Dear Friends,

The spring equinox passed, and we’re now looking forward to brighter and longer days—the slow thaw and the ability to get outside in a different way. But, we realize that the warming weather doesn't necessarily spark feelings of relief in everyone. In Alaska, spring also brings higher rates of su*cidal ideation, attempts, and deaths. Reach in to check on one another and support those near you in accessing resources. The American Foundation for Su*cide Prevention is a great place to find trainings and other resources. The new 988 line is available to help those in need of crisis support get connected to local resources.

April is also Alcohol Awareness Month. Have you seen Recover Alaska’s new website? Check it out, and stay tuned to our social media accounts for shareable content.

Things to look forward to in April:

  • Money Relationship Workshop: Those interested in participating in a five-session series in April and May on our stories about money and how that drives our decision-making are encouraged to RSVP by emailing Jess Limbird, [email protected].
  • There are several trainings related to trauma, alcohol, and substance misuse happening in mid-April. Check out our events calendar to be sure you don't miss anything! Events are organized by date.
  • You can also your event to Recover’s community calendar.
After a whirlwind of creativity, openness, and true community spirit, the Wellness and Prevention Symposium is now behind us. It's hard to believe that barely a month ago, we were frantically preparing to meet and greet so many of our dear friends. It was an incredible few days, and we're so grateful to all who attended and shared their stories with us. We continue to learn and grow from your wisdom and your grace.

In truth, we're still processing everything that happened. As we mentally put the pieces together and prepare to stitch in this piece of our larger community tapestry, we thank you for your patience. We are committed to preserving and telling the story of all that we shared together. In the coming month, archival materials will be share on The Alliance’s website, both on the Symposium page and through the Member Portal in our shared google folder. Thank you to everyone who made our first Symposium a success. 
Be well,
Jess and Marlene 
Social Norms Workgroup: After several very busy months, our workgroup is enjoying a respite while we wait for contractor Walsh|Sheppard to complete the latest phase of work for our social norms campaign. In April, we will meet to review the proposed creative concepts and implementation strategies for moving the next phase of our campaign forward. These are exciting times, and there is always room for more people at our workgroup discussions!

Regional Co-Chairs: The regional co-chairs have been meeting regularly. Sadly, Jenna Larson will be stepping away from her role. We are so thankful for all the work and thought she has offered The Alliance during our time together. She will be replaced by Heidi Lucking, who we are excited to welcome into her new role!

Strategy & Design Workgroup: We are currently working on supporting our network's mapping project. As we work, we consider questions such as, "How can folks new to The Alliance really know what we’re about?" and, "How can long-standing members find each other in order to collaborate better together?" As we collectively work our way towards answering these questions, we translate our findings into visual aids intended to help communicate The Alliance's fundamental truths. We are also supporting development of our group's leadership, which is part of The Alliance’s transition planning process.

Data and Learning Workgroup: We were pleased to host a lively Data Equity Conversation at the Wellness and Prevention Symposium. We're continuing to mull over the finer points of our discussion. Our thanks to everyone who attended!
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): AAP has a partnership with YouTube to develop a series of videos focused on adolescent mental health. The campaign, #MentalHealthMattersAAP, aims to empower and educate teens about mental health, well-being, and overall health by providing them with straightforward, medically accurate video content. The most recent video is focused on alcohol use prevention. Check out their video channel here!
We will always do our best to publish upcoming events in a timely, regular manner for our newsletter subscribers. We also keep an event calendar through the Recover Alaska website that allows our partners a secondary means of sharing their event news with our community. We welcome your submissions!
Upcoming Data and Learning Workgroup Meeting

The Data and Learning Workgroup will be meeting on April 11th from 12:30-2pm to discuss the outcomes of the Data Equity Conversation we hosted at the Wellness Symposium in March. Based on these results, we will be discussing next steps regarding improving data equity in Alaska. Zoom link is here.
Upcoming Youth Wellness Workshop

Til Beetus and friends will be launching a new two-day (possibly three) wellness workshop to serve youth statewide. Information will be distributed mid-April. Please contact Til at [email protected] to be added to the mailing list.
Examining FASD Diagnosis | ECHO Series

This Month: April 19, 8:00-9:00 AM

Examining FASD Diagnosis ECHO is a six-part series that will explore the current issues, systems, and practices impacting Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) diagnosis in Alaska and beyond.

