Anchorage, Alaska, Helping Teens for 10 Years

To celebrate 10 years, Reclaiming Futures Anchorage recently hosted a reception to honor those who have worked together, improving the lives of young people in the justice system for the past decade.
They also served a delicious cake (pictured at right), which helped improve attendance! It was clear from the events that there is interest in a statewide effort to provide more treatment, better treatment and support beyond treatment for communities working to help teens overcome drugs, alcohol and crime. 
Both Fairbanks and Matanuska-Susitna County were very well-represented, but the events were also attended by a wide variety of leaders from around the state, including:

• Judicial representatives
• Treatment providers
• Community members 
• Funders
• Public health employees
• Attorneys
• Young people and parents 
• Division of Juvenile Justice staff and leadership
• Other youth-serving agency representatives

Very promising local evaluation data from the Justice Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage was presented. Please stay tuned to www.reclaimingfutures.org for those reports in the coming weeks.
The most poignant event was a family panel, who shared heartfelt stories about how Reclaiming Futures had positively shaped their experiences. The parents were candid; the stories were emotional; and the teen was filled with gratitude for the chance to reclaim her future.
Please call 503-275-8911 if you'd like more information about how our model can help in your community.

Susan Richardson is national executive director for Reclaiming Futures. Formerly, she was a senior program officer in the health care division of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in North Carolina, where she led a three-year effort involving the state's juvenile justice and treatment leaders to adopt the Reclaiming Futures model by juvenile courts in six North Carolina counties. She received her B.S. in Public Health, Health Policy and Administration, from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.