Palmer student named Alaska youth of the year

In a two-year span, Amber Barrett lost three friends to suicide, two to auto accidents and one to what she describes as a "freak" accident. The Boys and Girls Club got her through that tough time, and now the organization is there for her in another big way.

Barrett, 17, was recently named the Alaska Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year award winner. She has received $5,500 in scholarship money, and she will compete against eight other state winners for the regional award. Should she come out on top in that competition -- held in Anaheim, Calif. -- she will travel to Washington, D.C. for the national awards.

All of the recognition is nice, but Barrett knows that every child who comes to the Boys and Girls Club wins.

"I've known a lot of friends who were thinking about suicide and are depressed, and here, they got to open up and see their true potential, and now they are doing fine," Barrett said. "Through the Boys and Girls Club, I've met a lot of friends, developed leadership skills and got my first job."

Barrett was part of the steering committee that got the Mat-Su Valley Boys and Girls Club formed during the fall and winter of 1999. At the time, she was volunteering in Anchorage, where her sister worked for a Boys and Girls Club, and found out the Mat-Su chapter was forming. She has been with the group ever since.

Her assets to the Mat-Su Valley Boys and Girls Club aren't lost on Linda Anderson, the Mat-Su area manager who nominated Barrett for the award.

"She works very good with younger kids. She is an excellent role model and a great example for the younger people," Anderson said. "A majority of the kids who come here are middle schoolers. She can develop a trust with them, and get them to open up to her like they may not for an adult. She is a natural encourager."

Barrett helps students with their homework, and helps make programs like "Smart Moves" and "Don't Laugh At Me" successful. Both of those programs are currently being used at the Mat-Su clubhouse, and are about abstinence and anger management issues.

"Some kids don't have many friends, but they know here, we are taught to respect ourselves, respect others and respect the clubhouse," Barrett said. Anderson agreed.

"Kids can come here and be accepted. We encourage that to happen, and Amber makes sure that happens for every child who walks through the door," she said. "We are very proud of her."

Part of the selection criteria is leadership, and Barrett doesn't lack in that department. She is president of the Keystone Club, a leadership-based program at the Mat-Su clubhouse.

"And she's a natural leader in every way," Anderson said. "She is so good around the younger kids that her leadership shows every day."

Barrett will travel to Anaheim in July to find out if she won the regional competition. That brings with it an additional $5,000 scholarship, and a trip to Washington, D.C., where she could win a $10,000 scholarship and meet President George W. Bush.

"I wouldn't mind going to Washington later this year," Barrett said through a smile. "It's been a lot of work because I've had to write essays and go through an interview process, but I hope it lasts through the end of the year, because that's when the national awards are given out."

The scholarships come at a perfect time for Barrett. She said she doesn't have money saved for college and that the scholarships will give her an opportunity to further her education.

"I'm thinking of staying in Anchorage for my first year or two, and then we'll see what happens," Barrett said.