As we continue to mourn the death of Keitani Graham, we need to start discussing concrete ways to share in the work that he put so much time and love into for his beloved Chuuk. It would be great if our leaders in the FSM Congress, Chuuk State Legislatures, and the Governor can allocate both national and state funding to build a multisports complex at Anderson Field, but I know it’s going to be tough to do that in this campaign season. In the meantime, how can we Chuukese lead by example in honoring one of our own role model for our youth? What might be some ways for Keitani’s friends locally and abroad to help in keeping his work and legacy alive.

With great humility and respect to Keitani’s family, I offer these ideas as ways that we can keep our memories of Keitani alive while supporting the work, dreams, hopes that he left behind. I’ve known his parents Clark and Chineina ever since Keitani was my student at Xavier High School. I know that they would not ask for a penny or an honor for Keitani. But we owe it to them to honor their son, our hero. We owe it to Keitani to speak up for him now more than ever.

1) Keitani Graham Memorial Interscholastic Track & Field Day

Opening ceremony of the Chuuk State Interscholastic Track & Field Day. Photo courtesy SHIP/HOOPS. May, 2005.

We can start by dedicating the annual track and field day between the high schools as the Keitani Graham Memorial Interscholastic Track & Field Day and holding it every year on the last Friday of April.  This is a simple way for the entire Chuuk State youth to remember every year Keitani’s work in sports, youth advocacy, and leadership development. This committee which comprises of volunteer representatives (often teachers) from the public and private high schools in Chuuk can easily do this without needing any approval from the state governments since this is a local effort between the schools.  It would only take their approval and the consent of their principals. The week of the annual track and field day, all the high schools can run drug-free awareness programs which had been one of Keitani’s projects through SHIP-HOOPS.

This is a fitting day for Chuuk to celebrate Keitani’s life and contribution to our youth every year. After all, it was at that this same track and field day where Keitani participated in his first organized competitive sports when he was a Freshman at Xavier. After graduating from Holy Cross, he served as a volunteer coach, referee, head referee, and trainer for this event through the SHIP-HOOPS nonprofit organization.

2) Keitani Graham Drug-Free Day

Keeping Keitani’s Dream of a Drug-Free Chuuk!

To join the high schools in honoring Keitani, the Chuuk State Legislatures (both Houses) and the Governor should co-sponsor a joint resolution declaring the last Friday of April as Keitani Graham Drug-Free Day in the entire State of Chuuk to recognize the work of this young youth leader in this important work of a drug-free Chuuk. They should lead by example and lead a drug-free lifestyle on that day. They can even go further by passing a law that bans smoking in and within 25 feet of all public buildings including schools, office buildings, fields, etc. This would certainly follow what many states in the US are already doing to protect the public from the risk of secondhand smoke.

To support the State, local businesses that sell alcohol, chewing tabacco, betelnut, cigarettes, and other similar drugs should voluntarily stop the sell of these merchandise on that day.  If for one day in the life of Chuuk State, the leaders in the government and private sector together to show the young people the value of a drug-free Chuuk, we may just be one day closer to protecting the next generation of Chuukese from the negative effects of drugs on our culture, lifestyle, and our families.

3) Keitani Memorial Scholarship

Educating the Next Generation of Youth Leaders

I was blessed to have been one of Keitani’s teachers at Xavier High School in Chuuk. Even as a very young man who was home schooled, Keitani showed the kind of intellectual capacity that would have propelled him to lucrative jobs in the US. But he made the conscious decision after graduating from college to return to his homeland to serve. I know that he exemplified the ideals of a Jesuit education both at Xavier and Holy Cross (and I’m sure at Punahou) to be a man for others.

A memorial scholarship  is a way for all the schools that Keitani attended including Xavier High School (Chuuk), Punahou School (Honolulu) and Holy Cross (Massachusetts) to enable promising Chuukese students to attend these private institutions. One of the requirements might be for the recipients of these scholarships to return to Chuuk after graduation to carry on the work of nation-building through the youth that was the hallmark of Keitani’s life of service. I know that Keitani had wanted to return to get a masters degree in organizational leadership but he just couldn’t afford the cost of graduate school because he had dedicated his life to voluntarism. Such self-sacrifice for the common good should continue to be encouraged and empowered with a scholarship.

4) SHIP-HOOPS Fund

SHIP-HOOPS volunteers.

Keitani was the CEO for SHIP-HOOPS, a Chuuk-based, FSM-chartered nonprofit organization founded in 1989.  The mission for the Society for Historic Investigation and Preservation (SHIP) is “to promote historic preservation, environmental protection, to educate Micronesians, assist in preserving valuable knowledge & information, encourage pride in the past, provide a bridge to the future, and use this information to empower young people.” HOOPS (Helping Ourselves: Outreach Programs in Sports) is a subsidiary organization that was established “to offer sports programs, meaningful activities, lifestyle education (tobacco, alcohol, substance & violence abuse, literacy and health information) to Chuukese youth.” SHIP-HOOPS recently opened the Akoyikoyi Center in Keitani’s village of Penia aimed at providing “developmentally appropriate drug-free activities to replace, reduce or eliminate involvement in substance use-related activities, in an environment that is safe: a place where you are comfortable sending kids, and also adult-friendly.”

We can all help the nonprofit organization by contributing funds and in-kind donations to help keep it afloat. Funding is always a major factor out in Chuuk so any contribution small or large will help.  They can also accept in-kind donation such as new / used laptops, books, sports equipment for use in their work with the youth.

5) Akoyikoyi School Volunteers

Photo courtesy The Fourth Branch and Akoyikoyi Center

Last year Keitani through the SHIP-HOOPS organization founded the Akoyikoyi School, a charter elementary school in his village of Penia on Weno, Chuuk. I am sure that the kids and the small staff of volunteers are going to be impacted by the loss of their leader. I know they are always in need of teachers as they plan to add a class every year. We call on college graduates from Chuuk or abroad to give a year or two of their lives to help teach at Akoyikoyi. I applaud the efforts of Fr. Rich McAuliff, SJ, the Director of Xavier High School and the Jesuit Volunteer International for sponsoring a Jesuit volunteer to teach at Akoyikoyi while living  at Xavier High School. We hope that they continue that great partnership with Akoyikoyi School.

Dr. Vid Raatior

Consultant at Raatior Ventures

Vid is an education consultant, web designer, social entrepreneur from Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). He earned his BA in communications from University of Guam, MA in school administration from University of San Francisco, and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree from University of Hawaii at Manoa. Vid lives in Northern California and works at the College of Professional & Global Education at San Jose State University. Previously, he worked at UC Santa Cruz, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Santa Clara University, and Xavier High School in Micronesia.