COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Sharing and Expanding Our Knowledge In-Region Programming Keeps Youth-To-Work Program Moving Forward
Youth-to-Work was a chance for me to share my culture and expand my traditional knowledge by learning from elders and others in my community. MARILYN FAIRBANKS, YOUTH-TO-WORK PARTICIPANT MARILYN FAIRBANKS
For fourteen years, summers in Alaska have seen the return of our long-running Youth-to-Work (YTW) Program. Designed to provide youth with opportunities to develop professional skills and gain valuable work experience, YTW has become a cornerstone of our programming and a key component of local economies. After a record year in 2019, which saw high participation levels of 80% of total in-region youth, YTW shifted gears to enable a more socially distanced program. In preparation for the summer cohort of 510 YTW participants, BRENDA ERIK and her team built a kit of
resources that would prepare local CSRs to facilitate in-community programs. CSRs were trained on how to manage in-region programming, coordinate with youth and interface between the participants, community leaders and staff in Anchorage. In the winter, we reopened YTW in three communities where we were unable to run summer programs. CSRs in those communities made the program possible by providing guidance to youth and assembling packages with all of the materials youth needed to work from home. No-contact delivery protocols were established to ensure the health and safety of all participants.
We had 523 participants in YTW in 2020, including 26 youth from the winter cohort. Together, they earned a combined $226,042 in wages and bonuses. For our youth, YTW is an opportunity both to grow as a professional and connect with traditional Alaska Native culture and practices. A former participant, MARILYN FAIRBANKS, said she has fond memories of doing traditional crafts, including working with beads and sewing qaspeqs. She hopes to put her traditional knowledge to use soon by becoming a Yup’ik language teacher in her community.
COASTAL VILLAGES REGION FUND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 | 9
