MetalFest

The metal music scene in Anchorage hosted a festival in mid-June that rocked the ears off teens who love the genre of music. The Alaska Teen Media Institute's Tiana Johnson stopped by The Downstairs of Club Millennium, where the event was held, to see what it was all about. She shares here experience with an audio slideshow on MetalFest '08.

Just in case you missed it, Daily News' Mike Dunham reported on artistic teens June 28. The story, "Teen Talent," showcases four Anchorage Teens who show exceptional talent in the arts.

The Alaska Teen Media Institute's Cooper Galvin talked with State Senators Charlie Huggins and Hollis French about what impact a natural gas pipeline would have on the futures of Alaska teens.

Natural gas pipeline

The Alaska Teen Media Institute's Tonei Glavinic is the recipient of a third place in education reporting award from the Alaska Press Club for his story on Gay-Straight Alliances. He competed with adult media professionals for the honor.

Tonei Glavinic

Gay-Straight Alliances

Glavinic gives an overview of GSA clubs in Anchorage high schools, which have been successful in making high school a place where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth can be safe and be themselves.

Shyla Krukoff is a leader in the Alutiiq Ikumat dance group in Cordova and enjoys working to make sure native traditions and culture are preserved. She teaches other students traditional native dances and song. In this audio story by Shana Sheehy, Krukoff talks about her favorite dance.

Shyla Krukoff

Krukoff was nominated for a Spirit of Youth award. To nominate a teen you know, visit the

Throwin' down in Alaska: Tiana Johnson, 19, and her brother Jesus Rivera celebrate Rivera's AFC victory at an Alaska Vs. Hawaii match.

Teen reporter Tiana Johnson's brother is a mixed martial arts fighter for the Alaska Fighting Championships. And she loves to watch him compete but sometimes wonders why he does what he does. So, she interviewed him and his friend Ricky "Ice Cold" Shivers about their lives as professional fighters. Here is the story.

My brother the fighter

Anchorage teen, Sophie Wiepking-Brown, organized a "Paint the Town" event, June 11.

The Alaska Youth for Environmental Action group held its 10 year anniversary celebration and summer fund raiser last week in Anchorage. They raised over $38,000, including a $15,000 matching grant!

If you weren't able to make it to the event, it's not too late to contribute to their summer fund-raising drive. Their is a donation form on their Web site.

Week without plastics: Mayor Mark Begich poses with reusable bags that sport the AYEA logo. Teens have organized a Rethink Plastics campaign to offer simple sustainable solutions to the plastics problem.

They are all Alaskans. But teens who live in Point Hope, Alaska have a very different lifestyle than those who have grown up in Wasilla, Eagle River or Anchorage.

Each year the Alaska Humanities Forum, through the Rose Urban Rural Exchange program, allows middle and high school teens the opportunity to experience life in an Alaska community that is much different from their own.

Here are a couple audio clips from teens who participated in the program this year.

Eskimo food is better

A student from Mirror Lake Middle School interviews students in Point Hope, Alaska about the types of foods they eat.

"Underage Thinking"

"Hey AK teens, this blog is for you," reads a new blog at adn.com. The teens who produce Perfect World, the teen written section of the Anchorage Daily News that appears in print on Fridays, have started a blog called "Underage Thinking."

The blog encourages teens to go online and talk about "politics, art, fashion, film, TV, friends, family, theater and food. From MySpace to Barack Obama, vegetarian diets to "Gossip Girl," if you're in high school you need to join our online conversation."

Spirit of Youth is looking for the stories of teens who are making a difference in their communities. Teens all over Alaska, who volunteer, share their talents and overcome challenges, are honored by Spirit of Youth and their stories are shared through a variety of media.

If you know of a teen who deserves recognition, visit the Spirit of Youth Web site and nominate him or her for an award.

Teen clinic: At the P.O.W.E.R. Teen Clinic in the transit center in downtown Anchorage, teens can hang out, get free food, get resources and get tested.

Katie Zager, of the Alaska Teen Media Institute, stopped by the P.O.W.E.R. Teen Clinic to find out about this resource for teens when it comes to sexual health. The clinic has a nurse available on Tuesdays and Thursdays and is open for information and hanging out on Fridays. Here is Zager's story.

P.O.W.E.R. Teen Clinic

Paddleboat Cafe

Teen reporter Tiana Johnson stopped by Paddleboat Cafe on Goose Lake in Anchorage last month to find out what's on the horizon for the place. The cafe has quickly become a popular all-ages hangout for music and food.

On May 13, Rodney Clark who was interviewed for this story passed away.

RARE-T club members from South High School in Anchorage decided they wanted to be real experts when it comes to educating fellow students.

The Reducing AIDS Risk Effectively in Teens club is a peer to peer education program, designed to inform students on HIV and AIDS. The club members from South High recently visited Planned Parenthood and 4As to get tested. The Alaska Teen Media Institute's Barbara Nave interviews them about their experience.

RARE-T Roundtable

Erin Britton

Erin Britton, a reporter for the Alaska Teen Media Institute and the Perfect World section of the Anchorage Daily News has received an Alaska Press Club Award for her story on teen stress.

Britton competed with professional journalists across the state to take home first place for health and science reporting. Here is her award winning story.

Teen Stress

Preston Pollard: Skating at the Alaska Skatepark grand opening in September.

Spirit of Youth reporter Shana Sheehy produced an audio story about how Preston Pollard, a 19-year-old skateboarder from Anchorage, tours with other boarders across the nation.

Spirit of Youth story on Preston Pollard

With the organization known as Boarders for Christ, they preform for people five months out the year, bringing motivation to young adults.

Teens who love local music, whether that means performing or attending live shows as fans, are trying to unify their efforts.

Scott Thorpe and Britain Strah, 20 year olds from Eagle River, are two founders of the Alaska Music Alliance. Tiana Johnson, 19, of the Alaska Teen Media Institute provides this audio story .

Alaska Music Alliance

The Bicycle Shop: The Bicycle Shop will receive a Youth Friendly Business award at the Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on April 28.

American teens are big spenders. Youth spend an average of $103 weekly. That’s about $175 billion a year.

Spirit of Youth honors businesses that know how valuable their youth customers are. With their Youth Friendly Business program, the Spirit of Youth Teen Action Council has been recognizing local businesses they consider “Youth Friendly.” It is no easy feat to win this award. To be considered, businesses need to fall under the following criteria:

Paddleboat Cafe Flier

Young aspiring local bands from all over town will battle it out starting tonight at the Paddleboat Cafe. They are competing for a chance to play at the Vans Warped Tour '08. Tonight is the first of four Friday night all-ages battles.

Tonight's competitors include The Cryptic Crappies, Snack Pharm, Korupture, Vicious Regress and What May Fall.

The Paddleboat started hosting local bands on a regular bases in August of 2007. And has quickly become a Anchorage music scene hub. It is located near Northern Lights and UAA Drive (2811 UAA Drive.)

It isn't often a newspaper story hits so close to home that a reader calls to meet with the reporter who wrote it. But Alaska Teen Media Institute and Perfect World reporter Sam Holley-Kline, 17, has experienced this at a young age.

His Perfect World story about the worst shipwreck in the history of the Pacific Northwest sparked the interest of reader Hal Johnston.

Princess Sophia: 353 people died on the Princess Sophia in 1918.