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Seeds of Resilience: How American Samoa's Youth Are Fighting Rising Seas and Environmental Threats |
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Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka planting a mangrove seedling. Photo source: Finafinau. |
The mangrove seedlings in Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka's hands tell a story of both vulnerability and hope. Gathered by high school students from the pristine shores of American Samoa, these seeds represent more than just coastal protection — they embody a new generation's commitment to preserving their island home. Like the mangroves themselves, which grow slowly but create powerful barriers against storm surge and erosion, the youth environmental movement in American Samoa has taken root and is beginning to flourish in transformative ways.
In this South Pacific U.S. territory, where fewer than 50,000 people live across seven volcanic islands and coral atolls, the relationship between land and sea shapes every aspect of daily life. Most residents on Tutuila, the main island, live along narrow coastal strips where unspoiled white-sand beaches meet the island's only road. Behind them rise steep green mountains that dominate the interior, while ahead stretches an ocean that both sustains and threatens their way of life.
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Confronting Formidable Threats
The climate crisis in American Samoa is not a distant threat — it’s unfolding now. Destructive practices by fossil fuel corporations, coupled with weak regulation by the world’s largest economies, have brought the climate crisis straight to American Samoa’s shores. Sea level rise threatens the coastal road that circles Tutuila, along with the homes, businesses, and cultural sites that line it. Intensifying storms destroy carefully planted mangrove restoration projects, as recent damage on nearby Aunu'u Island demonstrates. Extreme rainfall events, projected to increase, bring flash flooding, sewer overflows, and blocked roadways.
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Floodwaters in American Samoa after a heavy rain. Photo Credit: Valentine Vaeoso |
As development pressures increase and traditional land management practices face modern challenges, the threat of deforestation looms large. The steep interior mountains that define Tutuila's landscape are vulnerable to erosion when forests are cleared, leading to increased runoff that damages coral reefs and coastal areas where most residents live. And the territory's geographic isolation compounds these challenges, making disaster response and resource mobilization particularly difficult.
Perhaps most concerning is the threat of deep-sea mining in nearby waters, where companies like Impossible Metals want to extract cobalt, nickel, and other minerals from beneath the ocean floor to fuel the battery and tech industries. American Samoa's government has called for a moratorium, recognizing that local families depend on healthy fisheries for both food security and livelihoods. Deep-sea mining poses serious risks to key species, especially tuna, the territory’s largest economic driver. The potential environmental damage could devastate the marine ecosystems that sustain both the economy and traditional ways of life. Sacrificing long-term environmental health for what many believe is "speculative and short-term economic gain" represents exactly the kind of challenge that has galvanized young people across the islands to step forward and take action.
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The Birth of a Movement
Dr. Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka, an English teacher turned environmental advocate, has witnessed these changes firsthand. The shorelines of her childhood are eroding, coral reefs are bleaching and dying – no longer able to provide natural barriers against waves and storms – and fish populations are declining as their habitat disappears.
When devastating tsunamis struck in 2009, the islands' vulnerability became impossible to ignore. Yet from this recognition of fragility has grown something unexpected: a youth-led movement that is transforming how Pacific Island communities approach climate and environmental crises.
Finafinau, whose name means "resilience" in Samoan, cultivates leadership skills in high school students, with a focus on coastal resilience and environmental stewardship. In 2017, Suluai-Mahuka helped her students attend the Native Youth Climate Adaptation Leadership Congress for a week of climate education and cultural exchange in West Virginia – eight time zones away. They returned forever changed. “We knew we couldn’t wait for someone else to step up,” she says, “so we came back with a vision.” And that vision became Finafinau.
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From Beach Cleanups to Legislative Change
Beginning with fewer than ten students, Finafinau launched coastal cleanups—but these were far from ordinary. In partnership with the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), students meticulously recorded every piece of trash they picked up, turning half-hour beach walks into intensive two-hour data collection missions. Their precision paid off: ASEPA named them ‘champions’ and used their data to help pass a territory-wide Styrofoam ban. "It was amazing. The EPA had their own scientific studies, but knowing that they used our citizen science data to drive change was immensely motivating to the students," Suluai-Mahuka explains.
