NSB Health DepartmentView organization ›For this week's Throwback Thursday we are highlighting the Iñupiaq value: Aatchuqtuutiłiq Avatmun (sharing and caring for others).
Sharing food and resources with family, elders, and neighbors helps us stay connected and be there for each other. When we share and care, we build stronger relationships and make sure no one is alone
This Inupiaq value teaches us that taking care of each other is part of living a healthy life. When we help each other, our whole community grows stronger and healthier.1
NSB Health DepartmentView organization ›We will be live at 9AM, streaming the Power In Us Health Conference! Please check back on our page for Day 1 - featuring guest speakers and workshops on behavioral health!2
NSB Health DepartmentView organization ›One of our stories for Voices of The North Slope, we will hear from Lorene Paniġak Kaleak from Pt. Lay!💛🖤
Quyanaqpak Lorene for sharing your story.
This is her story titled: “I Am Still Here”
“September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, and this year, I don’t want to speak only about statistics or wear a ribbon and move on. I want to speak as someone who survived.
I was only twelve years old when bullying became so heavy that I began believing the world would be better without me. Twelve years old. I was still a child, yet I was carrying emotions I didn’t know how to explain.
Mentally, physically, and emotionally, I felt exhausted. I convinced myself that disappearing would somehow make life easier for everyone around me.
At fifteen, I was still fighting that battle.
At sixteen, I was still fighting.
At seventeen, after family problems and losing my great-uncle to pancreatic cancer, grief became another weight added to everything I was already carrying. There were moments throughout those years when I genuinely believed I wouldn’t live long enough to see adulthood.
But I did.
I lived.
And now I’m eighteen years old.
I’m in college.
I’m working toward a future that the twelve-year-old version of me couldn’t even imagine having.
Sometimes I still think about her, the little girl who believed she was a burden, who couldn’t see beyond the pain she was experiencing, and who thought everyone would be better off without her. If I could stand in front of her today, I wouldn’t be angry with her for struggling. I would tell her about everything she hasn’t seen yet.
I’d tell her, you’re growing up.
You’re going to graduate.
You’re going to go to college.
You’re going to discover that there are people who love you more deeply than you realized.
You’re going to hear your family tell you they’re proud of you.
You’re going to laugh again, and one day, that laughter won’t feel forced.
And most importantly, I’d tell her, you’re going to want to live.
That is something I never thought I would be able to say.
Today, I don’t want my life to end. I want to see where it goes.
I want the stable future I’m working toward. I want to accomplish the things I’ve dreamed about. I want to become someone my younger self would look at and realize, We made it.
I know now that the thoughts I once had were not predictions of my future. Pain convinced me that there was nothing beyond it, when in reality, there were entire chapters of my life I hadn’t lived yet.
My family loves me. They’re proud of how far I’ve come. They remind me that my life matters, my presence matters, and my voice matters.
And I’ve finally learned to believe them.
So during Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, I want to use that voice for the person who hasn’t reached their better chapter yet.
Please Stay.
Not because everything will magically become perfect. Not because healing happens overnight. Stay because a painful chapter should not get to write the ending of your entire story. Tell someone. Reach toward the people who care about you. Let yourself be helped. Give yourself the opportunity to meet the person you can become.
At twelve, I couldn’t imagine being eighteen.
At eighteen, I’m grateful that I get to wonder who I’ll be at twenty-five, thirty, forty, and beyond.
There is so much of my story that hasn’t been written yet.
I am not ashamed of the girl I used to be. I am proud that she survived long enough for me to become the woman I am becoming.
I was twelve, I survived.
I was fifteen, I survived.
I was sixteen, I survived.
I was seventeen, I survived.
Now I am eighteen.
I’m in college.
I am building my future.
I am loved.
I am proud.
But most importantly, I am alive.
And after spending so many years believing I wasn’t supposed to be here, I can finally say this and mean every word:
I am still here.
I am a survivor,
And I will keep surviving.”1812 shares
NSB Health DepartmentView organization ›Quyanaqpak Jennifer and Amelia for being our guest speakers. We are proud of all our guest speakers from Avaiyak, Lorene, and Sam! We appreciate all our sponsors and volunteers for making this possible. 💜🏀
thank you Kalolaine Aina & North Slope Borough Health & Social Services for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the Hoops 4 Hope 3x3 tournament.
Being in Barrow and talking to the kids truly meant the world to me. Connecting with the community there definitely made me miss home, but it also made me look back at my own journey. I used to be just like them, a little kid dreaming big and praying for times like this, and now I’m blessed to actually be living it. I hope I was able to encourage them and remind them that they can accomplish anything they put their mind to. I’m so grateful to give back to the community and be a part of this.
Thank you again for including me & hopefully see u next time 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼2
NSB Health DepartmentView organization ›We’re heading into our final day of Hoops 4 Hope! Today, our 3x3 teams take the court for bracket play! Single elimination!
Come ready to compete, encourage your teammates, meet new people, and most importantly, have fun while playing for a purpose.
Our guest speakers for today will be Avaiyak Burnell and Sam Newbury.
It’s more than basketball, it’s about community, connection, and hope. Compete with heart. Play with purpose. Spread hope.
Let’s make Day 3 memorable! 🏀💜210 shares
NSB Health DepartmentView organization ›We’re proud to announce our amazing speakers and special guests who will be in attendance for the 2026 Hoops 4 Hope 3x3 Tourney! 💜🏀
Our Speakers:
Tonight: Amelia Uhila, along with a mini camp for all elementary-aged children at 8:15pm-9:15pm
Saturday: Jennifer Nash and Lorene Kaleak with a mini camp with Jennifer & Mia for all middle school & highschool students from 8:10pm-9:10pm.
Sunday: Avaiyak Burnell and Sam Newbury
Follow our live schedule here:
https://canva.link/2026-hoops-4-hope-3x3-tourney-schedule
You can copy and paste the link into your web browser, or simply scan the QR code to view the live schedule.
We’re excited to welcome our speakers, guests, players, families, and community as we come together for an incredible weekend of basketball, hope, and connection!
We’ll see you at the 2026 Hoops 4 Hope 3x3 Tourney! 💜🏀811 shares
NSB Health DepartmentView organization ›Hoops 4 Hope is right around the corner ! Thank you to the players, coaches, & parents for registering! 💜🏀
Deadline has extended to Saturday Sept. 19 by 8pm. All players must complete an individual registration and captains/coaches complete the google form to lock in their team name, members, & colors.
We are still needing 2 more teams for the 3rd-5th grade division and 2 more for the highschool/18+ division! 6-8th grade is full.
Note: All divisions have a waitlist in case any registered teams drop out.
Any questions email us at NSBHealthPreventionBRW@north-slope.org3
