Program uses running and exercise to teach children self-respect

Wrangell’s BRAVE has started its running and empowerment program, I Toowú Klatseen (ITK), for kids in third through fifth grades.

The program provides free running and exercise activities, lessons in self-respect, community building and healthy decision-making.

I Toowú Klatseen means “strengthen your spirit” in Tlingit, or being strong on the inside and the outside — philosophies the program seeks to share with Wrangell’s youth.

The program started Tuesday, March 26, and will run to May 9 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the community center.

It’s still open for registration for students who want to join.

ITK was created in Juneau and Sitka in 2014 as a running and empowerment program for boys, said Maleah Nore, BRAVE (Building Respect and Valuing Everyone) volunteer and ITK coordinator. The program is a collaboration between tribal and domestic violence prevention programs as a way to teach young boys healthy masculinity, inner strength and community.

After the program saw success, it was expanded to be more gender inclusive and now operates in Juneau, Sitka, Kake, Angoon, Gustavus, Hoonah and Wrangell. The curriculum is also being expanded to be offered in Interior Alaska.

Though many of the lessons are based on Southeast Alaska Native stories and strengths, every student is encouraged to bring culture and traditions from their own backgrounds into the program, Nore said.

The lessons are centered around place-based values, Tlingit values and plants and animals in the region.

BRAVE received a grant from Alaska Children’s Trust to fund the program this year, the first time they have received such funding, Nore said. The first time the nonprofit ran the ITK program was in 2022, and they scraped together donations, she said.

The program will provide fresh and healthy snacks at every practice. Each student will also get a free pair of running shoes, a T-shirt and a water bottle. The program will culminate with a five-kilometer fun run where students will be awarded medals for completing the program.

“Any kid in grades three to five will have fun,” Nore said, emphasizing that ITK is open to all kids in the community, at any level of physical ability. There are enough coaches and volunteers to cater to every student in the program.