State, National & International Resources

Issue Areas:

Arts & Culture

State Resources: 

Alaska State Council on the Arts

The Alaska Legislature formed ASCA in 1966 "to ensure that the role for the arts in the life of our communities will continue to grow and will play an ever more significant part in the welfare and educational experience of our citizens."

National Resources:

The National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

International Resources:

International Federation for the Arts

The International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) is the global network of arts councils and ministries of culture. Their vision is to actualize a world in which the arts are valued in themselves and for their contribution to strengthening communities and enriching lives. This organization works to improve the capacity and effectiveness of government arts funding agencies to benefit society through networking, advocacy and research.

Community & Economic Development

Youth Education & Development - Early to Middle

State Resources

Alaska Association for the Education of Young Children (Alaska AEYC)

This is an organization that is the world's largest professional early childhood organization and includes over 100,000 members. The program is working to bring high quality education to child from birth to age eight. Alaska AEYC and it's three local affiliates serve the needs of early childhood education professionals in the state of Alaska. For more information about AEYC check out their website!

Alaska Head Start Association (AHSA)

A membership organization representing Head Start parents, staff, directors and friends, whose purpose is to support and advocate for children and families. This is an awesome program that is a huge part of increasing access and exposure to quality early childhood education for underprivileged children and families. The program engages parents in the children's learning and works with families toward their education, economic, and literacy goals. For more information about AHSA check out their website!

Ready to Read Resource Center

This is a program that promotes early literacy development through providing reading kits to those who work closely with infants and toddlers. They are able to provide reading kits to children throughout Alaska. Ready to Read is based out of the Z.J. Loussac Library in Anchorage, AK. A generous grant from the Anchorage Public Library and supportive funding from the Institute of the Museum have made this program possible. For more information about Ready to Read Resource Center check out their website!

Thread: Connecting Early Care and Education to Alaska

Thread is a program that emphasizes that children begin learning at birth not when the reach kindergarten. The organization has created a network of trained professionals who support early educators and parents. These professionals help ensure that parents and teachers are knowledgeable and supported in providing their children with the guidance they need for lifelong success.

Youth Education & Transition to Young Adulthood

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

FAFSA is a way for any student to apply for Federal Student Aid, Work Study, or Grants to attend college. It helps students who would otherwise be unable to pay for college to find a way to go to college.

International Resources

United Nations

The United Nations is a council of most of the countries in the world which makes decisions about world conflicts or problems. They have declared that as part of basic human rights, everyone has the right to a free public elementary education and are working toward that goal.

Environment & Sustainability

Food Security & Affordable Housing

Health & Mental Health

State

Alaska Department of Health & Social Services

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services' mission is "to promote and protect the health and well-being of Alaskans." The purpose the Alaska Department of Health & Social Services is to use the best scientific knowledge to set public policy, and assure provision of services, which guarantee the health of all Alaskans, that they may live free lives with optimal well-being. Referrals to community resources

Get Outdoors! Alaska

If you listen to the radio, chances are you have heard one of the Get Outdoors! Alaska commercials. This organization developed due to concerns about children's detachment from nature and the subsequent lack of physical exercise and increased physical and mental health risks that result.  Local, state, federal, and private stakeholders partnered together to address the detachment from nature that children of today are now experiencing. Check out the website even if you do not have children. It has some great ideas for the child in all of us!

National/International

American Psychological Association

The mission of the APA is to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives. The American Psychological Association is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in the United States.  According to the official website of the American Psychological Association, the "APA seeks to advance psychology as a science, a profession, and as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare." The organization encourages the growth of psychology by promoting psychology research and making sure that this knowledge is distributed. Publications, research, educational materials and psychological resources are available on their website.

Immigrants & Refugees

Anchorage School District: English Language Learners Program

The Anchorage School District (ASD) reports being one of the top 100 largest districts in the United States. As of February 2011, ASD identified 91 different languages spoken with over 50% of the district students coming from a diverse ethnic background other than White.  The English Language Learners Program page has many resources for parents and teachers, including specially designed curriculum and even a video for parents in their native language describing the “typical school day” their child can expect to experience at ASD. Find out more by exploring ASD's English Language Learners (ELL) webpage and the ASD Proceedure Manual for identifying and providing services to ELL students.

Many of the ASD procedures, standards, and assessments are developed using guidance from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. Common questions and answers regarding ELL students, including definition and identification procedures used with ELL kids are also available from Anchorage School District.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

On the national level, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has a large amount of information. At first glance this site is a great resource for immigrants, refugees, and those working with either population. A little closer look reveals that it is also an excellent resource for those with humanitarian, adoption, and military interests.  USCIS as an organization identifies that their mission is to provide “accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system” (para. 2).  An interested party can even take an online naturalization practice test, while having access to all the pertinent regulations and forms necessary for citizenship.

Safe Families & Safe Communities

State

Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDSVA)

ANDSVA is a non-profit, membership corporation composed of 17 programs statewide that provide services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, offender services, and adult crisis intervention services. The Network provides communication and linkage among programs and organizations whose primary focus is the elimination of domestic violence and sexual assault in the state. ANDSVA's website includes statewide statistics and referrals.

National

Office of Violence Against Women

The mission of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, is to provide federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence against women and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Global

UN Women

UN Women is the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.

Say NO records what individuals, organizations and governments worldwide are doing to end violence against women. Whether you volunteer at a shelter, donate, reach out to students or advocate for better policies – every action counts. Every year the UN Trust accepts proposals for domestic violence project grants.

Stop Violence Against Women Campaign (Amnesty International)

In 2004, Amnesty International launched its global Stop Violence Against Women Campaign to help break the silence around this scandal, stop the violence, and create a world where women and girls are afforded their basic human rights. Using social and online media, this campaign draws from individual voices, but also publishes blog posts, reports, and press releases on the state of violence against women around the world.

Violence Prevention Alliance (World Health Organization)

Global Violence Prevention is a network of 200 researchers and practitioners of violence prevention, working to bring U.S. resources to low- and middle-income countries for evidence-based prevention of self-directed, interpersonal, and collective violence. The project supports the ideas and methods in WHO's World report on violence and health that declared violence a preventable public health issue and which arrived at the remarkable conclusion that people can use scientific principles to make the necessary changes to prevent violence. This project has built a broad coalition of individual supporters from organizations who endorse the work. For more information please visit