Nurture & Empower

Our Youth and Culture program is a community-driven initiative where community members, parents, the Kokhanok school, volunteers, and various departments come together to create enriching events and activities.

We celebrate our heritage with cultural events, engage our youth through diverse activities, and foster community connections through various gatherings. Our program is supported by various grants, including the Johnson-O’Malley Program, which helps us bring these events to life.

Want to get involved or learn more? Contact us at:

Featured Projects

The Kokhanok Elder Stories Podcast is a project driven by the heartfelt desire of our tribal elders to share their stories.

Our elders hold a wealth of knowledge that encompasses various aspects of our tribe’s history, cultural traditions, and personal journeys. Through the podcast, we will delve into topics such as traditional practices, subsistence living, historical events, language preservation, and the challenges faced by our community. The podcast will ensure that future generations have access to this wealth of knowledge, promoting cultural pride and understanding.

The podcast will be a series of five audio episodes and will adopt an interview format, creating an engaging platform for our elders and will allow for a personal and conversational approach. With the support of the Stories Grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum, we will be able to provide a platform for our elders to share their experiences, ensuring that their voices are heard, and their legacies are celebrated.

“The Salmon Kitchen Project,” consists of a series of 12 cooking classes throughout the year, each lasting 2-3 hours.

Participants of this project will learn how to cook healthy and delicious meals using salmon and will help them develop culinary skills including knife skills, food safety, and cooking techniques. We will also incorporate traditional as well as modern cooking methods of salmon. We believe that this project will positively impact our youth, specifically ages 12-17, as this will help them gain more confidence in the kitchen, have a greater willingness to cook at home, encourage creativity, and connect better with their peers, families, and the community.

This project is funded by a grant through the RurAL CAP Foundation.

Group photo