The leader in bringing Alaska Native voices to Alaska and the nation, Koahnic Broadcast Corporation (KBC) is committed to covering indigenous issues. Two of its programs, “Day 001: Voices of Recovery” and “Definition of Resilience,” utilize a multimedia approach to deliver stories of activism, culture, healing, hope and recovery.
‘Day 001: Voices of Recovery’
In 2016, KBC partnered with Recover Alaska, a nonprofit with a mission of reducing alcohol use and harm in Alaska, to produce a multimedia campaign focused on compelling personal stories.
The series of video vignettes became the basis of the Day 001 media campaign, which celebrates the true stories of Alaskans overcoming alcohol addiction. Each mini-documentary reflects on the turning point in the narrator’s life and where the journey of recovery has taken him or her. The campaign comprises radio public service announcements, audio versions of the vignettes for radio broadcast and online streaming, television messages and social media content. The project received a Northwest Regional Emmy for the television PSA in June 2016. The videos are archived at www.day001.org.
“Through this project, the powerful message that recovery is possible has reached thousands of Alaskans,” said Thea Lawton, KBC’s senior resource development specialist. “Participants have been stopped and thanked by strangers who recognized them from the videos. Recover Alaska reports that many people have received messages through social media from strangers, friends and family—some of whom they have not been in touch with for years.”
With the impetus of ‘Day 001: Voices of Recovery,’ Recover Alaska has continued to solicit and share inspiring stories of recovery on their website and social media. Recover Alaska is now taking the lead on a planned new Day 001 series, and KBC expects to share these new personal stories via its broadcast streaming and social media platforms in the coming year.
‘Definition of Resilience’
A special project of KBC’s weekly public radio indigenous music show “Indigefi” (formerly “Earthsongs”), “Definition of Resilience” debuted this fall. It features indigenous rappers who combine art with social activism and includes two hour-long public radio documentaries, four 10-minute video mini-documentaries and several short videos optimized for social media sharing.
Each episode follows two artists who share their stories and indigenous history. Through interviews, listeners hear personal stories ranging from addiction and identity to boarding schools and generational trauma. The CIRI Foundation and Cook Inlet Tribal Council, CIRI-affiliated nonprofit organizations, are supporters of this project. For more information, visit www.indigefi.org.
