The Community Center’s annual Tobacco-Free and Wellness Camp is traditionally held during mid to late July for ages 9 to 13 at Norton Sound Health Corporation’s facility at Nuuk. Campers from Nome, Teller and Shishmaref enjoy educational and recreational activities based around healthy living and alternatives to smoking and chewing.

In the past, these educational activities have featured interactive lessons from NSHC’s Dr. Shannon Farr and Pastor Rick Binford from the Seventh Day Adventist Church, NCC’s Youth Advocate George Olanna Sr. and other volunteer teachers.

On the recreation side, campers have learned GPS use and kayaking from Nome local Keith Conger, berry picked, swam in the lagoon, ocean and Solomon River, hiked up Cape Nome to find a geocache on the topside, participated in a survival skills scavenger hunt, beaded and sewed with Katherine Nayokpuk, Lily Olanna and Alison Nayokpuk, and created “before and after” themed anti-tobacco posters.

Summer Lunch Program: “Food That’s In When School’s Out”

A USDA Food and Nutrition Service Summer Food Service Program, Summer Lunch is approved to serve free lunches to kids 18 and under. It is classified as an open site: no paperwork or income eligibility is needed to receive free meals.

Beginning in 2000, the program runs concurrently with the Summercise program for six years. Summercise interns and community volunteers help prepare and serve well-balanced meals to the kids five days a week. Close to 40 kids come daily.

Since NCC’s former office’s conversion into the Nome Children’s Home, the location of Summer Lunch has changed to the bowling alley at the Nome Rec Center.

Nome Youth Court is a juvenile justice alternative for youth offenders charged with Class A or B misdemeanors, Minor Consuming Alcohol, Minor In Possession (of tobacco) and curfew violations who plead “no contest” at Juvenile Intake.

As the name implies, Youth Court is primarily run by teens aged 13-18, or grades 7-12. Members take law classes and must pass the bar exam in order to become bar members. This means they are able serve as defending or prosecuting attorneys, judges or bailiff. Non-bar members can be a part of the legal process by serving on a six or 12-person jury with his or her peers.

Since they have plead “no contest” (versus “guilty” or “not guilty”), defendants are sentenced by their peers

without contesting, denying or confirming the charges brought against them. By being sentenced through Youth Court, the crime is kept off the teen’s permanent record. However, youth cannot return to YC for the same crime.

The defendants’ sentences focus on rehabilitation and mediation (when a victim is involved), in other words: healing, righting wrongs. The bulk of a sentence is Community Work Service (CWS) hours. These hours--an amount determined by the judges in a three-judge panel or a jury--are spent doing things that will improve the community around role models that will improve the person. Bar members are trained to be creative with their sentences or sentencing recommendations. Defendants can also be sentenced to write essays, research papers and apology letters to the victim(s) or their parents, younger sibling(s), or others who may have been affected.

NYC is not purely seriousness of the courtroom. They hold events such as dances, teen nights and their famous (infamous?) lock-ins. They also grift-wrap at AC during Christmastime to raise funds. Funds raised are used for future events and trips such as the annual Youth Courts of Alaska Conference.

Besides becoming experienced with the laws which affect them, YC members learn poise and are trained in public speaking and rational decision-making. The events put on by Youth Court are organized by the members themselves, teaching coordination and collaboration outside a school setting.

The NCC Mac Lab is coordinated by Nathan Hobbs. Classes and Mac-assistance are determined on a needs and public demand basis. This includes counseling and consultation with Mac OS System, Photo Management & Editing, Calendar Design and Creation, Music Manipulation, Podcasting, Book & Postcard Creation, Desktop Publishing, and Movie, Web and DVD Creation.

Youth and adult Mac classes are held sporadically. To find out when the next class begins or request help with a specific project, call the Community Center at 443-5259, or email Nathan at pathways@nomecc.org.