Choose Connection is a campaign created by Alaska youth to help young people find healthy ways to feel good, stay strong during tough times, and build supportive relationships. Valdez youth and NorthWave Communications join forces to ask tough questions, share stories, create awareness, and connect listeners with real life stories and actionable ideas. Look for “Choose Connection” podcasts on the air, in KVAKs Email newspaper, social media, and statewide websites.
Choose Connection Youth Podcast Project
Choose Connection podcasts are created by Alaska youth and are geared toward helping young people find healthy ways to feel good, stay strong during tough times, and build supportive relationships. Valdez youth and NorthWave Communications join forces to ask tough questions, share stories, create awareness, and connect listeners with real life stories and actionable ideas. Look for “Choose Connection” podcasts on the air, in KVAKs Email newspaper, social media, and statewide websites.
Hot Topics
LoveIsRespect.org is a site specifically for teens with practical and straight forward information about dating, healthy relationships, personal safety, and supporting others.
We R Native is comprehensive health resource for Native youth, by Native youth, providing content and stories about the topics that matter most to them. We strive to promote holistic health and positive growth in our local communities and nation at large.
The Center for Parent and Teen Communication aims to strengthen family connections through growth & development, communication strategies, building character, and Health & Prevention. Includes resources for both parents and teens.
Partnership to End Addiction provides practical, science-based information to help parents
protect and support their children.
For youth, find out How to Help a Friend or Adult Family Member with a Drug or Alcohol addiction.
STAR (Sexual Trauma Prevention and Response) provides help, resources, and safety strategies.
This excellent website based out of Australia contains articles, quizzes, and stories for teens, by teens, and shows that many of the struggles you’re going through are world-wide.
If you are experiencing an emergency, call 9-1-1. If you need help finding a behavioral health provider, visit ANTHC Behavioral Health, Findtreatment.gov, or NAMI Alaska. If you need support finding a behavioral health specialist, call 1-800-662-4357. If you are in crisis, grieving, concerned about someone, or feeling down, please contact the Alaska Careline at 9-8-8.
Additional Resources
“Talk. They Hear You” is SAMHSA’s national youth substance use prevention campaign helps parents and caregivers, educators, and community members get informed, be prepared, and take action to prevent underage drinking and other substance use.
Talk Now Talk Often AK is a statewide effort developed by parents and caregivers to help increase conversations with teens around healthy relationships. Domestic violence and sexual assault in Alaska rank among the highest in the country, and many of the behaviors develop in adolescence. As parents you have a unique opportunity to connect with your kids and begin fostering healthy relationship conversations and skills that can be carried into adulthood.
Order or download FREE Conversation Cards if you’re not sure how to start.
This Guide to Navigating Conversations About Substance Use offers fast and easy facts about substances, Exposure, Protective Factors, and Risk Factors. Print it, fold it, and keep it handy.
If you are a teen or young adult wondering how to create stronger connections with yourself and your place in the world, check out the Choose Connection campaign. These connections help us stay present and resilient and make us less likely to engage in risky behavior like drinking alcohol.
The vision of THIS TOOLKIT is to help Alaska schools and communities integrate trauma-engaged practices and policies into their everyday activities in order to improve academic outcomes and well-being for all students. Improving student outcomes requires us to support the whole child, and to understand how trauma impacts a child’s ability to learn and thrive.
HealthyNativeYouth.org contains health promotion curricula and resources for American Indian and Alaska Native youth. This site is designed for tribal health educators, teachers, and parents.
Photo Gallery
Check out our podcasting team at work in the studio. Click on photos to enlarge.
