Dear Friends,

As the seasons transition and we welcome the hints of spring in Alaska, we reflect on the recent gatherings and the wealth of knowledge shared among us. I am pleased to inform you that our Strategic Planning Session has just concluded. This pivotal event was an invaluable opportunity to come together, assess our progress, and chart the course forward. I would like to warmly thank each of you for your insightful input, dedicated attendance, and unwavering support for The Alliance and The Alliance's initiatives. Your contributions were crucial to the success of this process, and I am truly grateful for your active participation.
Following the March session, we will need your continued engagement in work groups to refine and finalize the updated strategic plan. This important work is expected to extend through June, and your participation will be instrumental in seeing through our strategic direction.

To enhance our connectivity and build shared social momentum, we are thrilled to announce that The Alliance's Facebook page will be launching soon! This platform will serve as a community space for sharing updates, resources, and inspiring stories of change and resilience. Upon launching, we will share an update with all network members and invite them to follow us.
Thanks to all of you for the work you do!
Warm wishes,
Marlene 
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!
Examining FASD Diagnosis ECHO

The Examining FASD Diagnosis ECHO is a virtual learning network that will explore the necessity of establishing a holistic system of care to support those impacted by prenatal alcohol exposure. The series will feature the expertise of those with lived experience and professionals in screening, assessment, and evaluation, as well as treatment integration.

This is a Zoom event that is free to attend and is intended for interdisciplinary, multi-sector clinical and non-clinical experts who provide support and services to individuals impacted by prenatal alcohol exposure. This ECHO series is sponsored by the Department of Health, Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention and hosted by University of Alaska Anchorage, Center for Human Development, Project ECHO. Free continuing education credit will be offered and more information will be available.
Save the date for this year’s Alaska Suicide Prevention conference taking place in Anchorage on May 1-2, hosted by the State of Alaska, Department of Health, Division of Behavioral Health, the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council, the Alaska Mental Health Trust, and the
Alaska Mental Health Board/Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. This will be a free
conference open to all who wish to participate.

CALL FOR SPEAKERS
We are now accepting applications to present at the conference! This conference will focus on a range of topics pertinent to suicide prevention in Alaska. This includes youth-focused content, crisis-focused content, community-action content, and much more. If you or your organization is interested in sharing your lived experience, community programs and interventions, or research related to suicide prevention in Alaska, please apply at by clicking THIS LINK. The application period closes FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2024, at 11:59pm AK.

If you have any questions regarding the call for speakers, or general conference inquiries, please email the conference coordinator, Monica, at [email protected].
Affirming Our Identities: Awareness to Action Conference

May 15-17, 2024 at Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska
Audience: Mental Health Professionals

The conference will explore the complex and multifaceted ways in which our various identities shape us, intersect, and influence one another. Over the course of three days, hear from a diverse group of speakers, participate in interactive workshops, and engage in thoughtful discussions on topics such as race, culture, gender, sexuality, ability, ethnicity, and more. This is an opportunity for Alaska's professionals to network and learn together with mental health practitioners from across the country! The goal is to raise awareness and move to action as change agents who are culturally informed, trauma informed, anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and more sensitive to all of our clients' identities. Learn more and register here.
Join the Communications Workgroup!

The Communications Workgroup resumed meeting in February, and we're hoping you'll join us! We will be implementing the Youth Underage Alcohol Use Prevention campaign, working on The Alliance website updates, and providing outreach to current and potential network members through the monthly newsletter and perhaps a new Facebook page! If you're interested in joining the workgroup or being updated more regularly on activities, please email Communications Workgroup Weaver Faith Ozer Green ([email protected]) and Kelby Murphy at [email protected].
Join The Alliance as a Regional Co-Chair!

We're on the lookout for dedicated individuals to become Regional Co-Chairs across the state, specifically in the Copper River Delta, Rural Interior, Northern, Northwest, and Yukon Kuskokwim regions of Alaska.

As Co-Chair, you'll play a vital role in bridging the gap between your region and The Alliance, fostering real-time communication and collaboration. Recognizing the significance of local relationships, we invite those with a passion for recovery and community empowerment to take on this meaningful role. If you or someone you know is ready to make a positive impact, reach out to Stephanie Stillwell at [email protected].

Stephanie is the current Gulf Coast Regional Co-Chair and the Co-Chair Builder for The Alliance. Join us in building a stronger, more connected recovery network in Alaska!
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/Social Norms 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.

You are welcome to reach out with questions about those workgroups or to ask to join any of them.
If you would like to submit content for The Alliance newsletter, please email Marlene at [email protected] and Erin Torgerson at [email protected].