42nd Annual Statewide Elders & Youth Conference | October 12-15, 2025
Join us for our Elders & Youth Conference in Dgheyey Kaq’; Dena’inaq ełnen’aq’ qilan (Anchorage, Alaska; lands of the Dena’ina) at the Dena’ina Center from Sunday, October 12 through Wednesday, October 15, 2025. The conference will provide a unique space for our communities to come together and learn about a variety of topics such as traditional and subsistence practices, arts, advocacy and more. It's a valuable opportunity for intergenerational learning during our Native New Year celebrations.
This year's langauge we will be highlighting during Native New Year is Iñupiatun/Inupiatun - the language of the Iñupiat/Inupiat. Our First Alaskans Institute's 2025 Elders & Youth Council members are discussing pertinent issues in our communities that will help guide us into our 2025 Elders & Youth (E&Y) Conference theme. Please have patience while we share out any updates regarding this year's conference with the theme, registration, dance groups, volunteers, sponsorship, and a list of accomodations during the duration of both First Alaskans Institute E&Y and Alaska Federation of Natives gathering.
We can't wait to see you all there!
2025 Elders & Youth Conference Now Open!
Our Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/2025EYC
Our workshop proposals link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/25EY_Propsals
Connecting our Elders and youth is imperative to knowing who we are, and how to work in good relationship together.
About the conference
The Annual Statewide Elders & Youth Conference is hosted by FAI in partnership with our community. Elders & Youth provides a special opportunity to live and love who we are as Alaska Native peoples, build strong relationships with one another, identify and advance solutions for the challenges and opportunities facing our communities, explore our creative worlds, and contribute to the greater community through the transference of knowledge between our generations.
Elders and Youth past conferences
Another component of First Alaskans Institute’s Leadership Development Initiative is the Elders & Youth Conference. The Institute has sponsored and hosted the event since 2004 at the request of the Alaska Federation of Natives.
Elders & Youth Conference History
In 1984, the first Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Youth Conference, attended by 54 high school students, convened in response to a resolution passed by delegates to the previous AFN Convention. By allowing Alaska Native students their own gathering, modeled on the main Convention, the conference was a training ground in advocacy, collaboration, and leadership development.
