The First We Belong Here Gathering Successful
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
“We Belong Here” was a free youth leadership and basketball gathering for students grades 4-12. The three-day gathering was hosted by Juneau youth organizations, March 18-20, 2019.
Our youth are capable of so much more than what we give them credit for.
We Belong Here participants ended the three day gathering in a talking circle and speaking Haida. For thirty minutes, Damen Bell-Holter spoke only in Haida to a group of 50 youth from across the region. Pinching his ears, the group said Gyuwáng hl stl’iit! in Haida.
Damen is the director of youth and community engagement for Sealaska. Since joining Sealaska in April 2018, he was talked with southeast youth in nearly every community letting them know that Sealaska believes in them and wants them to be successful. He worked with Juneau youth organizations for the We Belong Here gathering.
Workshops encouraged conversations around healthy eating, basketball fundamentals, native games and benefits of movement. For two and half days, youth were surrounded by role models and positive influences. “Our youth are capable of so much more than what we give them credit for,” said Bell-Holter. “The challenges we see in our communities, this generation will be the ones to change it. If we provide them with resources such as access to education or understanding how organizations like Sealaska or tribal governments work, we can prepare them to create the change that is needed.”
WE BELONG HERE PARTNERS
- AWARE
- Goldbelt Heritage Foundation
- Juneau School District, Indian Studies Sealaska
- SEARHC
- Teen Council
- Tlingit & Haida Central Council
- Zach Gordon Youth Center
News Search
23 results found
Posted 10/8/2025
Posted 10/8/2025
October 8, 2025 — For the first time in decades, leaders from Southeast Alaska’s tribes, Native corporations and tribal organizations came together in Juneau, Alaska for a Native Roundtable. Held September 29-30, 2025, the two-day summit created a powerful platform for renewed collaboration, strategic dialogue and collective visioning around the most pressing issues facing the region’s communities.
Posted 12/21/2023
Posted 12/21/2023
Dear Shareholders, Serving Sealaska has been one of my life’s great honors, and I am filled with gratitude for the years we have spent together, through my nine years of service as president and CEO and the eight years prior as your chief investment officer. In the weeks since my departure was announced, I have been humbled by your kindness and resolve to keep working together toward our…
Posted 12/9/2023
Posted 12/9/2023
In a year marked by significant growth, Sealaska’s Board of Directors announced that it remains excited about 2023’s financial performance and looks forward to significant growth planned for 2024. The company’s ocean health business platform, Woocheen, LLC, continues to expand its scope of work around the planet, most recently through Seas Geosciences, LLC’s work on the first floating offshore…
Posted 11/17/2023
Posted 11/17/2023
Sealaska’s quarterly Board Q&A sessions offer shareholders and directors a chance to connect in a casual online environment, empowering shareholders to ask questions directly to the board and providing directors a chance to hear shareholder voices on the issues that are important to them. On Nov. 7, Sealaska directors provided an update from the November board meeting, held on Nov. 2…
Posted 7/10/2023
Posted 7/10/2023
by Evan Roberts, Shareholder Development Intern In the week leading up to Sealaska’s 2023 annual meeting of shareholders in Klawock, a group of seven interns traveled to Prince of Wales to learn about Sealaska’s community-driven work. 2023 celebrates the launch of Sealaska Abroad — Sealaska’s international internship program. The three students who will be working with Sealaska subsidiary New…
Posted 7/6/2023
Posted 7/6/2023
In early June, Sealaska welcomed 35 students from across Alaska and the rest of the country to Juneau for the 2023 Sealaska Intern Connect Week — five days full of learning and bonding for Sealaska’s 2023 intern class. For the next few months, Sealaska’s interns will embark on different projects across the country — and globe — spanning diverse fields, from finance and investment to cultural…
Posted 4/5/2022
Posted 4/5/2022
Sealaska’s spring 2022 distribution will be announced on Friday, April 8. Distributions are just one of many benefits Sealaska provides to shareholders and descendants, including educational and professional development programs like shareholder and workforce development opportunities; vocational training, scholarships and internships; and donations to community and cultural programs.
Posted 4/4/2022
Posted 4/4/2022
Sealaska shareholders approved a resolution to establish the Sealaska Settlement Trust by a margin greater than three to one during the 2021 shareholder election The trust frees Sealaska shareholders from paying federal income tax on their dividends. It will also reduce Sealaska’s tax obligation to the federal government in the future. Sealaska will work to ensure the trust is…
Posted 10/28/2021
Posted 10/28/2021
Sealaska shareholders will receive their first distribution via the Sealaska Settlement Trust when the fall distribution is paid out on November 12. The trust was created by a vote of shareholders in June, and will benefit shareholders by exempting distributions from the trust from federal tax. Many shareholders will not notice any difference between how past distributions have occurred…
Posted 10/26/2021
Posted 10/26/2021
Sealaska’s fall 2021 distribution will be announced on Friday, Oct. 29. Distributions are just one of many benefits Sealaska provides to shareholders and descendants, including educational and professional development programs like scholarships and internships, semiannual distributions to shareholders, and donating to cultural programs. In 2020, Sealaska paid out more than $28.5…
Posted 10/5/2021
Posted 10/5/2021
Sealaska will begin accepting applications for its CARES Act distribution in partnership with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska on Monday, Oct. 4. We have compiled the following answers to questions we’ve received so far. Do you have a question that isn’t addressed here? Email us at sealaskacares@ccthita-nsn.gov. We’ll update this Q&A throughout the application period.
