It’s a milestone for chamoru immersion education, with the 2nd Komferensian Mañaina, or parent conference, set for Wednesday at the Guam Museum.

A younger generation is breathing new life into the chamoru language and culture at P.C. Lujan Elementary School’s Faniyåkan CHamoru Immersion Program.

But they aren’t embarking on this journey alone — with teachers, staff, and parents all working together to preserve this heritage.

And on wednesday at the second annual komferensian mañaina, or parent conference, the intergenerational bond that the chamoru language creates between parents and their children will be a main focus.

Pika fejeran, a faniyåkan parent and president of the program’s parent teacher organization, on the importance of this collaborative effort. She said, “It’s a chance for all of the parents and their children to get together with the teachers and the staff to really just spend a day together and practice CHamoru together, and learn what our kids are doing at school, and really just reignite within each of our families as to why we’ve chosen to send our kids to Faniyakan CHamoru.”

The event, hosted by the Guam Department of Education CHamoru Studies and Special Projects Division’s Prugråman Tinigo,’ in collaboration with Inetnon Mañaina Faniyåkan Chamoru, Inc., not only seeks to serve as a supportive space for Faniyåkan families, but for future ones, too.

Fu’una Sanz is a 3rd grade teacher in the program and the conference chairperson. “This is our second time doing it, so from our first time, we took the feedback from our participants to make this year even better, and this event was also for prospective families, so trying to recruit more families into our program. We really want all the families to see what Faniyakan look like, what does it even mean to attend a CHamoru immersion school?” said Sanz.

In the meantime, a push for a dedicated school for the program continues, as CHamoru Studies Division administrator and Faniyakan facilitator, Sinot Jimmy Teria, says an updated resolution in support of CHamoru immersion education is underway by the Guam Education Board.

And while they remain at the Barrigada school for now, Teria says he welcomes the growth of the program, saying, “We’ve announced our pre-K openings, so we’re accepting anyone who is 4 years old after July 31st, who’s already 4 years old, and of course, weve opened it up to our kindergarten, so we’re accepting kinder and pre-K, and if they’re interested and have some fluency in upper grades, we’re taking in case-by-case families.”

The conference is slated for Wednesday, April 29, at the Guam Museum, from 8am-3pm.