Photos from the 2024 NYO teams from the Chugach Region.
Does your School District or Village Council administer Native Youth Olympics (NYO) for students in Tatitlek, Chenega, Valdez, Cordova, Port Graham, Seward, or Nanwalek?
Through a new U.S. Department of Education grant, Gwangkumciit’stun Cutmen, Chugachmiut can sponsor student NYO participation during school years 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030.
What support may include:
Student travel to NYO meets
Coaching (hiring/compensation)
Local event coordination and related costs
(Specific support will be determined in coordination with each community and the project’s allowable costs.)
Community responsibilities NYO administrators continue to manage NYO in the community(ies) they support, including hiring coaches and facilitating student travel and logistics. Eligible costs may be supported by the Gwangkumciit’stun Cutmen project.
Interested? Contact the Litnaurwik Department of Education at education@chugachmiut.org, (907) 562-4155, or (800) 478-4155 (toll-free).
Cama’i! We are hosting our annual Christmas Card Design Contest! The grand-prize winner will be featured on our 2025 Christmas card and will also receive a $200 cash prize. Additionally, two runners-up will receive a cash prize of $50 and acknowledgment in Chugachmiut media outlets. Submissions must tie in the theme: Together in Strength and Spirit.
Artwork must be submitted digitally and include an artwork release form. Submit artwork to media@chugachmiut.org by Friday, November 21, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. (AKST).
Prizes
Grand Prize: $200 and your artwork featured on the 2025 Christmas card
Two Runners-Up: $50 each and acknowledgment in Chugachmiut media outlets
How to Enter
Eligibility • Open to all ages (parent or guardian approval required for minors) • Entrants must reside in and be a member of one of the seven Tribes Chugachmiut serves: Chenega, Eyak (Cordova), Nanwalek, Port Graham, Qutekcak (Seward), Tatitlek, or Valdez
Artwork Submission • Email entries to media@chugachmiut.org (subject: Christmas Card Contest) • Include a completed Artwork Release Form • Theme:Together in Strength and Spirit • Artwork must be original and fit a 5” x 7” card format • Digital submissions only; high-resolution files required if selected
Deadline: Friday, November 21, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. (AKST)
Artwork Rights • By submitting, entrants grant Chugachmiut all rights to the artwork, including the right to reproduce, distribute, and display it in future materials.
Contest Rules
Open to all ages (guardian approval required for minors)
Entrants must reside in and be a member of one of Chugachmiut’s seven tribes
Only digital submissions accepted
Each submission must include a completed artwork release form
Artwork must be your original work
Must fit a 5” x 7” card and reflect the 2025 theme: Together in Strength and Spirit
High-resolution digital file required if selected
Prizes: One Grand Prize ($200 + featured artwork) and two Runners-Up ($50 + acknowledgment)
Ryan Clayton with Chugachmiut’s 477 Program will be at the Nanwalek Community Center on Wednesday, October 15, 10:30 AM–1:30 PM. Stop by with your questions about General Assistance, scholarships, or other support programs. Light refreshments provided!
Chugachmiut requests considerations from qualified researchers or research firms to serve as the Independent Evaluator (IE) in a five-year grant program funded under the FY25 Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Grant, Early Phase Projects (Assistance Listing Number: 84.411C Early Phase Grants). The grant program began in January 2025 and is expected to conclude by December 2029. To read Chugachmiut’s accepted grant proposal, please see https://www.ed.gov/media/document/chugachmiut-narr-109365.pdf.
The fidelity and impact evaluations are being conducted to inform and report on the implementation and iteration of the Identity Project intervention and will involve active collaboration with Chugachmiut Education Department staff and its contractors. Qualified evaluators will have experience in Indigenous and Western evaluation methodologies and will demonstrate a strong capability for carrying out a quasi-experimental design model of data collection, analysis, and reporting regarding school outcomes.
Deadline: All proposals must be received by 5 PM AKT on Friday, September 5, 2025.
Key contacts for information you may seek in preparing your proposal is: Paul McDonogh, Director of Tribal Education, (907) 562-4155, paul@chugachmiut.org
Download the RFQ for an Independent Evaluator below.
Cama’i! Chugachmiut’s Higher Education Scholarship application deadline is approaching. Download the Applications for Services application below and fill out the “Higher Education Scholarship” section. Then email it to 477applications@chugachmiut.org. The application deadline for the spring 2026 semester is December 31.
Application for Services – This application includes: • Child Care • General Assistance • Vocational Tuition Assistance • Higher Education Scholarships
Join us for the Division of Community and Family Services Men’s Gathering: Cultivating Healthy Men. This free gathering is open to Alaska Native men from Port Graham, Nanwalek, Chenega, and Tatitlek.
Connect with others, hear from guest speakers, and enjoy outdoor recreation and reflection time.
September 8–12, 2025 Dimond Center Hotel, Anchorage, AK
Spots are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. To apply or if you have any questions, please contact Shelby Thompson at shelby@chugachmiut.org or (907) 342-2122.
Chugachmiut’s Nupuat Newsletter Summer Edition is available!
