Gather Round: The Forum Blog

Congratulations Joelle Hall, 2025 Leadership Anchorage Mentor Award Winner!

Last year we launched the Leadership Anchorage Mentor Award to recognize a past or present LA Mentor who has demonstrated a commitment to investing in the growth of one or more LA participants. This year's winner is Joelle Hall!

DOGE slashed federal humanities funding. Here's how we're responding.

Read about how the Forum and its partners are responding to the April 1 termination of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to organizations across our state - and what you can do to help.

"Your perspective and your contribution matter!" An LA Mentoring Journey with Amana Mbise

Amana Mbise, LA 27 Mentor and our inaugural winner of the Leadership Anchorage Mentor Award in 2024, shares his mentorship reflections and insights.

Filling Gaps in the Research: CxG Program Alum Rachel Garcia Reflects on Designing Accessible Focus Groups

UAF's Rachel Garcia participated in the Forum’s Conversations Across Generations (CxG) program, which ended up informing her 2023 research study and inspiring her own courage to talk about race and address gaps in the research.

"The Perfect Place to be Vulnerable:" A Land Acknowledgement by AKHF Board Member Jayson Owens

Each Forum Board of Directors meeting opens with a Board member sharing a land acknowledgement. Last month, Board member Jayson Owens offered this poem as the opening acknowledgement, after researching his own family history.

“I Want the Program to Keep Evolving”: Reflections from Story Works Alaska Co-Founder Regan Brooks

Story Works Alaska, now in its second year at AKHF, has helped more than 6,500 students to share their stories since its founding in 2014. We talked with co-founder Regan Brooks about her experiences and hopes for the program.