Summer Break - Alaska
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Partner: Covenant Youth of Alaska
Location: Unalakleet, AK
Dates: May 24 - July 1, 2012
Dates: May 24 - July 1, 2012
Leaders: Helen Boggess and Katiya Erickson
Cost: $ 1600
Group Size: 10
Group Size: 10
Application: Available October 1st and Due November 15th Apply Here
Donate: Make a contribution here.
Donate: Make a contribution here.
Trip Description
We will serve on the camp staff of Covenant Bible Camp outside of Unalakleet, Alaska, a small village on the Bering Sea. We will spend the first week preparing for camp then jump right into the different camps which include High School Leadership week, High School Camp and Junior High. We will be assigned different roles on the camp staff- most students will be counselors, others may be kitchen staff, eminence workers, worship or games leader, etc. Roles change from week to week. Flexibility is important, as is the ability to function in a new place/culture.
The rustic camp is located 10 miles upriver from Unalakleet, a village of 800 people. It is a beautifully simple place with outhouses, no electricity and wildlife.
About the Ministry
Almost all of the campers are Native Alaskans coming from small villages in Western Alaska with difficult home situations. Many of these communities have very high rates of alcohol, sexual and drug abuse and suicide. People encounter God and are changed at camp in a special way. We recognize that despite our inadequacies in meeting the needs of the campers, Christ's abiding hand of provision knows no bounds. We will fully integrate into the camp staff, with days active and physically intense, as well as relationally and spiritually intense as we focus on the campers.
Our Partner
Covenant Youth of Alaska (CYAK) is Covenant ministry primarily focused on developing ministry for Native youth in Alaska, ages 12-25. Due to the small size and prevalent unemployment in the villages, churches generally cannot afford to pay a youth minister. CYAK runs a leadership program geared for youth in villages, out of which a new generation of indigenous leaders is emerging. The Unalakleet Bible Camp is one of the ministries of CYAK.
Regional Overview
Most of the six indigenous groups live in small villages with populations of several hundred people, with small plane being the primary mode of transportation between villages.There is a rich tradition of subsistence culture (hunting, fishing, and gathering) still present in these communities. Westernization, unemployment, along with the introduction of alcohol and drugs have cause widespread problems. These communities have the highest rates for sexual, alcohol, and drug abuse of any people group in America.