Chanlyut (pronounced “shawn-loot,” Dena’ina Athabascan for “new beginnings”) is a two-year residential work-training and educational program offering a new beginning for men who want to become productive members of society and turn around the self-destructive patterns in their lives.
Structured as a family, the program helps men make positive change through hard work, peer-to-peer support, and education and job training. Chanlyut is built upon the belief that with time and hard work, people can change.
Residents develop their interpersonal and work skills through a variety of social enterprise ventures that help cover program costs and provide additional work training and job experience for program participants. The first program of its kind in Alaska, Chanlyut is modeled after San Francisco’s successful Delancey Street organization.
Chanlyut provides the following services to each of its participants:
- room, board and clothing
- coping and life-skills training and mentoring
- individualized and group counseling and tutoring
- practical work experience and business training in at least three areas
- community involvement and service opportunities
- connections to medical and dental services
Eligibility
Chanlyut is open to all men who are ready to work hard to take accountability for their lives, and is particularly sensitive to, and culturally relevant for, Alaska Native men.
For more information on Chanlyut, please contact Program Director Bill Tsurnos at (907) 441-0181, or visit www.chanlyut.org.