Topics in the Nupuat Newsletter
Career Opportunities
Rural Human Services Program Participants
2025 Firefighting Season Begins
VPSO Program
Exploring Energy from the Ocean’s Waves
Chugach Regional Writers – Sand by Nancy Yeaton
Community Submission
Chugachmiut Regional Health Center Grand Opening
Health Services Division News
Realty Department Services
Employee Spotlights
📸About the Cover: Chugachmiut Board Members Nanci Robart, Fran Norman (Chair), and Arne Hatch joined us for the grand opening of the Chugachmiut Regional Health Center in Seward (Qutekcak). Thank you to everyone who joined us in Seward on April 21. Photo by Angela Gonzalez.
Nupuat is a quarterly publication of Chugachmiut, the tribal not-for-profit organization serving the Alaska Native peoples of the Chugach Region. If you need to update your mailing address, please email us at media@chugachmiut.org.
The Chugachmiut Tribal Education Department is seeking a consultant to support a large curriculum development project by advising on evidence-based Indigenous pedagogies and ceremonial ways of learning. This curriculum will support youth identity development, community connections, social-emotional learning, and creative expression through the arts.
Scope of Work:
Up to 40 hours of consulting work between June 1–August 15, 2025
The consultant must attend one full day of in-person training in Anchorage during the week of July 21–25, 2025
Submit and revise culturally affirming recommendations with the project team
Emphasize integration of ceremony as pedagogy, Indigenous epistemologies, and place-based learning
Send Quotes by May 22, 2025, to: Education@chugachmiut.org or call (907) 562-4155
Contacts: Haley Burnett (Tribal School Services) or Paul McDonogh (Director of Tribal Education)
Download the Consultant for Indigenous Pedagogies Curriculum Development RFQ below:
The McCarty Fjord Day Adventure will be held in June! This is an ACE program opportunity for 6th–12th grade youth from Port Graham and Nanwalek. Explore the beautiful McCarty Fjord this summer with storytelling, ocean learning, and unforgettable views!
The application deadline is May 16. Please contact us to apply!
What to Expect: You’ll join a group of students, chaperones, and Elders for a day at McCarty Fjord. Activities include:
Beach exploration and storytelling with an Elder
Marine and coastal discovery aboard a barge with Windy Bay Services, LLC
A shared lunch and time to connect with peers
Round-trip air travel provided by Northwind Aviation
To apply, contact us at: Angelina Roehl (Ext. 119) or Millie Taylor (Ext. 179) Email: ACE@Chugachmiut.org Phone: (907) 562-4155 Toll-free: (800) 478-4155
May 6, 2025 Contact: media@chugachmiut.org, 907-334-0160
TRIBAL CONSORTIUM SIGNS MOU FOR OCEAN WAVE ENERGY Chugachmiut and Carnegie Clean Energy Ltd. Sign MOU
Anchorage, AK—Chugachmiut and Carnegie Clean Energy Ltd. announce a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on exploring wave energy in the Chugach region. Carnegie Clean Energy is the Australian developer of the CETO® technology, which captures energy from ocean waves and converts it into electricity. The companies will work together to explore the feasibility of ocean wave energy in Alaska.
Carnegie uses the latest advances in onboard power generation and artificial intelligence to efficiently generate zero-emission electricity. CETO is an innovative, fully submerged, point absorber-type wave energy technology. A submerged buoy sits a few yards below the water’s surface and moves with the ocean’s waves. This constant movement drives a power take-off system that converts this motion into electricity. Being fully submerged and zero-emission, CETO won’t interfere with marine traffic, coastal aesthetics, or tourism, and has minimal impact on marine life.
Carnegie Clean Energy’s CETO technology has enormous potential to be a source of sustainable, clean electricity in Alaska. “This revolutionary wave conversion system can potentially supply electricity to communities in the Chugach region,” says Angela ‘Jan’ Vanderpool, Executive Director of Chugachmiut. “We are excited for the potential of lowering energy costs in the region, and it’s clean, renewable, and sustainable.”
Attached to the sea floor, CETO can harness wave power and become a source of zero-emission and cost-effective electricity for the Chugach region. Learn more and watch a video of the CETO technology at https://www.carnegiece.com/ceto-technology/.
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About Chugachmiut
Chugachmiut is a 501(c)3 non-profit established in 1974 to serve and promote the self-governance of the seven Native tribes of the Chugach Region of Alaska. Chugachmiut offers a range of services to its seven constituent tribal communities, including primary care, dentistry, behavioral health, addiction counseling, trust and land management, heritage preservation, and wildland firefighting. Learn more at www.chugachmiut.org.
CETO® technology is an ocean wave energy conversion system developed by Carnegie Clean Energy. Graphic courtesy of Carnegie Clean Energy.Map of the Chugach region. Courtesy of Chugachmiut.
Our vision is to revitalize the traditional Chugach Native culture and language. The goal is to make Sugpiaq/ Eyak history and heritage a part of the regular school curriculum with support and direction from our Elders’ traditional ecological knowledge (TEK).
