At the end of this two-hour “healthy relations” presentation, seventh and eighth graders at the Anna Tobeluk Memorial School’s auditorium in Nunapitchuk began to feel a bit anxious.
The girl who popped the bubble spewed a large pink bubble on top of the bleacher, while animated videos showed different teenage behaviors and asked the students to rate the severity of these interactions on a scale ranging from healthy to harmful. But when the school’s sociable specialist, Jim Biela, asked the students if sending a series of text messages that are not wanted is considered a “green flag” or a “red flag,”” she quickly responded accurately”Red flag “Red flag” -and then returned back to her gum.
Biela interrupted in the video and then asked queries of his own “‘You’re bound to be having sexual relations together or else I’m going to commit suicide.’ ‘You can’t sit with him.’ ‘If you break up with me, I’ll murder my self.’ Any red flags there?” The room was quite quiet, but there were a few raised eyebrows, a non-verbal “yes” within Yup’ik community.
He is part of a team of social workers on the move who are employed for the Lower Kuskokwim School District. They visit 22 villages in the district all of which are located on the highway system. They fly, travel on boats and snowmachine throughout an area roughly as big as West Virginia to bring lessons similar to this one and also assistance and counseling to some of the most difficult to reach areas of Alaska.
Biela’s class was part of the legally required Alaska state curriculum that aims to decrease adolescent violence in relationships that national research has identified as a cause of increase in the likelihood of experiencing domestic violence as perpetrators or victims later on in life.
Every now and again Biela would interrupt the state’s curriculum with lessons of his own “The girls will begin to date these boys, and the boys will begin to date girls. Don’t think of me as a jerk it’s going to occur,” he said. “How do you love the taste of ice cream? What happens if you eat Ice cream very quickly?”
“Brainfreeze,” came a couple of responses.
“So when you eat your ice cream slowly do you like it greater?” he asked. “If you are rushing the experience, how’s this going to smell for you?”
“Terrible,” came some replies.
“Terrible,” he confirmed. “You’re just in seventh and eighth grades. As you grow older, you’ll become infatuated with each the other, take your time. Keep in mind what a healthy and happy relationship looks like. Any questions?”
Healthy relationships
Biela was a passenger in Nunapitchuk just a few hours prior to her arrival. The town is home to less than 600 in the area; boardwalks connect houses and structures across the delta’s muddy terrain. The school, just like many other structures, is built on pilings in order to prevent any structural damage when the ground freezes and then thaws.
Travelling to Bethel towards the village is not easy. Biela is able to fly an airplane up to Nunapitchuk airstrip. Then the school will send an aircraft to take him there and take him to the proper part of the river. Biela has been traveling to Nunapitchuk every couple of months for the past 11 years. He has a full week every month at a school in a different village.
He explained that the scenarios he provided in his talk — scenarios in which one teenager might be at risk of suicide to avoid an end to a relationship or increase intimacy — stemmed inspired by concerns he’s received from students during the more than two decades in which he traveled to help support mental health of youth and education. “Those can be real” the speaker said. “Even in this age range.”
He claimed that his curriculum “definitely” can make a difference. The students understand it throughout the program which covered subjects ranging such as gossip, manipulation, as well as gaslighting missed one question. He is aware that the information is being absorbed because of the feedback he receives from students afterward: “I had a few students in the eighth and seventh grade who came in and say, ‘You should speak with my sibling. Did you make this comment when my sister was there?'” he said.
He didn’t. The state required the classes in 2017 in the context of Alaska Safe Children’s Act, commonly referred to informally as Bree’s Law. The law was named in honor of Breanna Moore. She was a teenage woman whose parents pushed for the education of teens on violence prevention when she died in the hands of her boyfriend.
Nonviolence advocates have been critical of the law for lack of no enforcement mechanism or assistance for schools. Biela believes that some schools don’t teach and it is the case that Lower Kuskokwim school district is extremely strict on them.
“This district is extremely tough regarding this, which I am extremely pleased to witness,” he said. When the school year is over, school year schools are required to report on when they have taught the lesson. He also teaches a portion difficult material which teachers might not be comfortable with.
While the schools that are remote within the Lower Kuskokwim School District might have been, Biela said they are not immune from the threat of teen dating violence. He also gave a presentation to the students of older years later in the afternoon and predicted “some feelings,” flashbacks or tears -Some pupils he is concerned for have experienced it firsthand of this, he explained.
