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Dear Alliance Members,

With our grant continuation still making its way through the state process and a well-deserved pause before we reconvene in August, this month's newsletter is a quieter one. Fewer updates, a lighter mailbox, and an invitation to simply be present in the season.

We'd like to use this space to return to something close to the heart of our work and the core value of The Alliance: connection.

Our youth social norms campaign, Choose Connection, asks young people to look at the healthy, protective relationships already present in their lives and to choose them, intentionally. The message from Alaskan youth who informed the campaign is clear: genuine connection to family, community, pets, nature is one of the most powerful protective factors we have. It buffers against isolation, substance use, and the quiet erosion that comes from feeling unseen.

But that message isn't only for young people. It's for all of us.

So this July, we want to gently extend that same invitation to you. The summer months, with their longer days and natural openings, are a gift. Who are the people in your life who ground you? What activities restore your sense of self? What does genuine rest look like for you right now?

Every person who shows up to Alliance meetings, who shares what's happening in their corner of Alaska, who brings hard-won knowledge from their community to the table, who follows through on the work long after the meeting ends, that presence matters. You are not just representing your organizations or your regions. You are the connective tissue of this effort.

We don't take lightly what it costs to stay engaged in this kind of work. Time, energy, and heart. It is a privilege to be in community with you all, and we're looking forward to continuing alongside you in this new fiscal year.

We'll be back in August with meetings, updates, and renewed energy. Until then, we hope you'll visit chooseconnection.org as a resource to share, and as a reflection for yourself too.

Take good care this summer.

Warmly,

Tesia Bobrycki

Coalition Coordinator

tbobrycki@recoveralaska.org

Improving Lives Conference

The Improving Lives Conference is coming up this fall - mark your calendars for September 17-18, 2026 at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage.

Hosted by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, the conference brings together leaders, providers, advocates, and stakeholders from across the state to share knowledge, build partnerships, and explore solutions that improve access and outcomes for Alaskans served by the behavioral health and disability care system.

If you are interested in attending, registrations are open! This is a great opportunity to connect with others doing this work across Alaska, and we hope to see some of you there.

REGISTER TO ATTEND HERE

AFN Conference

Exhibitor applications for the AFN conference open August 3rd. If your organization is planning to have a booth, this is a great opportunity to connect with Alaska Native communities and advocates from across the state.

While you are there, consider bringing Choose Connection materials to share with attendees. Choose Connection is an Alliance campaign - created by Alaska youth - focused on helping young people and families build healthy connections to themselves, each other, and their communities. It is a natural fit for the AFN audience, and we would love to see it represented at the conference. Interested in getting materials for your booth? Request materials on the Choose Connection webpage.

LEARN MORE HERE

How Alliance Members Are Choosing Connection

The Sitka Counseling team recently distributed 104 naloxone kits to community members. They also installed a new naloxone distribution box at the Homeless Coalition to help increase access to this life-saving medication for those who may need it.

This effort supports overdose prevention and helps ensure naloxone is available and accessible within the Sitka community!

About The Alliance

The Alliance is a collaborative effort of multiple and diverse partners across Alaska who recognize the harms of alcohol on individuals and communities. We are personally and professionally committed to working together to address this complex problem in our state.

Our primary goal is to connect and engage communities as partners - increasing protective factors, reducing risk factors, and changing social norms - to prevent underage alcohol use and eliminate all harms of alcohol use in Alaska.

Alliance Materials:



• The Alliance's Common Agenda
• The Alliance's Resource Page

Get Involved!

Between starting new work and sustaining our progress, there are many opportunities to participate in The Alliance! All current workgroups are open to any member who would like to join. You can always read more about our workgroups and their purpose on the Get Involved page of our website. Our network practices an emergent strategy, and we update information based on our network's needs.

Interested in joining a workgroup? Click below to learn more, access the Zoom link, and read past meeting notes!

• The Communications & Social Norms Workgroup is led by an experienced media and communications contractor and advances the two social norms campaigns addressing underage drinking: Choose Connection and In Case You Missed It. The workgroup also supports the Alliance's various other internal and external communications needs. This workgroup meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 1-2 pm.

• The Data and Learning Workgroup is led by a data contractor and will be supporting data equity conversations and practices. This workgroup meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month from 12pm - 1:30pm.

• The Evaluation and Learning Workgroup is where members can participate in designing the annual evaluation process for the Alliance alongside a professional evaluator and receive technical assistance and support on utilizing evaluation in their work. This workgroup meets on the first Thursday of each month from 9:30am - 11am.

• The Strategic Design Workgroup builds structures and processes for the network to work in alignment with our values and theory of change. This workgroup is led by an experienced prevention professional and regional co-chair, and meets on the third Tuesday of each month from 1pm - 2pm.

• The Policy Workgroup is led by a policy expert and works to track alcohol and prevention policies, identifies and designs advocacy actions, and provides technical assistance to individuals wanting to engage in the political process. This workgroup meets on the second Friday of each month from 11am - 12pm. During legislative session (Jan-Apr), this workgroup meets every other Friday from 11am - 12pm.

You are welcome to ask questions about those workgroups

or to ask to join any of them.

Workgroup meetings are paused in July and will resume in August. We hope to see you then!

Want to Lead Change?

Apply to Be a Co-Chair of The Alaska Alliance!

Are you passionate about shaping Alaska’s future and driving meaningful community impact? The Alliance is now accepting applications for the Co-Chair position. This is a unique opportunity to help guide the organization’s vision, build partnerships, and amplify our collective voice.

If you’re interested in stepping up as a leader and making a difference, we encourage you to apply!

APPLY HERE

If you would like to submit content for The Alliance newsletter, please email

Tesia at tbobrycki@recoveralaska.org and Kara at kstewart@recoveralaska.org.