Kiribati Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton
Young people have responded to the call to action by elders to lead their nations forward in the face of looming challenges like climate change and in preserving their culture following the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC) in Hawai'i.
FestPAC hasn't just been a family reunion, but it's also been a poignant opportunity for passing on the baton from one generation to another.
More than 500 young people were part of delegations representating 25 nations.
Miss Pacific Islands Moemoeana Schwenke said it's time for young people to "step up" and take the lead.
"It's also a time where we can come together and remind each other of the gift that we've been handed down and what we need to preserve," she said.
"I think as we are looking in to the past and celebrating that, we are also looking into the future and there's a lot of amazing discourse picking up to remind our young people of what they need to step up into and continue advocating for."
Tau Mana A Kihi, a visual artist from Rapa Nui said being involved in the festival made him realise the value of traditional knowledge passed on to him from his father.
"I'm happy here to show my culture cus that's what our ancestors left for us to represent, in time it will be for my children and I will need to teach them the same way my father teached me."
As a young mother Litasha Mandiola agreed, and is looking forward to the day her children will have the chance to represent Guam at FestPAC.
"We are going to be the ancestors soon so I want to continue the traditions and the cultures, especially because I have two kids of my own and I really wish they were here to experience it," she said.
"But I know in the next eight years or so they will be able to experience how we become one and how we share our different cultures."
Rapa Nui Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton
Hawaiian performer Puaiohi Defries said they've absorbed a lot from strong sharing of knowledge between countries.
"It's definitely been super cool to interact with different cultures," Defries said.
"Everyone may come from the Pacific but we are all different in our own cultures, and I think it's very cool that everyone got to share their cultures on a big platform."
These messages have been echoed by youth delegates from across the Pacific who told RNZ Pacific they are ready to step up as leaders for the 14th FestPAC set to be held in New Caledonia in 2028.
They say they understand the responsibility to preserve their cultural identities and pass it on to the next generation.
