community programs

We’re blessed in Alaska with wild fish and game, plenty of open space and fresh air so it’s easy to think of our environment as “clean”. But it may be that Alaskans are exposed to just as many or more pollutants and chemicals as our lower 48 counterparts and and they may be affecting our fertility and reproduction for generations to come.

Resources for more information on avoiding harmful toxins:

• Alaska Community Action on Toxics
• Chemicals and Reproductive Health
• The Collaborative on Health and the Environment
• Bad Plastics

As contributor Jessica Cochran reports, a slew of researchers are working to figure out just how different chemicals affect reproductive systems.

THE IDEA THAT marijuana is not as bad as other "harder" drugs has been circulating for years, and with modern marijuana more potent than the pot smoked in previous generations, this idea is even more harmful today - but this message is not getting out. As marijuana becomes legalized in certain areas, dispensed to treat a host of medical issues, and permeates modern movies, music and online - kids are increasingly conditioned to believe that using pot is "normal".

With recent studies showing a link between the early use of marijuana and increased chances of developing psychosis, these "social norms" surrounding pot use are especially dangerous for children and teens.

Here in Alaska, campaigns addressing alcohol and tobacco use are actively engaging teens and youth, yet there has been no such anti-marijuana campaign. Until now. The Anchorage Youth Development Coalition, a group of over 60 youth-serving organizations, is in the planning stages of a new campaign that will address these social norms surrounding pot use by youth and teens.

KTD Producer Sarah Gonzales spoke with Youth Development Specialist Thomas Azzarella about how this campaign is coming together.

This story originally featured on Show 35: Drugs These Days.

THE MOVIE STEREOTYPE of summer in America is of being carefree and happy, but for many families summer is stressful – even more so since the 2008 economic crisis.

The expense of summer childcare is a big financial hit, and many kids lose access to the free or reduced price lunches available at school five days a week. The Food Bank of Alaska is seeing to this need.

Last summer, the food bank sponsored 42 sites around Alaska, and served 65,000 meals to children – that’s about one-third of the total number of meals served to kids under the USDA program last year. This year, their goal is to sponsor 60 sites, and serve 100,000 meals. The food bank is also happy to help organizations figure out how to sponsor their own sites.

KTD Contributor Jessica Cochran spoke with Susannah Morgan (pictured), Executive Director of the Food Bank of Alaska, about the effort to help get food to kids in the summertime.

This story originally featured on Show 32: Summer Reads.  

APRIL IS CHILD Abuse Awareness Month. Since the Alaska Children's Trust began in 1988 it has distributed more than $3.5 million toward preventing child abuse and neglect in Alaska.

KTD Producer, Sarah Gonzales, spoke with Panu Lucier, the executive director of the Alaska's Children's Trust, to learn about how they are employing the 5 protective factors to strengthen families with the vision of being the safest state for children by the year 2030.

This story originally featured on Show 30: Suicide Prevention in Alaska.

The Family Wellness Warriors Initiative has an ambitious goal: end domestic violence, child sexual abuse and child neglect in Alaska in THIS generation. It’s a program of Southcentral Foundation, the native non-profit health care organization for the Cook Inlet region.

As KTD Contributor Jessica Cochran tells us, it’s all based on sharing stories.

This story originally featured on Show 30: Suicide Prevention in Alaska.

Teenagers in Alaska are more at risk of dying by suicide than kids in any other state. Understanding this statistic and the efforts to fight the problem is the subject on today's show.

IN-STUDIO GUESTS: Joining KTD Host Shana Sheehy are three guests.

• Barbara Franks works with the Suicide Prevention Programs for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Division of Behavioral Health & Rural Services, she also serves as Vice President of the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council.

• James Gallanos is the lead suicide prevention coordinator for the Department of Health and Social Services - Prevention and Early Intervention Services, he also manages the Alaska Youth Suicide Prevention Project.

• Kimberlee Jones is the director of Careline Crisis Intervention, Alaska’s statewide suicide prevention and crisis hotline where you can also text and chat online confidentially.

Visit StopSuicideAlaska.org to learn more about statewide prevention efforts.

THREE GOOD PHONE NUMBERS TO KNOW!

• The Careline 1-800-273-8255 is the state's suicide hotline.
• April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call 1-800-478-4444 in Alaska.
• Call 1-800-643-KIDS - it's the Alaska Parent Line and you can ask for advice or learn about resources that are available to help you and your family.

FEATURED STORIES:

- Teen-produced PSAs - Three Alaska teens told KTD Producer Sarah Gonzales what kids know about preventing suicide with their winning entries in the statewide Suicide Prevention PSA contest sponsored by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the Alaska Association of Student Governments.

• Watch Jaden from Barrow's PSA: What if we could go back to that moment where a friend could change everything?
• Watch Sophie from Klawock's PSA: Fred the rhododendron
• Watch Michael from Bethel's PSA: Look for the signs

- Fighting for healthy families - The Family Wellness Warriors Initiative has an ambitious goal: end domestic violence, child sexual abuse and child neglect in Alaska in THIS generation. It’s a program of Southcentral Foundation, the native non-profit health care organization for the Cook Inlet region. As KTD Contributor Jessica Cochran tells us, it’s all based on sharing stories. [Full story]

- April is Child Abuse Awareness Month - Since the Alaska Children's Trust began in 1988 it has distributed more than $3.5 million toward preventing child abuse and neglect in Alaska. KTD Producer, Sarah Gonzales, spoke with Panu Lucier, the executive director of the Alaska's Children's Trust, to learn about how they are working towards the vision of being the safest state for children by the year 2030. [Full story]

FOR MANY PART-TIME single parents, there’s a predictable schedule of work weeks, and weeks at home. But when members of the military are deployed their spouses may be single-parenting for many months.

KTD Contributor Jessica Cochran heads to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) to have a look at some of the military resources available to help ease the burden for families during deployment.

LINKS: Elmendorf Military & Family Readiness Center and Elmendorf-Richardson Mobilization & Deployment Readiness Program.

This story originally featured on Show 26: The Part-time Single Parent.

HIRING AN ATTORNEY to handle family legal matters may seem like the only option in some situations – but what if you can’t afford to do that? There are a variety of organizations that help represent low-income Alaskans in legal matters such as child custody and divorce, and some DIY resources, too.

KTD Contributor Jessica Cochran reports on the legal clinics offered locally and on the affordable legal resources available to families in Alaska.

This story originally featured in Show 24: Family Law 101.

With all the great school choices available to families in the Anchorage area it can be a daunting task knowing which one is right for your children. We attempted to make the process of choosing a school a little easier by inviting three knowledgeable guest panelists to share information and answer questions.

GUEST PANELISTS: Speaking with KTD Host Shana Sheehy in front of a live audience are three guests.

• Linda Carlson from the Anchorage School District

• Missy DeRivera of Chugach Homeschool

• Sandee Hough of the Alaska Association of Independent Schools.

FEATURED STORIES:

- How charter schools affect the neighborhood - Where your kid goes to school affects more than just their education - it affects who their friends are and, where you find community. KTD Contributor Jessica Cochran looked at some of the by-products of a rich school choice environment. [Full story]

- Talk Back: the Go-to-Work Mom's POV - After last week's show on Dads These Days aired, listeners wrote in to tell us what they thought about the modern roles of fathers. One local mother shared her perspective on being the Go-to-Work Mom - that other half of the Stay-at-Home Dad trend we explored - so we called her for the mom's POV. Her thoughts top the hour on this show. [Full story]