How to Make Room in Your Backpack for Wellness

As you settle into your routine for the new school year, it’s important to make room in your backpack for mental health and wellness.
VOA staff member passing backpack to a person in a car
Morgan Yaskus, Family Care Coordinator, passes a backpack stocked with school supplies to a family during their annual Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway.
VOA staff member passing backpack to a person in a car
Morgan Yaskus, Family Care Coordinator, passes a backpack stocked with school supplies to a family during their annual Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway.

Below is VOA Alaska’s August 2022 Newsletter. To receive this newsletter and other updates directly to your inbox, sign up here.

As students, parents, and educators settle into their routine for the new school year, it’s important to make room in your backpack for mental health and wellness. Below are some quick tips and advice for reducing stress and increasing your peace of mind.

  • Celebrate the small victories. Whether you’re a student finishing homework for the night or a parent expertly coordinating after-school activities, take a moment to pat yourself on the back!
  • Show yourself kindness. When you start to feel stressed or feel like your falling short of the expectations you’ve set, give yourself the credit for the work you’re putting in—you deserve it!
  • Make time for self-care. Establish the hobbies that relax and energize you now before you get caught up in the busyness of homework and activities.
  • Go to bed! It’s easy to feel like there are not enough hours in the day but getting quality sleep will help you do more with the hours you have!

Sometimes, even when we think we’re doing everything “right,” we still need extra support. It’s okay to not be okay. And it’s okay to ask for help. You are not alone. VOA Alaska is here to help support the mental health and wellness of you and your family. Visit us online or call (907) 279-9640 to get connected with support today.


VOA Alaska goes back to school!

Young person painting the word HOPE on a rock with pink paint
A youth paints “HOPE” at the rock painting station during VOA’s Back-to-School Barbecue.

Many of our programs have been gearing up in recent weeks for the end-of-summer to ensure the young Alaskans we serve will have a successful start to the school year.

Our staff hosted a Back-to-School Barbecue at Valley of the Moon Park for all youth and families in our care. Over 50 bags of school supplies and prevention materials were given out! In addition, our Family Services Program held their annual backpack giveaway for their Kinship families (as seen in the top photo). The team delivered, mailed, and handed out 70 backpacks stocked with supplies!

Did you know VOA Alaska hosts two Anchorage School District schools? McKinley Heights (for our ARCH youth) and Cordova Heights (for our Day Treatment youth) are back in session for the new school year. Partnering with ASD to ensure students can continue their education while at VOA Alaska is vital to their continued recovery and healing!

And we can’t forget our school-based mental health clinicians embedded in 7 schools throughout Anchorage. In partnership with ASD and Providence Alaska (with an additional 3 schools), our clinicians are reducing barriers to care while providing mental health and wellness support to the entire school community, from students, to staff, to families.  


Mark Your Calendars: Fall Festival Coming October 1

Flyer for the Fall Festival

Join VOA Alaska, community partners, and special guests on Saturday, October 1 for an afternoon of food, music, activities, and prizes! The festivities will kick off  2:00pm in the parking lot of our midtown Anchorage office, at 2600 Cordova Street. The first 200 guests will receive a goodie bag!

Visit the Fall Festival webpage or the Facebook event page for more details to come!


Sponsor Shoutout: Aspen Hotels of Alaska

Thank you to Aspen Hotels of Alaska for their donation of 75 chairs! The chairs are making it easier for our teams at ARCH and our new Supportive Housing Program’s office on Arctic Boulevard to create a comfortable and welcoming environment for the youth and young adults they serve.

We’re grateful for the continued support of Aspen and all our community partners in helping us meet the needs of Alaska’s youth and families.