Alaska Men Choose Respect Newsletter-Summer 2015

Welcome to the Alaska Men Choose Respect Newsletter for Summer 2015! This newsletter will keep you updated about the many AMCR related events, volunteer opportunities, and mini-grant opportunities happening across Alaska. More specifically, this newsletter hopes to help men become a part of the statewide movement of men promoting respect.

Congratulations to Women in Safe Homes (WISH) in Ketchikan for completing their Alaskan Men Choose Respect mini-grant! With the help of this grant WISH was able to partner with The Organized Village of Saxman to host a community Compass Kickoff event and to begin COMPASS mentoring in their community.

The Compass Kickoff event consisted of a community potluck, asking permission to walk on Saanyaa Kwaan land, storytelling by Gene Tagaban, and dancing by the Saanyaa Kwaan Dancers and Tei Kwei Dee Dancers. 200 community members were in attendance.

As a way of implementing the COMPASS mentoring program in a fun and meaningful way, Saxman's young men and COMPASS mentors have been meeting bi-weekly to begin the process of carving canoe paddles. Each paddle will be adorned with a clan symbol that is important to that participant. During these meetings the mentors and young men spend time eating together and having dialogue about the different COMPASS topics.

The COMPASS Toolkit has helped the mentors and youth in Saxman to explore and define healthy lifestyle choices and to build respect for all humans.

ANDVSA will be hosting a COMPASS training in Kodiak Aug. 17-20 2015

COMPASS: A Guide for Men is a resource for adult male mentors who work with young Alaskan men aged 12 to 18. COMPASS presents mentors with opportunities and activities that are designed to support young men as they explore and identify their values, goals and unique identities. The activities, teachable moments and discussions described in the guide create a safe atmosphere for men and boys to learn about and practice healthy lifestyles. In addition, these strategies are designed to be easily incorporated into the day-to-day interactions that already exist between mentors and youth like team sports, camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, etc. Ultimately the guide promotes meaningful conversations between men and male youth that promote healthy identities, build positive relationships, and strengthen safe and violence-free communities.
If you are interested in attending or for more information email amcr@andvsa.org

COMPASS: A Guide for Men Training

23 male mentors and community partners were trained in two COMPASS trainings held in Unalaska and Homer. The mentors will use the training to encourage the young boys they work with to understand healthy masculinity.