Overview:
Rengelekel Belau is expanding its youth initiatives into a comprehensive yearlong series for 2027, featuring a petition to designate March as National Youth Month across all 16 states and an annual youth expo in the final quarter.1
By Laurel Marewibuel
KOROR, Palau — Rengelekel Belau is planning a yearlong series of youth-focused events in 2027 and will ask President Surangel Whipps Jr. to designate March as National Youth Month to expand opportunities for young people across Palau.
Organizer Mia Kuartei said the initiative will move beyond the group’s original plan for a single annual conference and establish three major events throughout the year to celebrate youth achievements, develop young people’s skills and showcase their contributions to their communities.
“In 2027, we plan to launch our Rengelekel Belau series,” Kuartei said. “The original concept when we started Rengelekel Belau in late 2025 was for an annual conference, inspired in part by Rubekul and Mechesil Belau.”
After spending the past year learning about the needs, interests and opportunities for young people in communities across Palau, organizers are preparing to expand the initiative.
“Rather than a single annual gathering, Rengelekel Belau is a series of three major annual events to celebrate, invest and showcase youth across Palau,” Kuartei said.
The first major initiative would be a monthlong National Youth Month celebration in March, with activities planned across all 16 states. Organizers intend to petition Whipps to formally designate the month, creating a nationwide opportunity to recognize young people’s achievements and encourage their participation in community development.
Kuartei said many communities already organize youth activities for a day or weekend, but a monthlong celebration would provide more opportunities for participation and recognition.
“We propose a monthlong celebration as a national spotlight to recognize Palau’s youth who are excelling across our communities, to share their inspirational stories, to provide leadership opportunities, to encourage other youth, and to highlight youth role models,” she said.
The proposal also supports a priority identified in the Palau National Youth Policy: meaningful youth engagement in politics, culture, sports, the arts and environmental protection.
Kuartei said achieving that goal requires cooperation among government agencies, businesses and community organizations.
“We cannot address this priority without the support of the greater community of agencies, businesses and community organizations,” she said.
Through the series, organizers hope to create opportunities for young people to develop their talents and learn how to participate effectively in building their communities. Planned partnerships would include activities, programs and initiatives that promote youth entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership while providing mentorship.
Rengelekel Belau is currently applying for funding to launch the series. Its primary partners have been the Division of Youth and Career Development at the Ministry of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development and the Palau National Youth and Cheldebechel.
The coalition has since expanded to include individual youth, youth organizations, student body officers, representatives of people with disabilities, state youth affairs staff, state youth councils, government agencies and community organizations involved in youth programs and outreach.
“These are all important stakeholders that inform how we plan and host this series moving forward,” Kuartei said.
Over the next two months, the coalition plans to meet to develop a petition for presentation to the president and finalize recommendations for National Youth Month activities.
Proposed activities include recognizing Youth Champions in the Community, supporting state celebrations, encouraging businesses to offer youth-focused promotions and sales, highlighting youth organizations and partnering with Airai or Koror state to organize a youth-themed night market.
The final major event would be an annual youth expo during the last quarter of each year, bringing together young people’s achievements, talents, projects and ideas on a nationwide platform.
The expo would showcase youth participation in a wide range of fields, including sports, arts, business, music, writing, agriculture, gaming, cooking, journalism, debate and community organizing.
Kuartei said activities held between the major events would help prepare young people for the expo while giving them opportunities to develop and present their work.
“Activities between each event in the series would be leading up to the annual Expo event to showcase youth talent, ideas, needs, projects, and performances,” she said.
The annual expo would provide a platform for young Palauans to demonstrate how they contribute to the nation and their communities.
“This final event each year would provide a nationwide platform for Belau’s youth to shine and show us how they contribute to our nation and within their communities,” Kuartei said.