“Native Minds Shaping Our Future”

The Alaska Native Policy Center (Policy Center) is a project of the First Alaskans Institute created to support the Native voice and perspective in the public policy-making process. The Policy Center connects people and ideas producing knowledge that can be used to understand and improve the lives of Alaska Natives and all Alaskans. The Policy Center uses a proactive and forward- thinking approach, a focus that is statewide, and a relationship with the Native community that helps Alaska Native leaders and other policy makers access information they can use to help achieve healthy, thriving communities.

“We need to be in those uncomfortable conversations about what is at risk in order to know what it is were willing to fight for.” Participant of a 2015 ANPC Think tank on “Protecting Our Ways of Life”.

First Alaskans Institute’s Commitment:

“Native Minds Shaping Our Future”
The Policy Center will provide Native leaders and other policy makers with the best available knowledge in order that Alaska Natives be proactively involved in – and influence – the education, economic and social policy issues that impact our future as 21^st century indigenous peoples.

Major Goals

Expand the Policy Center’s research and analysis capacity to provide accurate, credible information for Alaska Native leaders and other policy makers as a tool in developing policy initiatives that improve the lives of Alaska Natives including:

• Developing and disseminating Alaska Native demographic information
• Continuing to provide a voice through ongoing discussions, forums and gatherings
• Providing opportunities for internships and fellowships for policy research projects

The Policy Center currently is working to expand its ability to provide information and data on Alaska Natives at a statewide and regional level. This kind of information can be used as a tool in developing and measuring the impact of policies and programs, resource allocation, and for short term and long term planning.

Current Policy Center projects include:

• The Advancing Native Dialogues on Racial Equity, a W.K Kellogg funded project created to allow Alaska Native people, people of color, and all Alaskan citizens to proactively and positively address the issue of race, racism and racial equity through community conversations.  The goal of this project is to heal past injustices against Alaska Native people and to work towards eliminating institutionalized and structural racism in Alaska by having difficult conversations and elevating policy solutions.
• Salmon Connect. A social collective impact project just emerging in Alaska to bring user groups together and rethink the current management systems impacting salmon and people.
• Collaboratively Harnessing Indigenous Research Principles, Protocols, and Practices. A project in partnership with the University of Kansas to assess and re-imagine how the scientific community engages with Indigenous peoples.
• Strengthening the Sustainability of Alaska Native Communities in a Post-Oil Economy. This project will utilize a three-prong approach 1.) Think Tank Dialogue 2.) Alaska Native Economic Impact Study & Post-Oil Economy Summit 3.) In-depth Study of Post-Oil Economy Effects.
• Ongoing research of Indigenous research methodologies to be utilized within the State to assist ANPC in hosting difficult dialogues within the Alaska Native Community. Including research on what a Truth and Reconciliation process could look like in Alaska.
• Preparing a Layers of Governance paper to build the knowledge capacity for Alaska Native people and those who work with us. The Layers of Governance paper will be a useful tool for disseminating information to decision makers in the policy sector who are not familiar with Alaska Native people and our governance structures.
• Hosting Census information sessions. Hosting Redistricting information sessions.
• Supporting the Native Emerging Leaders Forum and Work Group.

The Policy Center is also developing a “Getting Behind the Numbers” program. The purpose of this program is to answer questions raised by the data, to develop a research and analysis capacity within the Native community, to build leadership and networks within the field of research and analysis in our communities. Past “Getting Behind the Numbers” projects can be found in our website Library.

Barbara ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak Blake (Haida/Tlingit/Ahtna Athabascan) is the Alaska Native Policy Center Director.

Contact the Alaska Native Policy Center at 907-677-1700 or [email protected].