CHAPTERS!

AYEA has eight chapters in Alaska.  The heart of AYEA, chapters are led by teens and supported by local sponsor organizations and volunteer adult mentors. Chapters meet periodically throughout the year and plan their own local projects to respond to community issues. Chapter leaders meet each fall/winter to map out collaborative statewide campaigns, for example AYEA’s global warming campaign in 2006 during which teens collected over 5,000 youth signatures on a petition demanding action at the national level.

Anchorage AYEA Chapter, started in 1998

  • Focus Areas: Plastics,  recycling,  sustainable transportation
  • Partners:  Alaska Center for the Environment, Alaska Community Action on Toxics
  • Meetings: We meet at Titlewave Bookstore (midtown location) on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm.
  • From the Chapter: Check out the Anchorage Bicycle Plan and get involved! Listen to our story on plastic bags here:

Chefornak AYEA Chapter, started in spring of 2008

  • Focus Areas: Community clean ups and selling re-usable bags
  • Sponsor: Chefornak Traditional Council
  • Partner: Nelson Island Consortium
  • From the Chapter: CAYEA youth were busy this summer fishing and harvesting subsistence foods, but they did do some organizing. They sold reusable bags at the 4th of July fund-raising dance, letting people in Chefornak know about their group and the work their doing. CAYEA is building a relationship with ALPAR’s Flying Cans program so that they can collect recyclables in the village and they can be flown to Anchorage for recycling. (Fall 2008)

Dillingham “Rebels the the Pebble” AYEA Chapter

  • Focus Areas: The Pebble Mine, Environmental Justice, Native Alaskan rights
  • Sponsor: Dillingham Leadership and Assets Youth Coalition
  • Website: www.rebelpebble.com

Homer HAYEA Chapter

  • Focus Areas: We initiated plastics recycling on the Kenai Peninsula! Other areas of work include school recycling, climate change, and regional issues like Cook Inlet oil drilling and Pebble Mine.
  • Sponsor: Kachemak Bay Conservation Society
  • Partners: Cook Inlet Keeper, World Wildlife Fund, and Green Star
  • From the Chapter: “Global Warming– we are conducting an energy audit of the high school and are planning on working with the student council later to create better efficiency standards in the school. we also advocated at the city level to pass the Climate Action Plan, which passed! We are also, sometime in February, going to take an out-of-school field trip to Tehben Dean’s farm to check out his recently adapted electric pickup and the other ways they are running their farm in sustainable ways.This spring we drafted a proposal letter for a grant to sell bags at the street fair this summer in Homer where the theme will be sustainability.” (Thorey Munro, January 2008)
  • Meetings: We meet at The Kachemak Bay Conservation Society office or at Homer High School

Juneau JAYEA Chapter

  • Focus Areas: Reusable silverware in schools, recycling, land use/logging issues, and climate change
  • Sponsor: Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC has two JAYEA youth on their board of directors)
  • Partners: Friends of Recycling and Juneau Watershed Partnership
  • Meetings: We meet at Juneau Douglas High School

Palmer PAYEA Chapter

  • Sponsor: Valley Community for Recycling Solutions (VCRS)
  • Partners: The Soil and Water Conservation District and Valley ACE efforts.
  • About Us:  PAYEA is working on a Sustainable Schools Campaign, exploring alternatives to highly-processed cafeteria food and getting reusable trays and silverware.
  • Contact us: payea(at)ayea.org

Sitka/Mt. Edgecumbe MEAYEA Chapter

  • Focus Areas: Climate change, making the school more sustainable/environmentally friendly, and recycling.
  • Sponsor: Sitka Conservation Society
  • Partner: Sitka Tribe
  • From the Chapter: “We’ve decided to do a Climate Change Report as a chapter, and also to continue work in the Plastics campaign. We’re also coordinating a beach cleanup here around Sitka with the Marine Conservation Alliance in Juneau, We’re also planning a bird data collection survey on another beach.

Yakutat YAYEA Chapter

  • Focus Areas: Education on recycling and proper waste disposal, beach/coastal clean ups. The chapter has helped collect community support for an incinerator and advocated for tidal power in their region.
  • Local Sponsor: Yakutat Tlingit Tribe
  • From the Chapter: “Last year we were very focused on promoting the reusable canvas bags. We had monthly drawings for prizes like digital cameras and ipod speakers.” (Sharnel Vale, Spring 2008)