ORCID
Leilani Sabzalian: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6002-2776
Abstract
Each August, Sugpiaq Elders, community members, and educators gather in Cape Alitak to host Akhiok Kids Camp, a week-long culture camp that provides a space for local Sugpiaq youth to learn and carry forward traditional lifeways and promotes youth’s self-esteem, identity, and healthy choices. This article traces the legacy of the camp and outlines its ongoing vision and curriculum, including the Indigenous values and principles of education that guide camp activities. Of particular focus is the role of camp in fostering Sugpiaq youth’s sense of connectedness to their homelands, waters, community, and culture, a focus that promotes healing, cultural resurgence, and well-being for Sugpiaq youth. This description of Akhiok Kids Camp highlights the valuable role that culture camps play in turning Indigenous youth toward the brilliance of their lands and lifeways, and the importance of respecting the knowledge and leadership of Indigenous families in this work.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Simeonoff, S.,
Simeonoff, J.,
Simeonoff, T.,
Simeonoff, S.,
Haakanson, S.,
Simeonoff, C.,
Haakanson, B.,
&
Sabzalian, L.
(2024).
Healing and Connectedness at Akhiok Kids Camp.
The Rural Educator, 45(1), 44-62.
https://doi.org/10.55533/2643-9662.1464