This series runs on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 8:00-9:00 a.m. AKST, January-June, 2023 and is intended for an interdisciplinary, multi-sector audience of clinical and non-clinical experts who provide supports and services to individuals impacted by prenatal alcohol exposure.

Objectives of the Examining FASD Diagnosis ECHO include:

  • Define barriers and benefits to FASD diagnosis
  • Discuss current strategies to diagnosis FASD and examine how these strategies might best serve Alaskans
  • Describe systems & tools that might support FASD diagnosis and interventions in Alaska and beyond
Healing Together: Understanding the Root Causes of Violence and the Connection Between Trauma, Substance Use, and Mental Health

Series Description: This comprehensive educational opportunity delves into the underlying causes of violence and the link between trauma and substance use. Participants will learn about the science of addiction and the impact of substance use and mental health coercion in the context of abuse and control. Additionally, the series will cover organizational healing and transformation to support this crucial work. Join us on this empowering journey towards understanding and breaking the cycles of violence. Find the full hand out with details on each session here.

The Trainer: Christina Love is an Indigenous survivor and an intersectional Senior Specialist with a primary focus on substance use, mental health, disability access, neurodiversity, and issues connected to higher rates of violence for marginalized and targeted groups of people.

April 20 Session (10:00-11:30 AM): Participants will learn the science of trauma and addiction. They will leave with the ability to explain why substance use disorders are a disease of the brain as well as a disability. Together we will learn the cycles and stages of addiction and explore addiction as an issue of disparity while learning about the many pathways of recovery and healing.

Date: Third Thursday of the month, March-July, 2023
Time: 10:00-11:30 AM

Meeting ID: 824 1286 6085
Passcode: 042828

Event made possible by ANDVSA and ANTHC.
Alaska Suicide Prevention Conference, ‘Messages of Hope’

The Alaska Division of Behavioral Health’s Suicide Prevention Team and the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council would like to welcome you to the Alaska Suicide Prevention Conference, ‘Messages of Hope.’ This conference will be an opportunity to engage with suicide prevention research, data, innovation, and community-level action to help shape your work to address suicide within Alaska.

This conference will also highlight the five-year State Suicide Prevention Plan, the power of youth voices, and Alaskan-centered knowledge. Please register HERE to reserve your spot!
About The Alliance

The Alliance is a collaborative effort of multiple and diverse partners across Alaska who recognize the impacts of alcohol misuse 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 adult misuse in Alaska.

Alliance Materials


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.

  • The Communications Workgroup will be supporting the social norms campaign and The Alliance's various other internal and external communications needs.
  • The Data and Learning Workgroup will be supporting data equity conversations and practices.
  • The Evaluation and Learning Workgroup is building out quarterly measures for the network to support grant reporting but also to increase real-time evaluation across the network so we can track and respond to improvement needs more frequently.
  • The Strategy and Design Workgroup builds structures and processes for the network to work in alignment with our values and theory of change.
  • The Symposium Planning Workgroup meets to plan and implement the statewide Alaska Wellness and Prevention Symposium and regional convenings to support an aligned and coordinated prevention workforce.

You are welcome to reach out with questions about those workgroups or to ask to join any of them.
We hold monthly newsletter meetings at 11 AM on the Wednesday one week before month's end. Contact Jess Braunlich at [email protected] if you would like more information about this meeting/to be added to the calendar invite for the meeting. Feel free to send us your news and updates for next month's newsletter via the submission link below.