs and makers have turned their talents, passions, and experiences into ventures that enrich the community.
Over the three days, the Youth Makers explored food innovation, cultural arts, maker technologies, digital media, and music production. They experimented with flavor development, designed and branded original products, created island-inspired mwaar, worked with crafting tools such as the Cricut and foam cutters, and tried songwriting, recording, content creation, and performance.
Beyond the projects, participants built skills in communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and self-expression, and gained insight into the CNMI’s growing culture of entrepreneurship and small business development. The program was offered at no cost to participating families.
“When young people are given opportunities to explore their interests and learn from local role models, they begin to see new possibilities for themselves and their future,” said Cherese Palacios, Program Manager of the CNMI Innovation Incubator. “Youth Makers was designed to help participants recognize that the skills they develop today, whether in creativity, problem-solving, or collaboration, can one day contribute to the growth and resilience of our islands.”
One parent thanked the Incubator for offering the program during a challenging time, saying it gave their child a chance to express themselves, explore their creativity, and discover new interests, and that they looked forward to future activities.
One Youth Maker said learning about content creation and music and meeting new people was their favorite part, adding that the knowledge would be helpful in the future and that meeting others let them make new friends and collaborate with people who share similar interests.
The Incubator and NMC thanked the program’s featured innovators, Bishu Marianas, Chance Boy’s, SakuBloom, Krafting Littles, and Jordan Paradise, for sharing their expertise and entrepreneurial journeys with the next generation of makers.
For more information about the CNMI Innovation Incubator and upcoming programs, the public can follow @cnmisbdc on Instagram and the CNMI Small Business Development Center Network on Facebook, or contact cnmi.incubator@marianas.edu.
The program is funded in part through a grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.
