| Summary: | The Chevak Village Youth Solution (CVYA) was developed in a rural Eskimo village (population 520) both to educate youth and to integrate them into functional roles in the community. CVYA is an entirely indigenous youth organization, created and managed by the youth and young adults of the village. It has evolved, in part, as a response to the problems of youth in the village. Until the Hootch Decree in 1976, adolescents left villages during their teenage years to attend boarding schools either in Alaska or in the lower 48. With the creation of village high schools, communities had to understand and relate to a group of adolescents who had previously gone through adolescence largely at a distance. In addition, the upheavals which have beset Eskimo communities have particularly affected youth who seem to be lost in both the old which is passing and the new one just into being. Functions of CYVA activities are social and/or recreational, economic; community service and educational; CYVA also encourages participation in organizing and facilitating activities. Involvement in CYVA builds on traditional Eskimo ways to facilitate skill transmission, express character ideas, and provide role models. Six tables summarize the narrative information. (BRR)
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