What do YAW students do?
Youth Area Watch students begin the school year with an orientation to program guidelines. They meet participants from different schools and join in multiple training sessions with scientists and community members. Training comes from a variety of local and government agencies, independent scientists, community members and village elders. Some of these trainings take place on site where samples can be obtained (e.g. water, invertebrates or weather data); other trainings occur in agency facilities (in Seward, Anchorage, Valdez or Fairbanks) that can accommodate the entire group. Throughout the school year, in addition to collecting and analyzing data, YAW participants design local restoration projects within their communities, and implement skills learned from scientists and elders. Most of their efforts are put forth within their local communities, however YAW students often travel to other areas within Alaska to present their findings at conferences or offer assistance to projects bey
