Yeendaa Geenjit Shrideegwirilii
Who We Are
Yeendaa Geenjit Shrideegwirilii (YGS) is funded through a demonstration grant under the U.S. Department of Education to achieve the following goal:
To increase post-secondary education and employment opportunities for youth within the Yukon Flats by providing activities to integrate traditional values and language into the K-12 educational experience.
What We Do
Outcomes expected from the grant include:
- Young adults will engage in strategies to obtain their high school diploma or GED. This includes taking the TABE and completing intensive developmental courses.
- Students will participate in STEM career exploration opportunities including drone camp, STEM intensives, and the Alaska Summer Research Academy.
- Indigenous students will be trained as cinematographers and editors in documentation and preservation. They will work with the language institute to document language materials for curriculum development.
- Language revitalization focusing on development of curriculum for integration into the Western academic system. The long-term educational goal of our language revitalization effort is that, “The Gwich’in people must be educated in second language acquisition and instructional methodologies to integrate the Gwich’in culture into the formal Western educational K-12 and Higher Education system” (Fisher & Sikorski, 2011). In order to achieve this goal, the YGS partnership brings together certified teachers, elders, language instructors and archivists to develop values based integrated academic course work using the “Understanding By Design” model.
FALL 2021 GRANT STATUS:
The Yeendaa Geenjit Shrideegwrilii (YGS) program has ended as of September 30, 2021 and is no longer active. YGS was a four year Demonstration grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Mahsi choo to all project staff and partners for making this a successful program for the youth of the Yukon Flats region. The language work done through YGS will continue to be developed and built upon by the CATG Gwich’in Heritage Project. Below are additional resources and links for similar YGS educational services.
Yukon Flats School District Trial Leaders of Tomorrow Program
Educational choices and opportunities for K-12 students in the YFSD including tutoring, camps, CTE courses, etc… https://www.tltgrant.com/
Tanana Chiefs Conference GO Program
Advisors will work with students to explore and arrange free dual credit opportunities through UAF’s Alaska Advantage program, help students develop a career pathway and engage in virtual health job shadowing, paid micro-internship opportunities, and to receive eligible reimbursements for internet access.In addition to helping students take advantage of TCC GO opportunities, our advisors can assist students with applications to colleges and with applications for scholarship opportunities. https://www.tananachiefs.org/services/tcc-go/
Fairbanks Native Association NACTEP Program
The Native American Career and Technical Education Program offers eligible Alaska Native/American Indian students an opportunity to earn certification or diplomas at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Community and Technical Education. UAF CTC has more than 40 program offerings and juniors and seniors may attend while still in high school. https://www.fairbanksnative.org/our-services/education/johnson-omalley-jom/nactep/
Literacy Council of Alaska
Provides adult education services including GED tutoring and testing. They also have the Pathways program which is a Federally Funded Grant under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) that assists participants in accomplishing education and career goals by aiding them in creating a personal plan to stay on track. They provide services for out-of-school youth, ages 16-24, that have at least one barrier relating to employment or education. Pathways assists young adults located in the interior of Alaska. https://www.literacycouncilofalaska.org/
YGS Information
For additional information, visit the YGS program website at www.ygs-catg.org
