Ciulistet

Program

The Bristol Bay Ciulistet program supports young leaders from Bristol Bay by placing them with local internship opportunities, building Bristol Bay specific leadership skills and knowledge, and connecting them with a network of peers and mentors across the region. The program is designed to support Indigenous young people ages 18-28 in becoming the next generation of Bristol Bay leadership. During Ciulistet, participants will take part in an internship with a tribe, village corporation, or local or regional entity; engage in monthly calls with fellow Ciulistet participants; and take part in two retreats to deepen learning, skills, and relationships.

Steps to Apply:

1. Ciulistet Interest Form
2. Online Application-for-Employment.pdf (bbna.com)
3. Review the Internship; Ciulistet Emerging Leader Job Description

Program Schedule

The Internships will take place from January-May 2024

• October 27: Applications due
• Mid-November: Participants selected
• November/December: Employment Interviews
• January: Program begins with 2-day Online Orientation
• January: Start work with host organization
• January-May: Monthly group calls
• March: First retreat
• May: Second retreat
• End of May: Program ends

Program Components

Orientation: At the start of the Ciulistet Program there will be a 2-day orientation online meeting for participants to review the outcomes and expectation for participating in the program, this will take place within the first month. 

Monthly calls: Each month during the program, Ciulistet participants will gather virtually to connect with one another, share information and challenges, and learn about a topic to build their work skills as leaders.

Periodic check-ins with coordinator: Throughout participant’s time in the Ciulistet Program, they will engage in periodic check in calls with the project coordinator to ensure participants are getting holistic learning opportunities within the program and to identify any additional support that’s needed.

Retreats: During participant’s time in Ciulistet, there will be two week-long retreats. At these retreats participants will engage with local leaders and elders to build the resource network, learn about the various management systems that reside in Bristol Bay, learn about workplace best practices, and engage in team building and leadership development exercises to enhance participant’s confidence and connection to culture.

Q: Will the retreats be in-person or virtual? What about COVID-19?  Retreats are planned to take place in-person over a 5-day period and be hosted by a different community in Bristol Bay. If COVID-19 prohibits gathering in-person, virtual retreats will take place. Decisions regarding mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 will be made by the program steering committee and BBNA’s current travel policies.

Internship: Internships are part-time, roughly 20 hours per week for 21 weeks at a rate of $15/hour. They will be paid through Bristol Bay Native Association with support from Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation and Bristol Bay Native Corporation. Internship hosts include tribes, villages, village corporations, and regional entities in Bristol Bay. Some entities and organizations will be ready to host an intern, but we want to work with each participant to align internships with their interests and skills and the needs of the host organization. We highly encourage internships with tribal governments, but if that is not ideal, there are other opportunities to work with non-profits and other entities in Bristol Bay.

• Q: How will participants be placed in internships? During the program selection process, participants will identify where they are most interested in interning. There will be some entities ready to host an intern, and participants will choose where they would like to apply. If an entity that a participant is particularly interested in working with is not listed as a host, the coordinator can work with the steering committee to try and create an opportunity that aligns with the participant’s interests. Host organizations will participate in interviews to make the final selection.
• Q: Will internships be remote? Can participants work from home? In some cases, internships will be conducted remotely due to impacts from COVID-19 or if a participant would like to work with a host organization outside of their home community. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending upon the internship placement, needs of the host organization, and needs of the participant.
• Q: What if I already have a job and can’t take on an added internship? That’s okay! We can work with each participant to make this program work for your needs. If you already have a job, we can work with your current position to offset time for you to participate in the calls, retreats, and learning components of the program.

Periodic check-ins between internship host and coordinator: During the program, the project coordinator will communicate with internship hosts to ensure proper support is given to both the participants and hosting organization. If you are interested in becoming an internship host for Ciulistet please contact program staff.

Q: Will additional tech equipment be supplied to participate? If you have IT needs that would inhibit your participation in an internship or in the virtual component of the program, please let us know in your application, and we will work with you to make sure you have the resources available to successfully participate.

Internship Host Requirements and Responsibilities:

• Participate in interviews to make final intern selections for your organization.
• Have a supervisor to oversee the intern.
• Be willing to engage the intern with entry level work with a discrete project for them to complete over their internship.
• Engage with BBNA staff to support your role as a host and ensure successful completion of the internship.
• Allow intern to engage in 2 week-long retreats.
• Allow intern to participate in monthly check-in calls.
• Provide internet access if the intern is working in-person.
• Engage in the closing ceremony for the program.
• Complete a survey at the end of the program.

News about the program

• Ciulistet: A New Program for Bristol Bay’s Next-Gen Leaders click here to read more.

Funding Partners

• This program is made possible by the following partners:
• Bristol Bay Native Corporation,
• Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation,
• The Nature Conservancy,
• and
• The Administration for Native Americans SEDS Grant Award #90NK0192-01-00

Steering Committee

Organization	Name
United Tribes of Bristol Bay	Alannah Hurley
Bristol Bay Regional Career and Technical Education	Zach Stenson
First Alaskans Institute	Gloria Khaaswoot Wolfe
Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation	Chris Napoli
Bear Trail Lodge, Private Business	Nanci Morris Lyon
Igiugig Village Council	Rhonda Wayner
Bristol Bay Native Corporation	Carol Wren
Naknek Village Council	Judy Jo Matson
Igiugig Village Council	Alexanna Salmon
Chignik Lake Village Council	Clinton Boskofsky
Youth Seat	Drew Carlos
Elder Seat	Mike Davis
Igiugig Native Corporation	Christina Salmon

Contact information

• Kristina D. Andrew, Economic Development Program Manager
• kRandrew@bbna.com
• Bristol Bay Native Association
• Economic Development Program
• P.O. Box 310
• Dillingham, AK 99576
• (907)-842-5257 ext. 6223
• Fax- 1-(833) 992-3737

The production of this program and webpage was supported by the Grant Award #90NK0192-01-00 from ACF. Its content are solely the responsibility of the Bristol Bay Native Association and do not necessarily represent the official views of ACF.