Solutions Desk

What happens when you combine a preschool with a senior home? Magic. And healthier people from both generations.

The Clements raised their grandchildren in their cozy Alaska home, but Shirley's health problems were making it difficult to keep living there. Until now. 

What's it like to be young in Alaska? What are young people accomplishing? What are their challenges? Listen to a panel of young people from Anchorage and Wasilla answer questions from the audience and discuss their stresses and joys. Some have experienced homelessness and worked as nurses aides and artists. Others are making movies and teaching about democracy.

This Community in Unity conversation was recorded in partnership with Out North Radio and Anchorage Downtown Partnership.

Many parts of Alaska lack enough accessible care for older people. It's a problem without a solution. But there are ways to prevent the problem in the first place. Exercise for elders.

In the 1970s and early 80s people flooded Alaska looking for work in the oil industry. Now, 40 years later, many are still here. Instead of fleeing to warmer weather, Alaskans are aging in Alaska. For the past seven years, we’ve had the fastest growing senior population in the country. But with age comes a different set of needs. Can our state handle it?

Confronting racism and discrimination can be hard. The solution? Start learning techniques when you are young. In parts of Anchorage, some of the teachers of these difficult lessons are other young people. They start with the basics.

When a young person commits a minor offense for the first time, they sometimes have a choice. They can either be charged by the standard juvenile justice system and potentially get an offense on their criminal record, or they can go to youth court. Which option is better?

Sometimes when young people are in rough situations, they don’t want to ask for help. Especially not from adults. That’s where peer outreach workers step in. Alaska Youth Advocates have been connecting with youth on the streets of Anchorage and helping them find resources for 25 years.

Being in foster care can be hard, and foster youth often turn to each other for support. Sometimes that leads to unexpected relationships.

Cook Inlet Housing has developments across Anchorage, including a new 33-unit building in Spenard. In an area of town often better known for its colorful past, the developer is trying to use state-of-the-art modern housing to help promote the neighborhood's future. And it's working.