Building Leadership Capacity with Rural Alaskan Youth

View the project final report

• 2016 annual report

Commodities

Practices

• Animal Production: grazing - continuous, free-range, grazing management, livestock breeding, grazing - multispecies, range improvement, grazing - rotational, stocking rate
• Education and Training: technical assistance, decision support system, demonstration, display, extension, farmer to farmer, focus group, mentoring, networking, study circle, youth education
• Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns, whole farm planning
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity
• Sustainable Communities: community planning, ethnic differences/cultural and demographic change, leadership development, local and regional food systems, new business opportunities, partnerships, public participation, analysis of personal/family life, community services, employment opportunities, social capital, social networks, social psychological indicators, sustainability measures

Cultural assimilation of Alaska Natives in the latter half of the 20^th century left many Alaska Native peoples in a state of cultural confusion, economically unstable and with many social problems. Alaska Natives experience some of the highest rates of accidental deaths, suicides, alcoholism, homicides, fetal alcohol syndrome, and domestic violence in the nation. Many young Native Alaskans and the suicide rate of young Alaskan Native males is 4 times the national average .It is critically important to develop and promote a sense of empowerment in Alaska Native youth to take control of their lives, to increase their skills, and to build their confidence in making decisions that affect themselves and their community. Native youth need to build the foundation for the wellbeing of their community by becoming the leaders for economic and physical health and wellness of the village. To achieve this goal we will develop through this project a self-perpetuating network of reindeer 4-H clubs in Northwest Alaska. The objectives of this proposal are to first recruit and train interested adults in rural Northwestern Alaska villages to form and provide oversight of  local 4-H club centered on reindeer production.  Secondly, youth will be recruited and in collaboration with the adult leaders form a 4-H club using the established Nome reindeer 4-H club as a model. We plan to have the 4-H reindeer clubs showcase their activities in the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, Alaska and by sponsoring an annual local Fair during the Iditarod in Nome where visitors come from around the world.  The network of 4-H clubs will be designed to not only share knowledge from one community to another, but also develop working relationships to build an agricultural industry, reindeer production. So using the 4-H model coupled with reindeer herding in our sponsored events we expect to develop the practical skills, leadership and business acumen in youth to expand agricultural (economic) production in underserved rural Alaskan communities. We anticipate giving the youth the opportunity to develop a connection with the local landscape, livestock and a unique lifestyle that provides food and employment for local communities and overall food security for the state. We believe if the youth are not just exposed, but immersed in the unique lifestyle of a reindeer herder they will develop the practical and leadership skills and a passion for the business as did their parents. It will also be critical for the youth to be given a background in reindeer herding as a business to demonstrate that a reindeer producer can earn a living. We will conduct an initial survey of the youth membership on their skills and command of the reindeer industry as a benchmark for assessing impacts of the project.  After the club has been established we will, through this project, sponsor reindeer   camps where the membership will build working relationships with people currently working in the industry to acquire real life knowledge of the reindeer industry, specific husbandry skills, and also undergo leadership training.  The Traditional Knowledge of veteran reindeer herders and educational material from the Reindeer Research Program University of Alaska Fairbanks will be used to develop the curricula for the camps.  A year after the 4-H clubs have been formed and participates in a 4-H reindeer camp we will interview participants again to document impacts of the project

The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a self-perpetuating network of reindeer 4H clubs in Northwest Alaska. The objectives of this project are to first recruit and train interested adults in rural Northwestern Alaska villages to form and provide oversight of a 4-H club centered on reindeer herding.  Secondly, youth will be recruited and in collaboration with the adult leaders form a 4-H club using the pilot Nome 4-H club as a model. We will conduct an initial survey of the youth membership on their skills and command of the reindeer industry as a benchmark for assessing impacts of the project.  After the club has been established we will, through this project, sponsor reindeer   camps where the membership will build working relationships with people currently working in the industry to acquire real life knowledge of the reindeer industry, specific husbandry skills, and also undergo leadership training.  The Traditional Knowledge of veteran reindeer herders and educational material from the Reindeer Research Program University of Alaska Fairbanks will be used to develop the curricula for the camps.  A year after the 4-H clubs have been formed and participates in a 4-H reindeer camp we will interview participants again to document impacts of the project.

Project activities and time line

1. April – May 2017 Recruit 3 or more adults hold a workshop on how to be involved with a 4-H club in Savoonga, Golovin and Teller, AK.
2. June or July An adult representative from Savoonga and Teller will attend a reindeer 4-H camp in Nome, AK at the Midnite Sun Reindeer Ranch.  
3. May and June 2017 Recruit 12 new students from age 9-18 in Savoonga, Teller and Nome to the Future Reindeer Herders of Alaska 4-H clubs in one year.
4. June through August 2017 Interview students prior to starting activities/ camp/ and or projects to learn previous knowledge from what jobs titles, job duties and careers the reindeer industry has to offer.
5. June through August 2017 In each community hold a 4-H camp that revolves around reindeer production and the reindeer industry.
6. The camps will cover the topics below:
7. a) The camps will be participatory with special guest speakers/teachers/experts):
   1. Reindeer husbandry (producer)
   2. Slaughtering (producer/ agency/
   3. Marketing
   4. Restaurants/ grocery stores/ customers
   5. Shipping
   6. Agency
   7. Investigation (DEC, Vet, meat inspection, BLM, BIA, USDA, NRCS, NPS, ADF&G and UAF)
   8. b) Government
   9. Investigation (Ownership of reindeer to each community, Ownership of land, Village Corporation, Regional Corporation).
   10. Leadership training (planning and goal setting, Roberts rules, public speaking, team building)
   11. c) Reindeer Arts/ community culture/ relevance/ holistic reindeer business’s
8. Hide tanning
9. Composting
10. Aqutaq making, cooking (reindeer stew- other traditional food uses)
11. Cast reindeer antler arts and or dog chews
12. Reindeer hoof art/jewelry

At the conclusion of each two week camp students and families will chose individual’s 4-H projects in the above categories. Once a month students will audio-conference to share on progress. 

7. August through October 2017. Products generated by project participants will include; step-by-step brochures on how to start local 4-H clubs in rural Alaskan communities, Youtube videos of producers, parents and youth collaborating in 4-H reindeer activities to revitalize an agricultural industry. All outreach material will be posted online through the Reindeer Research Program, UAF server and website.
8. November 2017. 4-H youth participants will attend and orally present at the Reindeer Herders Annual meeting held in Nome to exhibit finished projects and display knowledge gained through this project.
9. June through August 2017. An interview will be conducted to measure changes in attitudes and behavior among the youth resulting from participation in this project.
10. June through August 2017. We will sponsor an exit camp to build on the knowledge gained during the year.