PREVIOUS PROGRAMMING
Keet Kids Run I toowú klatseen is a program that came about in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the Boys Run Council and Pathways Coalition came together to adapt Boys Run I toowú klatseen to take place safely at home, through free weekly lessons, activity packets, and video calls with coaches and teammates. What became known as Keet Kids Run I toowú klatseen helped second to fifth graders of all genders build self-esteem, healthy relationships, and respect.
KKRITK socially distanced stretching
I toowú klatseen is Lingít for “strengthen your spirit,” and each of the program’s lessons was rooted in Southeast Alaska traditional tribal values, such as Respect for Self, Elders, and Others, and Respect for Nature and Property. These values were reinforced throughout the program with stories like “How Raven Stole the Sun” and “The Young Man and the Egg Shell.” Participants also learned more about the values through writing prompts and fun activities.
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They practiced introducing themselves to their teammates on video calls using a traditional origin story structure, discovered the Lingít words for different emotions in their program journals, and learned the Native Youth Olympics Scissor Broad Jump through a pre-recorded video. In addition to stories, activities, and video calls, Keet Kids Run participants engaged in physical activity throughout the season that helped them prepare to run a culminating 5K.
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As with Boys Run, Keet Kids Run worked to combat Alaska’s high rates of suicide, substance abuse, teen dating violence, domestic violence, and sexual assault by teaching children to recognize and process emotions, and connecting them to adult mentors and Southeast Alaska traditional culture and values.
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Keet Kids Run I toowú klatseen is not currently being implemented in Sitka. For more information about the program, email prevention@safv.org.
CBIM started as a public service campaign in 2001, and by 2008, it became a national curriculum for coaches to promote respect and prevent violence. (Video from CBIM's webpage)
Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM) is a national program created by Futures Without Violence, a nonprofit dedicated to providing programs, policies, and campaigns that empower individuals and organizations working to end violence against women and children around the world. It consists of a series of trainings that coaches use with their players that illustrate ways to model respect and promote healthy relationships.
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The CBIM Card Series instructs coaches on how to incorporate themes associated with teamwork, integrity, fair play, and respect into their daily practice and routine. The ultimate goal of the program is to help prevent relationship abuse, harassment, and sexual assault. ​
In 2014, the student councils at both Sitka High School and Mt. Edgecumbe High School voted to support Coaching Boys into Men. In December 2016, the MEHS co-ed wrestling team, led by Coach Mike Kimber, finished its second season of CBIM, supported by SAFV. The aim of these conversations during practice is to promote a nonviolent, respectful environment for all. As one of Sitka Pathways Coalition male engagement prevention programs, CBIM focuses on our goal of men working together as allies to end violence and acting as positive role models for young men. Coach Kimber uses this program because he wants his athletes to be exceptional on and off the mat. Even his athletes, both male and female, see the positive differences that CBIM has made in regards to their team unity.
Coach Kimber and his team were recognized for their participation in CBIM at the team's pep rally, where they also signed the CBIM pledge.
“I just joined this year, but when you go onto the team, you feel more connected with them, so, yeah, I have seen them every day [teammates], and I still see them every day, but I feel like I can relate to them more than some of my friends that didn’t join wrestling. Yeah, there’s just- I feel like there’s a bigger bond between wrestlers than there is between people that don’t go through this program."
-MEHS Wrestler
Coaching Boys Into Men is not currently being implemented in Sitka. For more information about the program, email prevention@safv.org.
REBOUND is an experiential prevention project allowing youth from Southeast Alaska to explore Glacier Bay National Park or other wilderness areas on a week-long kayak expedition.
Participants learn outdoor survival skills like setting up a camp stove, cooking in the back country, setting up tents, navigation, bear safety, clean camp and respecting the environment.
Participants kayak in Glacier Bay
(Photo by Elena Gustafson, SAFV)
Participants also learn the value of connecting across cultures, team building, leadership, communication skills, goal setting, examining individual and societal patterns, and pushing past their own physical, emotional, and mental limitations. This program uses the outdoor setting to engage youth in conversations on respect for the environment, self, and others.
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REBOUND is not currently being implemented in Sitka. For more information about the program, email prevention@safv.org.