Posted 7/7/2021
Posted 7/7/2021
Every year, Sealaska directors select a shareholder descendant to serve a one-year term as the Board Youth Advisor (BYA). Tiadola Silva was selected as the 2021-2022 BYA. In this position, Silva will provide input and gain board membership training and knowledge of Sealaska’s operations. Silva is originally from Angoon and now lives in Juneau. Her parents are Jeremy Martin and Juanita Silva.
Posted 1/14/2021
Posted 1/14/2021
On Feb. 2, Fred (Sḵwaal) Hamilton, Sr. of Craig will mark his 100th birthday. The day has been designated by the Craig City Council as Fred Hamilton, Sr. Day. Hamilton is the son of George (Siigaay) Hamilton, Sr. and Joy (Haana Iwaans) Edenso Hamilton. He is of the Raven moiety and his crests are Owl, Brown Bear and Flicker. Longevity is in his genes. Hamilton’s dad lived to be just shy of…
Posted 11/22/2020
Posted 11/22/2020
Earlier this year, Sealaska marked an important milestone in its growth and development as a company – following the board election this spring, our board is now majority female, with seven of 13 members who are women. Balance and reciprocity are important values we hold as Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people, and they’re part of our company values at Sealaska, too.
Posted 9/28/2020
Posted 9/28/2020
(September 25, 2020) – Shareholders from around Southeast Alaska filled their smokehouses, pantries and freezers with the rich red of sockeye salmon this week, courtesy of a unique partnership between Sealaska and the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), in conjunction with tribal leadership in each community. The first of its kind, this salmon distribution netted a total of 51,000…
Posted 9/15/2020
Posted 9/15/2020
Late this summer, a series of happy coincidences led 40 Yakutat kids out of the doldrums of the pandemic and into the icy waters of the North Pacific for a series of surf camps in Yakutat’s legendary waves. Their time in the water brought welcome joy, healthy connection to the ocean, and an opportunity to open minds and overcome fears. “I’ve been so used to everything being sad this year…
Posted 7/23/2020
Posted 7/23/2020
Sealaska’s emergency allocation of $1.28 million to assist tribes and other organizations serving shareholders and descendants in Southeast Alaska and beyond is at work in communities, providing groceries and assistance with utilities and other expenses for Elders, feeding schoolchildren and vulnerable families, providing jobs and much more. The Sealaska board of directors approved the COVID…
Posted 7/7/2020
Posted 7/7/2020
Sealaska wants to see what the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian way of life looks like through YOUR lens, and we invite you to participate in the “Our Way of Life” photo contest! This is an opportunity for Sealaska to not only engage with you directly, but also gain perspective on how our audience views our Native way of life. Creativity and freedom of interpretation is welcome and encouraged!
Posted 7/1/2020
Posted 7/1/2020
On June 15, 2020, Sealaska welcomed 18 summer interns to our first ever entirely remote internship program. This year’s interns, like so many people across the country, are working from home, exchanging office time for video chats to stay connected to their teams. In a year defined by a global pandemic, everyone has experienced its uncertainty and stress in different ways. For students…
Posted 3/9/2020
Posted 3/9/2020
Sealaska is increasing its involvement in the education of shareholders and descendants long before they are eligible for a college scholarship. One example is our sponsorship of the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) Middle School Academy. ANSEP, as the program is known, is based at the University of Alaska. Over the past 20-plus years, the program has evolved into a…
Posted 3/3/2020
Posted 3/3/2020
Sealaska is partnering with the Sustainable Southeast Partnership (SSP) and Allen Marine to support a new position within SSP, a regional catalyst for regenerative tourism, which will focus on: Sealaska looks at the uniqueness of Southeast Alaska as an opportunity to educate and inspire. Sealaska supports Sealaska Heritage Institute’s newest endeavor to establish Heritage Square in…
Posted 10/17/2019
Posted 10/17/2019
As part of Sealaska’s commitment to improving the way it communicates with shareholders, the company unveiled its new Shareholder Participation Committee in October. A diverse group of Sealaska shareholders met over the course of three days to help the committee identify goals to help support Sealaska and provide more effective channels to collect feedback from shareholders.
