Dear Alliance Members,

As the coho run wanes here in Cordova and the town is quieting with the departure of the seasonal visitors and mornings hint of frost to come, I have some exciting news… We have received and accepted outstanding proposals for key initiatives aligned with our Strategic Action Plan, developed last spring! These initiatives will enhance our internal communication, build capacity, identify opportunities for action, and ultimately drive meaningful change while fostering deep relationships within The Alliance.

Communications Workgroup

Drawing on her deep history with and understanding of The Alliance, Kelby Holtfreter Murphy from Walsh|Sheppard will continue to champion our Communications strategies. The focus will be on updating our website and communication tools to support recruitment, growth, engagement, and collaboration, along with expanding the youth social norms campaign. If you’d like to join this effort, please email me to participate in the Communications Workgroup, which meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 2 PM.

Policy Workgroup

Tom Begich from CW Communications is spearheading our new Policy Workgroup! As Tom states, “Part of this workgroup’s charge will be to identify emerging policy issues, help find solutions related to alcohol and prevention and provide training opportunities to enhance Alliance members' ability to enact policy (e.g., working with public officials, lawmaking 101, presentations, etc.). Some tasks will be in conjunction with other Workgroups, driven by your needs.” You can read his full letter HERE. If you're interested in joining, feel free to email me or Tom.

Evaluation Workgroup

Stellar Group will continue its long-standing role in facilitating the Evaluation Workgroup. This group will lead a community of learning, develop evaluation tools, and report on the Alliance’s progress in meeting strategic goals. It’s an open and collaborative space, designed to increase knowledge and confidence in evaluation activities critical to prevention work. Your participation is welcome! The workgroup meets monthly on the first Tuesday at 11 AM.

Statewide Needs Assessment

Additionally, I’m pleased to announce that Stellar Group will be conducting a statewide needs assessment focused on policy needs and opportunities for reducing alcohol-related harms. This assessment will inform our strategy and future planning for the Alliance. We’re seeking volunteers for a steering committee that will provide strategic direction, ensure alignment with the Alliance’s goals, and facilitate communication among stakeholders. More information about this opportunity is linked HERE. Please email me if you're interested.

Data & Learning

In conversations with workgroup participants, general members, and Alliance leadership, we have identified competing priorities and interests for Data & Learning across our network. To help us define the space moving forward, we need your input! Please complete this brief (less than 1min) anonymous survey to share your recommendation: Data & Learning Survey.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our mission! I hope to see you all at our Open Session on October 17^th from 1:30 – 3:00pm. where we will be having break-out rooms for:

1.     New members/recruitment

2.     Introduction to the new Policy Workgroup

3.     Anything you would like to propose!

I am sincerely grateful to all the members, contractors, co-chairs, DBH grantees and affiliates who have made time to meet with me. Your feedback, insights and recommendations have been incredibly valuable as I step into this role, and I feel supported and equipped to better serve The Alliance. For those I haven’t met with yet, my door is open! I would love to connect. Please send me an email: tbobrycki@recoveralaska.org to schedule a meeting.

See you soon,

Tesia

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

• The Alliance's common agenda
• The Alliance's grounding document
• The Alliance's Resource Page
• The Alliance's network member portal
• Materials for new network members

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 Comms Workgroup meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 1-2 pm.
• The Data and Learning Workgroup will be supporting data equity conversations and practices.
• The Evaluation and Learning Workgroup is where members can participate in developing and overseeing the process of reflecting on the work of the network to identify what is working well and where more attention may be needed so we can continue to develop and grow.
• 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 ask 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 Tesia at tbobrycki@recoveralaska.org and Blaze Bell at bbell@recoveralaska.org.