Kids These Days! is dedicated to reaching as many Alaskans as possible with timely information and useful strategies for coping with real issues facing young people, families, educational institutions, businesses and communities. We are committed to drawing on the wisdom and knowledge available right here in Alaska, along with research and information from national experts, to make the show a relevant and valuable resource for all Alaskans. Below are some of the Alaska Native parenting resources that Kids These Days! is pleased to make available to our listeners.

We are currently seeking additional resource materials, articles and information specific to Alaska Native parenting to include on our website. We would love to hear from you! If you, your agency or school has developed such materials and are willing to have them included, please contact Nancy Seamount and share them with us! Do not be concerned about the layout or apearance of the materials - we can assist with website presentation. We feel it is essential to address the diverse needs and circumstances of all Alaska families.

Native Parenting Resources:

Our Choices, Our Future: Analysis of the Status of Alaska Natives Report 2004, a publication of the First Alaskans Institute.

Working Together: An Education Handbook for Alaskan Native Families, a publication of the Juneau School District.

The Alaska Native Knowledge Network has a wealth of Publications and Resources that may interest parents, including Guidelines for Nurturing Culturally Healthy Youth and Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Languages.

Talking to Your Children's Teachers About Cultural Relevance, adapted for Alaska Native parents by Teri Schneider of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative.

Native Movement: Indigenous Peoples Rights
http://www.nativemovement.org
Strong and healthy Indigenous Nations motivating the world's peoples toward balanced relations with each other and Mother Earth

Indigenous Peoples of Alaska
http://www.nativemovement.org/essays.html
Written by Chief Evon Peter
2003 publication of Native Movement

www.Alaskool.org
http://www.alaskool.org/projects/traditionalife/traditionalife.html
For teachers, students, and anyone interested in Alaska’s first people.

Traditional Life
http://www.alaskool.org/projects/chevak/chevak/default.htm
Traditional life in Chevak - Alaskool's Chevak team headed up by John Pingayak has put together a great set of materials on traditional life in Chevak - streaming stories, descriptions of life and activities, a glossary with audio files. Includes Mr. Pingayak's curriculum The Cup'ik People of the Western Tundra and lessons on qayaq building.

Culture and Change for Ieupiat and Yupiks of Alaska
http://www.alaskool.org/native_ed/articles/EMaclean-CC.htm
Edna Ahgeak MacLean

Alaskool's Ready-to-Go Curricula about Alaska’s Native history, education, languages and culture
http://www.alaskool.org/curriculumindx.html

Audio-Visual Resource List about Alaska’s Native history, education, languages and culture
http://www.alaskool.org/resources/audiovisual/avindex.htm
What's here: Streaming Video - Subsistence in Northwest Alaska, ANCSA videos, Biographies, Storytelling; Streaming Audio - Storytelling, Native language learning and teaching materials, Music

Alaska Native Knowledge Network
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/NPE.html
The Alaska Native Knowledge Network is designed to serve as a resource for compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing.

Alaska Native Knowledge Network
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/videos/
Video resources from the Alaska Native Knowledge Network

Elders and Cultural Camps as Educational Resources
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/elders.html
Elders and subsistence camps are an important part of Native life throughout Alaska. One of the strategies that is proving most successful in connecting the school curriculum to students lives in culturally and educationally meaningful ways is through the involvement of Native Elders as teachers and the real-world setting of a subsistence camp environment as the classroom. The resources at this site promote the establishment of Elders-in-Residence programs in schools and the use of subsistence camps as learning environments that engage students (and teachers) in inquiry-based activities under the guidance of local experts.

Gaalee’ya Spirit Camp
http://www.mosquitonet.com/~gaaleeya/main.html
Week long "spirit camps" allow Native elders to teach values that enhance self-esteem and provide basic lifeskills. The goal is for camp attendees to improve their participation in their families and communities.