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Mangrove planting by Finafinau students. Photo Source: Finafinau |
This attention to detail reflects the program's deeper philosophy. Rather than treating environmental action as isolated volunteer work, the after-school program integrates stewardship into experiential learning. They create literature for audiences ranging from elementary school students to community elders on sustainable practices, including traditional fishing that emphasizes taking only what is needed, and studying the cultural significance of native trees such as the pandanus and the tava that have sustained Samoan communities for generations.
"Our community knows that there is climate change, but it's a matter of understanding how our actions can make a difference," Suluai-Mahuka explains. "We know that Styrofoam or single-use plastics are bad. But what are we going to do about it?" This question drives the work of Finafinau, recognizing that awareness alone isn't enough; communities need pathways to meaningful action. |
Growing Impact, Growing Voices
Finafinau now works with approximately 150 youth annually across three high schools: Tafuna High School, Samoana High School, and Nu'uuli Vocational High School. Unlike many academic programs, Finafinau has no GPA requirements, focusing instead on service and commitment – sacred tenets of Samoan life.
Sierra Fata, who joined the group as a sophomore, is now a communications specialist for the American Samoa Resilience Office, where Suluai-Mahuka serves as director. She credits Finafinau with transforming her perspective on her island home.
“Maybe it's the butterfly effect for me. What if I didn't join, you know? Maybe I wouldn't be here where I am right now, fighting to protect and preserve this place with all my heart,” Fata says. “It may be small, but it's everything to us. I’m here fighting for my family and the future generations."
Now working alongside her former mentor, Fata sees the same spark in current Finafinau students. "When you listen to these students and watch them learn more about what is going on in American Samoa, especially with the climate change crisis — the erosion and the deforestation — you see that flicker of light in their eyes, like, 'Wait a minute. We must do something about this. What do we do?'" This questioning, she explains, is exactly what the program seeks to cultivate: "We're trying to build their voices so that they can stand up and fight for what is theirs."
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Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka alongside students. Photo Source: Finafinau |
Youth at the Center of Climate Solutions
The program's latest phase represents its most ambitious growth yet. Through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's National Coastal Resilience Fund, Finafinau is partnering with A2/Anthropocene Alliance to develop a comprehensive roadmap for nature-based coastal resilience solutions. The 2024 NCRF grant broke ground by placing youth — led by Finafinau — at the core of the effort, a shift that Suluai-Mahuka calls "both beautiful and necessary."
Unlike traditional environmental programs, this project positions young people as essential partners — not mere observers. Finafinau students will help lead the implementation of mangrove restoration projects in priority areas where coastal erosion threatens communities and infrastructure. They'll work to create living shorelines using native vegetation and natural materials to buffer wave energy while maintaining beach access for cultural practices. The program includes comprehensive wetland rehabilitation efforts, recognizing that healthy wetlands serve as natural sponges during extreme rainfall events and provide critical habitat for fish species that sustain local communities.
As stewards, the students will aid in developing and implementing monitoring protocols. This data collection builds on their proven track record. In last October’s Clean-Up and Stabilization Day, over 150 participants logged 4,000 pieces of debris, collected data for the American Samoa EPA, and planted 20 native trees along Pala Lagoon.
In their Leadership Summit Think Tanks, they develop ideas on climate adaptation to be delivered directly to government officials, scientists, and community leaders. Siumu Galeai, a biologist and board member supporting the project, has made it a point to center student voices. "In our past Think Tanks, we've brought in experts and scientists. Now, it's time to hear where the students say the problems are and what they think might be solutions."
