Uplifting Youth, Strengthening Culture: Highlights from the 2025 Alaska Youth Summit
- barbara19069
- Sep 27
- 2 min read
“I think supporting one another and uplifting youth is crucial for our survival and keeping our culture alive and well,” said Nels Christensen
Christensen addressed a room full of the next generation of food producers and community leaders gathered together, during the long days of high latitude summer, for the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s (IAC) Alaska Youth Summit.
From Venetie to Juneau, youth came together in Anchorage to learn, share, and connect. After enduring many connecting flights or long road miles, they discussed traditional knowledge, food sovereignty, regenerative practices, and career paths in agriculture and natural resources.
Remaining involved with youth programming since his IAC internship in 2022, Christensen shared his experience as a young professional and his passion for planting seeds and building gardens in the Alaskan interior. It’s his dream to continue building connectivity and empower others in Alaska’s rural food systems.
“There are models for increasing food security in Alaska that say it's not going to be large urban centers, like Fairbanks and Anchorage, who are going to be feeding the rest of our villages,” said Christensen. “It's going to be our villages that will be feeding urban centers.”
For the second year running, IAC has hosted this event and brought in partners including NRCS, FSA, the National Farm to School Network, academics, and food producers to share many paths in addressing food systems in Alaska and their varied systems of knowledge. Through games, group activities, and discussions, youth addressed challenges and opportunities in their food systems and communities.
“If these youths found one part of the summit interesting, then I think our food systems have a much better chance in the future,” said Katie Herzner, IAC’s technical assistance specialist serving Alaska. It’s her aim to strengthen the resources offered to agricultural producers in the state and improve connections with anyone who’s interested in food systems.
IAC wants to extend a heartfelt thank you to all those who traveled from around Alaska to the summit and to all those who contributed to the shared learning.
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