By Niisha Walsh
On July 26th-27th, young people from all regions of Alaska who are in Tribal or State custody came together for the first Youth Gathering hosted by Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) Tribal Social Services. Youth ages 10 and older had the opportunity to learn new skills and make new connections during the day-and-a-half event. Guest speaker, Johon Echo Hawk Atkinson kicked off the event with an engaging activity and powerful message about embracing your culture and what it feels like to support others and to be supported. The activity left everyone with smiles and in awe of what they accomplished together as a team. When asked what they enjoyed, one youth wrote, “Learning about other cultures, meeting new people, and having a great time,” while another wrote, “I got to learn about our culture.”
In between sessions of making drums, birch bark canoes, sun catchers, caribou tufted earrings, and necklaces with the Devil’s Club plant from Metlakatla, the youth enjoyed a performance from the local Paava dance group and even learned a dance. A song about the fox and the raven trying to trick each other was a favorite amongst the group. Some of the youth were familiar with the songs and approached the dance group afterwards with excitement. TCC’s Healthy Transitions program also facilitated a 45-minute session that included a beading activity as the group had an open discussion about healthy and unhealthy coping skills and the importance of healthy relationships. Breathing techniques, like the 4-7-8 method, were practiced during this time. On the second day, participants continued their creativity while they painted rocks and learned how to introduce themselves in Yupik, Benhti, Gwich’in, and Inupiaq. One youth wrote, “I learned how to say my name is…, where I’m from, and ask, ‘What is your name?’ ‘Where are you from?’”
“My team was more than excited to provide this opportunity for youth in care. Currently, there are 131 youth in Tribal custody and over 50% of the 2,700 in State custody are Alaska Native. Most of the children are hundreds of miles away from home. The goal was to engage them in their Alaska Native culture while creating new experiences and connections. Many of them were bummed that it was not a week-long event, and in the future we’d like to include youth from our rural villages. It was a lot of work, but the smiles, laughter, connections, and hearing youth say things like, ‘I recognize that song from back home,’ or ‘It was a lot of fun. I felt like my spirit opened up being here,’ made it all worth it,” said Niisha Walsh, Tribal Social Services Manager for TCC.
To close out the event, foster families were invited to join the staff and youth at the Tribal hall for food, singing, and dancing. Doyon catered the Indian Tacos, and Sunny Luke drummed as everyone learned songs from all over the interior. For some foster parents, it was their first time ever participating in singing and dancing, and by the end of the event, they were asking when the next one would be.
