President’s Message: Engaging Our Youth

Andrew Guy, President and CEO

Storyknife, May/June 2023 edition

Andrew Guy, Calista Corp. President/CEO

Earlier this year, our company leadership acted on a Board directive to engage our young Shareholders and Descendants through an annual youth summit focused on the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and the importance of Yuuyaraq.

We launched this effort with a gathering on March 29 in Bethel at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center.

Our objective for the summit was for experienced company leaders, including Board members, to pass down their knowledge to high school-aged students, so that one day, when they take over from us, they don’t need to relearn everything.

Bad weather prevented dozens of students from participating in this one-day event. Thankfully, students from Napaskiak, Aniak, and Bethel were able to safely attend.

Despite a very small group of students, and limited time, we were impressed by the strong interest and good questions the students posed to Calista representatives.

This was not focused on Calista. We discussed our region’s traditional laws and customs, Yuuyaraq cultural values, and the history of land claims and tribal rights. We talked about self-determination and the desire to provide for our own versus depend on outside government.

We also shared our views on the imperfections of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. We explained that no law is permanent, and someday these students may have a role in fixing some of ANCSA’s flaws, especially the unjust extinguishment of our hunting and fishing rights.

As a former intern, I also encouraged these students to intern with Calista and consider employment with our company after finishing college or trade school.

At the end of the day, when we asked them for feedback, the students told us they were interested in learning more about ANCSA, what it means to be a Shareholder, and the different roles of the various organizations in our Region.

Learning more about these topics will help our Region and our young people succeed. We also look forward to applying what we learned by conducting this year’s summit to next year and beyond.

Quyana cakneq to all of the school principals and parents who authorized student participation, and to Calista staff members who put many hours into planning our first youth summit. We look forward to a larger youth gathering next year.

Calista Corporation’s mission statement is to increase Shareholder benefits and economic opportunities through innovation, growth, leadership, partnership, execution and financial discipline.

We design and create programs to meet our corporate goal to increase Shareholder and Descendant jobs, services, and benefits. Our team operates to develop an internal and external workforce through internships, training, apprenticeships, and mentorship programs.