“What sectionals would you find helpful at the Annual Conference in your role as youth advocates?”

Results from a new national and city-level poll show that adults place a high priority on after-school, job training, service-learning, recreation, arts and health care programs - ahead of other concerns like senior centers or tax breaks for new businesses, with 45 percent of respondents nationally saying these programs are a very high priority. At the city level, this support is even higher, ranging from 78 percent to 62 percent. Support for both tax increases on high-income taxpayers and for community “trust funds” to pay for services for young people was surprisingly strong

(66 percent favor the tax increases and 78 percent favor the trust funds nationally). The poll was commissioned and released by the Forum.

The poll offers information on public opinions about strengthening coordination, neighborhood services, taxpayer investments, children’s trust funds, academic investments, and positive role models and programs.

The ten cities included in the poll: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Nashville, Oakland, Philadelphia, and Portland.

Click here to read the press release and the 4-page PDF of poll results.

We hope that this can become an “on-line community” where Alaskans can share their opinions, wisdom, stories and knowledge with each other, as we all work together to make Alaska the best place it can possibly be to raise and educate our children. Keep checking this space to see what people are talking about, and feel free to write comments about any of the posts on this page (including this one), as well as visit the pages we have set up for specific categories related to the work we do around Alaska.

In our ongoing efforts to track the success of QS2, we have expanded the QS2 year-end report forms this year, and tailored them to each participating district. We’ve also tried to make them easier for you to complete! Have we succeeded? Please tell us how we could improve your form, or share your experiences on this report with your fellow “QS2-ers” by clicking on the “comment” link below.

There is a story on the Alaska ICE website called “Natural Born Leaders” about a recent Junior High Leadership conference in Ketchikan. Click on the story title above to read the story, or click on the “comment” link below to let us know why you think youth leadership is important, and what happens in your community to instill and inspire leadership skills in young people.

Welcome to the AAYN on-line discussion page! Here’s a question for you to respond to: In the FOCUS on the AAYN Webpage 74% of the students surveyed said a teacher or other adult at school cares about them. What would you estimate the percentage is at your school? Let us know by clicking the “comment” link below!

Here’s your spot to talk with each other about your questions, concerns, ideas and success stories around community engagement and QS2. Alaska ICE staff will check in on this area and respond as needed, but we really see this as a place where all of you can share wisdom and knowledge with each other, to benefit us all as we move down this QS2 community engagement path together.

The Advocates for Alaska’s Youth Network (AAYN) is an effort to address the Advocacy section within AASB’s Board Standards. The AAYN is to be comprised of one school board member, appointed as liaison by their own local school board, from each of the AASB member boards. These members will serve as the primary link between AASB/ICE Advocacy efforts and their local board and community. Click here to view the AAYN website, which contains valuable resources and tools that AAYN members can use to further the goals of advocacy and community engagement focused on the success of Alaska’s youth.