By James Menaker | Executive Director
March is always a difficult time for the people of Interior Alaska. They have just come through the teeth of winter with temperatures of -40 degrees and 20 hours of darkness per day. The snow that arrived in September is still on the ground and has been adding up for the past six months. Many of them are just ready to be done with winter and move on to spring/summer. The calendar says that spring begins this month. The sun is out longer and actually warms up the days considerably. There are days, weeks even, when the temperature is above freezing and everyone is walking around in shorts and t-shirts. There is a palpable optimism that this year will be an early spring and that winter is behind us.
Those of us who have been here for a while know that winter is still here and will remain through April. We know that the days of temperate weather will be intermingled with snowstorms and freezing rain and sudden temperature drops. 30 above can turn into 30 below within a day or two.
I say this not to be discouraging, but to remind people of the climate that we live in. People get really mad in March and April because the snow and the cold refuse to go away. This happens every year, but it still takes people by surprise.
When you work with high-risk youth, there is the temptation to see them as happy and fixed because they are doing so well at the Youth Center. They follow the rules, are fun and engaging, and they blossom before your eyes. And then they do something stupid. They break something; they take something; they start yelling or crying or fighting for no good reason. And then you remember that this is the climate that we live in. Their home life has not changed. Their school situation has not changed. They are still just one accident, one bad choice, one party away from being a teenager in crisis. They may spend six hours per day at Joel's Place...but that leaves 18 hours per day in other environments that may not be as encouraging or hopeful. Our kids are great and it is a tough world out there.
Thank you for your role in providing Joel's Place to the teens of Interior Alaska. It is within these walls that we are able to help our 1,100 visitors develop the resources that they need to survive and thrive. It is at Joel's Place that they are able to learn conflict resolution and patience and winning/losing with grace and money management and hope and so many other valuable lessons.
Summer is not here...but it is coming. Our kids are not in a healthy place yet...but that is coming too. Thank you again for helping make Joel's Place a reality.
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