Perspectives of Indigenous Bridges

From left to right: Gary Smoke, Ambassador Jarden Kephas (Nauru), Ambassador Bikeni Paeniu (Tuvalu), Tony Coolidge On Monday, October 2nd, 2023, a day after the 45th Independence Day of Tuvalu, two Officers of the ATAYAL Organization visited the offices of H.E. The Right Honorable Bikeni Paeniu, Ambassador of Tuvalu. The purpose of the meeting was twofold: to discuss rebuilding efforts of communities in Maui and to discuss participation of Tuvaluan youth in the ATAYAL Organization's Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program (IBYAP).  Click to view profile of the organization and the IBYAP program The ATAYAL Organization offered a presentation about the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program, and discussed its plans form an Austronesian delegation to participate in the program, including the annual Tribal Canoe Journeys in Washington State. The event is the largest Indigenous cultural event that brings together canoe-going groups, currently attracting thousands of participant