Cultural Heritage and Education Institute
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/chei/
Minto Flats, Alaska
The Cultural Heritage and Education Institutes’ mission is threefold- to Share, Educate and Restore; share Athabascan cultural knowledge and skills, educate youth and adults on how to be sober productive participants in native Athabascan and non-native western cultures and restore the spiritual site of Old Minto and the history of a past village.

Alaska Native Knowledge Network Calendar of events
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu:591/FMPro?-db=
For an up-to-date place for information on camps and other events, the Alaska Native Knowledge Network Calendar of Events are updated regularly.

Alaska Native Knowledge Network On-line publications:
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/rolankn.html - includes the following Publications in PDF:

• Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/standards/standards.html

• Guidelines for Preparing Culturally responsive Teachers for Alaska’s School http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/standards/teachers.html

• Guidelines for Nurturing Culturally Healthy Youth
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/standards/youth.html

• Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/standards/knowledge.htm

• Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Languages
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/standards/language.html

• Guidelines for Culturally Responsive School Boards
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/standards/board.html

• Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Orientation Programs.
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/standards/xcop.html

Center for Cross-Cultural Studies
http://www.uaf.edu/cxcs/
Established in 1971, the center is a teaching, research and development unit administered through the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It promotes programs that concentrate on the needs of Alaska's indigenous societies, with particular regard to educational needs and issues in rural Alaska.

First Alaskans Institute
http://www.firstalaskans.org/home/index.cfm
The First Alaskans Institute is a non-profit charitable organization whose mission is to help develop the capacities of Alaska Native people and their communities to meet the social, economic and educational challenges of the future, while fostering positive relationships among all segments of our society.

Native Perspectives on Alaska Issues
http://www.firstalaskans.org/461.cfm
The First Alaskans Institute/Alaska Native Policy Center partnered with the Alaska Humanities Forum to sponsor a 'Survey of Native Perspectives on Alaska Issues.' The random phone survey was conducted by the McDowell Group. It provides a snapshot of Native perspectives on topics such as mobility, quality of life, statewide and community issues, education, gender issues, the economy, leadership, environment, and subsistence.

Alaska Federation of Natives
http://www.nativefederation.org/flash.html

AFN's major goals are to:
* Advocate for Alaska Native people, their governments and organizations, with respect to federal, state and local laws;

* Foster and encourage preservation of Alaska Native cultures;

* Promote understanding of the economic needs of Alaska Natives and encourage development consistent with those needs;

* Protect, retain and enhance all lands owned by Alaska Natives and their organizations; and

* Promote and advocate for programs and systems which instill pride and confidence in individual Alaska Natives.

Alaska Native Knowledge Network Newsletter
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/sop/
The newsletter of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative. If you wish to be included on the mailing list, contact the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, (907) 474-5086.

Parent Leadership Institute, Parents, Inc.
http://www.parentsinc.org/
March 9-10, 2005
Anchorage, Alaska Parent Leadership Institutes (PLI), are held quarterly, and offer you opportunities to be a "Leader" for yourself and your family, and for families in your community. Training is offered FREE (if enrolled in the year-long PLI) - Training is designed to empower you - Learn disability-related skills - Knowledge you need to improve the lives of your family members and community. For more information or to register and create your personal training plan, contact Barbara Siefert @ 1-800-478-7678 or barbara@parentsinc.org

Alaska Native Education Study
http://www.firstalaskans.org/460.cfm

Among its many findings, the research found the following:
1. Alaska Natives value education in the schoolroom and the traditional classroom.

2. In the household survey, personal and family history was the primary reason given for high dropout rates of Alaska Natives.

3. Children are more likely to succeed in school if their parents have high expectations and are involved in their children's education.

4. Respondents in the household survey, focus groups and experts all agree that it is important to teach Native culture and language in the classroom. Pervious research confirms that inclusion of Native culture and language in the classroom promotes academic success for Native students.

5. Rural schools have a hard time attracting and retaining the good teachers, and lack the range of academic offerings found in urban schools.

6. To make education more relevant, Alaska Natives support a curriculum that embraces Alaska Native culture, language, ecology and other Native ways of knowing.