Calista Education and Culture gets $900,000 to pay 16 young adults for village-based internships

Calista Education and Culture has received a $900,000 federal grant to pay 16 Alaska Native young adults from the Middle Kuskokwim and Lower Yukon for village-based internships, according to the federal award record.

The three-year pilot, called Nunamteni Caliluta: We Work in Our Villages, is open to Alaska Native young adults ages 18 to 28, eight from each subregion. The grant period began Sept. 30 and runs through September 2029.

In its application, Calista Education and Culture said the region's roadless communities have few local training opportunities and that nearly one in five young people there is out of school and out of work. At the same time, it said, tribal governments, village corporations, utilities, schools and other local employers need trained workers. Leaving home for training is expensive and makes it hard for young adults to gain experience "while remaining connected to their families, communities, and subsistence way of life," the application said.

Working with Calista Corporation's workforce development team, the program plans to spend its first year assessing Lower Yukon job needs, recruiting participants and preparing host employers and mentors. In the second year, participants would complete full-time, 16-week paid internships, along with career planning and Yuuyaraq-based workplace preparation. The third year focuses on coaching and helping participants move into jobs, apprenticeships, training or certification. The goal is for at least 14 of the 16 to be on a career path by the end.

The award record doesn't name the villages or host employers, or say how much interns will be paid.