Prevention of upstream
Schools are regarded by state as community hubs in which public health initiatives can be implemented. They are the Lower Kuskokwim School District’s itinerant social workers serve as an illustration of the ways Alaska districts can leverage their influence to provide the prevention of violence to children.
Mollie Rosier, who works as a director in the state Division of Public Health, has worked for over 10 years in women’s and child’s health. “We know that teenagers who are victims of teen dating violence or who commit teen violent acts in a relationship are much more likely be in situations of domestic violence,” she said.
She explained that she believes the Alaska Safe Children’s Act is an example of what those who advocate for nonviolence have called primary prevention, an action that is carried out before health consequences take place. Another is a program that is funded by the state known as The Fourth R, which is utilized within The Lower Kuskokwim school district.
“From the health perspective this is vital to leave out,” she said, and pointing to the stack of workbooks that are in her office. “We need to keep giving our children the tools they need to lead healthier lives.”
Rosier stated that it is crucial for every child in Alaska to be aware of what a healthy relationship should look like and that schools are the best place they can learn about that when it’s not being taught in the home.
“If you’ve never been in a relationship that is healthy, this is time to examine the characteristics of a healthy relationship like. Communication should be open and shared There shouldn’t be bullying, hitting or lies,” she said.
A high percentage of teacher turnover and the lack of spending from the state could undermine the effectiveness of policies such as that of the Safe Children’s Act, she stated. “We rely on the schools as well as after school programs to help implement this program and are capped to capacity,” she said.
“We hear teachers say”This is amazing. And they’re judging me on my reading performance. This isn’t something I can add to my school curriculum”” she explained. She expressed her hope that the future policies will be in line with this Safe Children’s Act with staff in time and financial aid.
This year Governor. Mike Dunleavy cut what could have been an historic, one-time boost to budgets for schools by a half.
Rosier stated that she would like to see a more comprehensive state policies that promote the health-related social determinants, including the ability to afford food, housing and education as they are “foundational” to prevent violence. There is an association between chronic illness and being raised in a family with a history of violence.
The consequences of violence may be escalating and escalating, there could be the positive outcomes of teaching non-violence. “It’s going to play out not just with stopping domestic violence or sexual violence, but also having the ability to keep a job as well as remain in accommodation,” she said.
Rosier explained that the curriculum of the state is just one of the ways to assist students in building healthy and happy lives. She noted that the same elements that stop violent behavior in the workplace also protect against the risk of other kinds.
“If children have a safe adult within their lives, a reliable mentor that they can communicate with, it can help in the prevention of suicide as well as bullying, unhealthy relationships, or for addiction to drugs,” she said.
“Welcome home”
Between his talks, Biela held counseling sessions in the office of the principal when she was away. The majority of the time, he holds them in the supply closet. its walls are adorned with pencil marks which his students have requested him to note their heights.
He didn’t have an opportunity to rest that day.
“It’s always this way,” he said, “Every visit regardless of which place you go. Everyone is eager to see you and there’s not a minute to miss.”
He sat down on an unassuming bench and breathed deeply while a teacher tended to another student. “When social workers arrive at in the community, they don’t take off their jackets until they even arrive,” he said with laughter.
Within 20 minutes the girl returned to her class smiling. He popped his head into to pull the student away and three other students walked up to inform him that they were interested in a session too. “You will be next?” he asked. “OK I’m 22. I’m number 5.”
During his visit Biela is sleeping inside a sleep bag an upholstered cot in a 1st grade classroom that is stuffed with miniature chairs as well as watercolour drawings of wildflowers. He lays dark butcher paper over the windows so that he can rest and shower in the bathroom located in the lounge of teachers. When he was done with the day, Biela made an aluminum-foam container full of instant ramen with an propane stove while he watched the film. He sat down in a tiny seat to view the movie using his computer.
He’s 65 years old and says it’s hard work but the connections to community make him want to return. He told me that in certain communities the community he was counselor to several generations in the same familia. youngsters refer to him as “uppie,” or grandfather.
“It’s the children,” he said. “You become acquainted with the children. You meet their parents. You also get to know their grandparents. You visit the village and hear the words: “Welcome home.'”
The article was written in the context of the Annenberg Center at USC to Health Journalism’s 2023 domestic Violence Effect Fund. It was first published in Alaska Beacon and is republished here with permission.
A complete listing of Alaska shelters and victim’s service providers is available here. .
