Kailey Jo Erickson was asked to speak at this year’s Yukon Jamboree about the community and how it needs healthy and sober activities.

She was last year’s Ptarmigan Hall music and arts director, and was asked to come and celebrate the Jamboree’s 30th anniversary of celebrating healthy life styles.

“I was invited here to speak about native community and the needs for healthy and sober activities,” she said. “Galena has always been a fun family oriented community.”

Ms. Erickson said her time as the music and arts director last year reintroduced her to all the hardship the youth faced and how resilient they are. “I had lived away from villages for ten years, and last year I was reintroduced to all the hardships our youth faced and how resilient they are,” she said.

She added that the year she spent in Galena helped broaden her perspective of the various cultures around Alaska and how different and how similar they are. “It helped broaden my perspective of various cultures around Alaska and how different and how similar we are,” she said.
Being excited to keep working with the youth in Galena and GILA were some of the few reasons she came back to Galena. “[I’m] excited to keep working with the youth in Galena and GILA,” she said.