That shift, with students leading the conversation, has changed the tone entirely. The youth speak from what they see around them: coral bleaching in their favorite fishing spots, rising tides creeping toward family land. They suggest responses that reflect both urgency and cultural context, like how to restore mangroves without losing the beaches that are part of their identity. As Galeai tells them, "This is our island. We need to take ownership of it." Their input isn't symbolic. It's shaping real decisions about how American Samoa prepares for the future.
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Cultural Resilience and Community Response
Amidst these mounting pressures, Samoans remain resilient. On Aunu'u Island, where 400 residents face severe coastal erosion and tsunami risk, families have built provisional seawalls from collected rocks while waiting for official construction materials. Despite the danger, residents refuse to relocate, maintaining their connection to land that produces what locals consider the finest taro in the region. |
A Finafinau student hosting an information booth opposing deep-sea mining at STEAM symposium. Photo Source: Finafinau. |
Students are illustrating this same commitment. Beyond coastal cleanups and weekly efforts in their native plant nursery, they give educational presentations at elementary and middle schools and lead information sessions at town halls. For Earth Day, they help organize "Community Waves" – bringing together groups like NOAA, the National Park Service, and local village councils to share conservation efforts and connect with the community. Their impact extends well beyond Tutuila: traveling nearly 100 miles by boat or small plane to the remote Manuʻa Islands, they’ve met with youth in villages like Faleasao and Fitiuta to discuss mangrove planting, reef restoration, and environmental stewardship. Their work recognizes that effective climate action requires both immediate response and long-term planning, both traditional knowledge and scientific innovation.
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Building Future Leaders
The program's dual focus reflects Suluai-Mahuka's broader vision: "to get them to think long-term," while also working "to inspire more of our youth to get into these fields for career and college pathways." This approach transforms environmental stewardship from temporary volunteer work into potential life directions.
As Fata puts it, "We're building them into future ambassadors and leaders of American Samoa. They want to become change makers, and that is what Finafinau is there for — to help guide them to become warriors for the Pacific and beyond." |
A Vision for Pacific-Wide Impact
Suluai-Mahuka envisions a network of youth-led environmental organizations throughout the Pacific, connected by a shared ocean and common challenges. She has already begun supporting similar efforts in other island communities, providing small grants and technical assistance to emerging programs across the region.
"We need to live as grateful and worthy descendants for the land and ocean we have inherited. And we must work together, as mindful stewards of our home, remembering that this is the land and ocean our children will inherit."
This perspective transforms environmental action from burden to privilege, from reactive response to proactive care.
For those working in climate resilience, Suluai-Mahuka acknowledges, "it is a work of heart."
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Mangrove planting by a Finafinau student. Photo Source: Finafinau |
Hope Takes Root
The mangrove seedlings that students carefully tend in American Samoa's coastal nurseries will take years to mature into effective barriers against storms and erosion. But the young people who plant them are already creating protection for their communities, developing the knowledge, skills, and networks that will define Pacific Island climate resilience for generations to come. In a region where the ocean connects rather than divides, where traditional knowledge meets scientific innovation, and where young voices are increasingly recognized as essential to survival, these students are proving that the most powerful force for protecting Pacific islands may not be seawalls or legislation, but the passionate commitment of youth.
As Suluai-Mahuka puts it: "Individually, we can make ripples of change, but together we can make it an unstoppable, tidal wave of impact. And that is the goal." |
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The Conservation Alliance’s Confluence Program is accepting inquiry forms for conservation grants led by communities of color—due August 15.
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On September 11 from 7–8 pm ET, a webinar titled Back to School Night: Raising Resilient Kids in an Age of Disasters will share new research, resources for parents, and feature a panel discussion; it will be recorded for later viewing. Register here.
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Good Grief Network’s 13-week FLOW Facilitation Training begins Sept 7 (Sundays) or Sept 9 (Tuesdays) and equips changemakers to lead peer support spaces addressing climate grief, burnout, and emotional resilience—ideal for activists, nonprofit staff, and community leaders. Register here.
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Climate Mental Health Network just released new resources--videos, guides, research and more about addressing climate emotions and action through intergenerational engagement.
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