Alaska Job Corps students march for peace

PALMER — More than 200 Alaska Job Corps students and dozens of community members marched around downtown Palmer in the name of peace Thursday. The march was led by the Youth to Youth (Y2Y) program, whose mission is “to speak out against violence and rally strength to rise above it.”

Several notable figures spoke at the Palmer Pavilion to address the issues of bullying and violence in the community, including Palmer Mayor Edna DeVries, Palmer Police Department Chief Lance Ketterling and Jeanine Milne, from Alaska Family Services, who shared her personal experience with violence throughout her life.

There was a heavy downpour during the rally. The rain did not deter the marchers, though; their energy was high and their voices were heard loud and clear. The crowd chanted, “Palmer chooses peace. Palmer chooses peace.”

“The students were very enthusiastic,” said Carin Meyer, Business and Community Liaison at the Alaska Job Corps Center.

According to Meyer, the rally had three basic aims: “to talk about violence and aggression in their communities, to empower one another to prevent violence and aggression, and to share their stories and talk about solutions to help prevent violence and aggression,” she said.

The Y2Y program is at every Job Corps center across the nation. The Alaska Job Corps’ march downtown coincided with the International Day of Peace, a day that Job Corps centers all over the United States participate in. On Thursday, the students formed a giant peace sign on the Palmer Job Corps center’s front lawn. Meyer snapped a photograph, an image which joined the ranks of other centers’ peace sign pictures across the nation.

Peng Sue Chang, has been in Alaska Job Corps for nine months. He’s an active member of the Y2Y program and was satisfied with the day’s turnout.

“I really liked it,” Chang said. “The community got together, marching saying what we wanted. I feel like it got people closer together. I thought it was a really nice way to spread peace and Y2Y.”

Chang said that at first the crowd moved slower because they were wet and cold. Along the way, after chanting, the energy elevated.

“You know what, no matter what weather it is, we’re gonna make it to this march,” he said.

The crowd roared with excitement, waving homemade signs at passing cars. Chang felt the hype rise and loved it.

“Oh man, this is amazing,” he recalled saying to himself.

Chang had a friend who was bullied in elementary school. He confronted the bullies and ultimately had to ask for help from the teachers. The conflict was resolved. He said he’s still friends with him but hasn’t seen him in while.

It’s well documented that Alaska has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the country, and Alaska Job Corps Center Director Malyn Smith said that this rally was part of a response to that bit of infamy. Many of the Job Corps students have struggled in traditional classrooms for a variety of reasons. The goal of the center is to give students the opportunity to succeed in school and remove those employment barriers, to prepare them for the career of their choice, Smith said.

“When they come to the program, they bring so much baggage,” Smith said, adding that sometimes, students come from violent households. According to Meyer, lot of Job Corps students come from rural Alaska, where violence and suicide rates are very high.

“I wish it would go down,” Chang said.

Chang said that people need to be more confrontational when they witness bullying though he conceded conflicts are often two-sided dilemmas.

“At the same time, I think bullies also need help, too; because as a child they may have been abused by the parents, friends, uncles — they just had a hard time without having a family,” Chang said.

He said he wishes that people had more sources, “a safety rope to rely on, no matter who it is- family, counselors, friends,” he said.

“I wish people would come together more and talk to people that they trust and not just keep it to themselves, all bottled up,” Chang said.

Meyer said that with the Alaska Job Corps and the Y2Y programs, students can acquire new ways to handle the challenges they face.

“They can come to Alaska Job Corps and learn these different methods of dealing with challenges, coping skills. If they do return to their village, they can bring those tools with them,” Meyer said.

The Valley is no stranger to violence and isn’t resistant to change either. Meyer and Smith looked to the future after seeing their students get on the buses.

“Our hope is that these young adults are soon to be the leaders of the community and then they are going to bring this to them and spread this to the younger generation,” Smith said.