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Spirit of Youth 12-1-2009   2009 Spirit of Youth Award Winners - photo: David Jensen Nominate a teen who inspires you Nominate a youth-friendly business Spirit of Youth is an Alaskan organization dedicated to creating and promoting opportunities for youth involvement in their communities by increasing civic engagement, building leadership and providing media recognition for the positive contributions youth are making statewide. Through its projects, Spirit of Youth reinforces the Developmental Asset categories: positive identity, constructive use of time, education, values and skills, empowerment, adult and peer support. Spirit of Youth began in 1997 as a media-based project to address the growing negative image of teenagers. Since then, hundreds of positive stories about Alaskan youth have spread through television, radio and local newspapers. An annual banquet is held honoring the contributions teens are making in the following 11 categories:
Their projects include a positive media campaign for youth, youth vote, and youth recognition efforts. Winners of annual Spirit of Youth Awards were recognized at the 11th annual banquet held March 21, 2009. Family and friends gathered at the Egan Center in Anchorage to honor these outstanding teens from across Alaska. Corporate sponsors helped underwrite the event through sponsorship of each award category. All finalists were selected by the Spirit of Youth Teen Action Council. School board members have all been enthusiastic about awarding the certificates during their board meetings. SOY has also partnered with the Alaska Public Radio Network and the Alaska Teen Media Institute to produce over 100 two minute radio segments which report on the works of nominees.
All companies that earn this designation are awarded a certificate and are entitled to display the Youth Friendly decal in their window. In addition, they will be recognized in local press, on organizational websites, and at the annual Spirit of Youth awards banquet in March. “After hearing about your Youth Friendly Business program and the award winning business Wings and Things, I don’t know what else I can tell this audience. If Wings and Things is symbolic of Alaska’s Youth Friendly Businesses, then clearly you know what to do to support and protect Alaska’s youth (in work settings). I would like to see this kind of recognition program replicated in the lower 48, clearly other communities could learn from Alaska’s example!” - Naomi Earp, Chair, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, at a June 2007 Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Lunch
Anchorage's KTUU - Channel 2 recently did a story about the Spirit of Youth campaign. Watch it here. (Quicktime, 4 min - video may take a few minutes to download)
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Contact Information Phone: (907) 586-1083 Fax: (907) 586-2995 Email: |
Alaska Initiative for Community Engagement 1111 West 9th Street, Juneau, AK 99801 |
The Youth Friendly Business recognition program honors (for-profit) businesses that: