B Programs

Wednesday, March 30, 2022: NAMI Juneau offers mental health program to build family support. 2022 edition of Tidal Echoes published. Discover Southeast’s summer programs. 

If you have a loved one who struggles with a mental health condition, it can feel overwhelming. But NAMI Juneau will soon offer a new program called, “Family-to-Family,” in which families help each other. On this Wednesday’s Juneau Afternoon, a look at some of the workshops on problem solving, crisis communication strategies, as well as…

Part 1: NAMI Juneau’s Family-to-Family classes connects families to mental health support services

Guests: Aaron Surma, Executive Director, NAMI Juneau. Bonnie Chaney, NAMI Juneau volunteer.
Aaron Surma and Bonnie Chaney know from their own personal experiences what it’s like to battle a chronic mental health condition — Surma as a young man, who struggled with depression — and Chaney, as a mother, who helped her son cope with numerous challenges. Both say the Family-to-Family program offers the kind of help…

Part 2: Tidal Echoes, a literary journal with 18 years of history.

Guests: Shaelene Moler, Tidal Echoes Junior Editor.
Tidal Echoes started out  in 2004, mainly as an outlet for students at the University of Alaska Southeast to publish their work. Since then, it’s evolved into a literary and artistic voice for Southeast Alaska.  

Part 3: Discovery Southeast: 30 years of connecting children to nature.

Guests: Shawn Eisele, Executive Director. Kelly Sorensen, Education Coordinator.
Discovery Southeast is gearing up for its summer season, filled with programs that give children hands-on experience with science and nature. Since it began 30 years ago, several generations of Juneau children have taken part in the program.  

Tuesday, March 29, 2022: 2022 Traditional Games. Juneau Skating Club community performance. CBJ Parks and Recreation Department monthly update. Go Blue Day: Standing against child abuse.

The fifth annual Traditional Games will bring about a dozen teams from across Southeast Alaska to Juneau this weekend, with about 145 athletes taking part in ten different events at Thunder Mountain High School. On this Tuesday’s Juneau Afternoon, Kyle Worl invited the community to turn out in support of the athletes in the Native…

Part 1: Traditional Games teach life skills.

Guests: Kyle Worl, Traditional Games coordinator, Tlingit Haida Central Council.
After being scaled back during the height of the pandemic, the Traditional Games returns this weekend, modified somewhat for safety, but still more like what fans remember, giving them a chance to interact with the athletes and cheer them on. While the games are considered a sport, the nature of the competition is very different.…

Part 2: Juneau Skating Club performs first in-person show since 2019.

Guests: Alexandra Sargent, Juneau Skating Club show director.
For  figure skaters like Alexandra Sargent, performances are an opportunity to show what you can accomplish when you discipline your mind and body — and throw a lot of heart into the mix.  

Part 3: CBJ Parks and Recreation transitions from winter, gears up for spring.

Guests: George Schaaf, CBJ Public Works Director
April is still a busy month on the ice with speed skating, youth hockey and free skating for all third and fourth graders, while the groundwork is being laid for this summer’s community gardens.

Part 4: April: A month to focus on the safety and well being of Southeast Alaska’s children.

Guests: Rikki DuBois and Claire Norman, SAFE Child Advocacy Center.
“It shouldn’t hurt to be a child.” That’s one Juneau group’s message to raise awareness about child abuse during National Child Abuse Prevention month in April,  which will launch with “Go Blue Day” on Friday, April 1st.  On that day, the Juneau’s SAFE Child Advocacy Center is encouraging everyone to wear blue, the official color…

Friday, March 25, 2022: Benny Benson, Alaska flag designer: Setting the record straight. Rescuing entangled whales.

Not everything in the history books is true. Michael Livingston says research into Benny Benson, the boy who designed Alaska’s flag, is a case in point. Livingston worked with a team of family tree researchers and historians to investigate discrepancies in the record. Now almost a century later, Benson’s date of birth, his parentage and…

Part 1: Benny Benson: Tracking down the truth about Alaska flag designer.

