Youth Leaders Unite at DYS/CPS Conference to Tackle Violence and Abuse

08/01/2025 - With the goal of raising awareness about teen dating violence, domestic violence, and sexual abuse, dozens of young leaders gathered on Wednesday at the World Resort Saipan in Susupe for the Division  of Youth Services (DYS) and Child Protective Services (CPS) Youth-to-Youth Conference.

The event, held in Susupe, exceeded its expected attendance of 35 participants, drawing 45 youth ages 12 to 17 from across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. What made the conference especially unique was that it was organized and led entirely by the youth advocates themselves.

Participants engaged in discussions and activities focused on educating peers about violence prevention and how to spread awareness in their own communities.

Although the conference was originally scheduled to begin at 8:30am and end late that afternoon, an abrupt tsunami advisory forced organizers to end the event at noon, sending participants home early.

Despite the early closure, CPS supervisor Mariah B. Manglona said she was proud of the youth and the strong start to the day.

“Unfortunately, we had to cut the event short due to the tsunami threat that was issued during the day. Safety always comes first, and we made sure everyone got home safely. We still had a great turnout and strong start, and we’re already looking ahead to the next one.”

Manglona explained that the day’s agenda included youth-led presentations on serious topics affecting CNMI youth, such as teen dating violence, domestic violence, sexual abuse of a minor, sexual assault, even family violence. “They're even talking some, they're touching on mental health also. So like increasing our access to health,” she shared. “We just want to make sure that every youth that walks out today knows where to go to report abuse. And, you know, they're able, we're going to challenge them today to go and educate their friends, educate their family about what violence is and how we can prevent it.”

According to Manglona, this was the first youth-led event hosted by CPS—something she said holds great value to their division.

“This kind of space is so important because when youth are the ones leading the conversation, their peers listen. It creates a safe place where they feel seen, heard, and understood. It also gives them the confidence to speak up, support each other, and know they’re not alone. Giving our youth the mic means we're building a future where they feel empowered to protect one another and stand up for what’s right.”

"I’m so proud of every single youth who took part in this,” said Manglona. “This conference was a reminder that when we give our youth the platform, they rise to the occasion. The energy, the honesty, and the support they showed each other was beautiful to witness. This is only the beginning."

Addressing the participants, she added, “You all are brave, strong, and capable of being leaders for your generation. Thank you for speaking up and showing up — your voices matter more than you know."

Just before the conference began, Marianas Press got to speak with several youth advocates who took part in the event, including Ha’ane Salas, 17, Jema Iguel, 23, Ciena Manglona, 16, and Roquel Tudela, 18. They shared why youth advocacy—especially around sensitive topics—is so important.

“Sometimes the youth, they don't feel as comfortable to reach out to the adults,” said Tudela. “So we're trying to do it with Youth-to-Youth, so they feel like they have a safe space and we can help out and reach out.”

Manglona added “Some parents can put down kids and we just want to go out there and be like, you know what, we're here for you, you can talk to us, it might get reported, but you know what, we're here to make you safe. We want you to stay in a safe environment.”

Salas, a young advocate from Rota, emphasized that failing to build this kind of trust and relationships among youth could lead to dangerous outcomes.

“It's very important because people that go through that don't have the courage to speak up about it and that can really lead to something like suicide or self-harm, just them not having the confidence in themselves, hating themselves and not being able to show that, or not being able to speak up about it. So just being out there it's important.”

The high school senior said she is proud to be part of the effort. “It's a really good thing because our mental health really does matter and some youth don't have the courage to speak up. And the fact that there is teenagers that also represent DYS really helps, because some teenagers don't have the courage to speak to adults. They're more comfortable with speaking with people their own age or people that know what it's like.”

Iguel shared that the team’s main goal is to break the silence on issues that are often difficult to discuss.

“We heard the phrase since we were kids that we're the next leaders of the CNMI.” said Iguel “So it's very important to start young and also because there seems to be an unsaid rule where sometimes you're too young to do stuff. But in our opinions, I think advocacy, you're never too young to start.”

Report by Chrystal Marino