Guests: Michael Livingston, Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association.
For most of his life, Michael Livingston has worked in law enforcement. But after he went to work for the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association on cultural and historical projects, his investigative skills came in handy. Livingston spearheaded a decade-long effort to unearth the truth about Benny Benson, the student who designed Alaska’s flag. The detective…

Part 2: Benny Benson: Alaska flag designer had a life of ups and downs and many surprises.

Guests: Michael Livingston, Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association.
Michael Livingston peels away layers of history to get to the heart of a story about a boy, who spent almost of all his childhood in a series of orphanages — but at the age of fourteen went on to design what is considered one of the most beautiful state flags in America.  

Humpback whale entangled in commercial lobster gear, sighted off San Diego in 2015 (photographed under NOAA permit #: 18786) (Photo courtesy NOAA Fisheries)

Part 3: Whales in distress from entanglements.

Guests: Sadie Wright, Protected Species Biologist, NOAA.
Rescuing whales that get entangled in fishing gear is a growing problem in Southeast Alaska and likely underreported. Based on research which counts their scars, scientists say more than half are marked by scars from entanglement. Sadie Wright, who coordinates whale rescues for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says more help is needed from…

Thursday, March 24, 2022: The basics of Black hair: What you didn’t know…

This week’s “Culture Rich Conversations” from the Black Awareness Association of Juneau will probably make you feel perplexed and amazed at the same time. Sherry, Christina Michelle and Kelli Patterson openly share their “hair journeys” and dish on why Black hair is one of the most challenging and expensive types of hair to style. The…

This week’s Culture Rich Conversation: The trials and tribulations of Black hair

From the impact of Juneau’s damp climate on their hair —  to having to schedule a flight out of Juneau to see a stylist who knows how to work with Black hair — Christina Michelle, Sherry and Kelli Patterson explain the challenges they face on a regular basis dealing with their hair and why it’s…

Garden Talk: March 23, 2022

On this week’s episode of Garden Talk, Ed Buyarski shares tips for pruning trees in the spring to stimulate growth and fruit production. He also walks us through some of the perennial herbs that can overwinter in hoop houses. If you have questions for Garden Talk, email edbuyarski@hotmail.com or call 907-209-8905.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022: Home Green Home: Transforming Juneau’s energy profile. UNICEF benefit: Juneau Stands with Ukraine. Alaska Folk Festival Update. 

When it comes to reducing your home’s carbon footprint, there are no silver bullets. But the Juneau Commission on Sustainability wants to show you how small things can add up to big savings and reduced energy consumption. On this Wednesday’s Juneau Afternoon, a preview of Home Green Home, a webinar the commission is co-sponsoring with…

Part 1: Juneau Ukraine benefit: Aid to children in the crossfire

Guests: Olena Zyuba/Олена Зюба, Juneau Friends of Ukraine.
An evening steeped in Ukrainian food and culture, co-sponsored by the Juneau World Affairs Council and the Tlingit and Haida Central Council.  

Part 2: Get ready for the Alaska Folk Festival

Guests: Miguel Rohrbacher, Alaska Folk Festival Board Member. Miguel Rohrbacher Alaska Folk Festival board member. Nicole Lantz, guitarist. Henry Colt, banjo player.
After two years of the pandemic, the Alaska Folk Festival is coming back to the stage. A look at the line-up with some music from Rum Punch, to whet your appetite for more!    

Part 3: Reducing Juneau’s carbon footprint: How small steps add up to big savings.

Guests: Steve Behnke, Chair of the Juneau Commission on Sustainability the Energy Committee. Clay Good, Southeast Regional Energy Catalyst, REAP.
Tips on how to tackle the low hanging fruit to reduce energy use. What more can be done to shrink Juneau’s carbon footprint.