by Amanda Krysinski

Listen to the story!

Teenagers have it tuff. We're still affected by our parent's decisions, plus we have the added burden of our own. That's why it's nice to know there are people out there who actually enjoy helping teens through all of those scrapes that we can manage to get ourselves into.

Take, for example, the Covenant House Alaska. They have a fully trained staff that just likes to help kids out. Whether you need help because your parents are abusive, or you have a baby, or whether you're just looking for help in getting a job, Covenant House Alaska can help you out.

Covenant House Alaska operates Passage House, which assists young mothers in developing important skills such as healthy parenting, money management, priority setting, housing acquisition and social skill development. One 21-year-old mother is a resident there with her child.

"The staff has been really helpful because they're easy to talk to and they have a lot of information about resources in the community," the mother said.

Helping teen parents isn't all Covenant House Alaska does. Jacquelyn, another teen, is part of Covenant House Alaska Rights of Passage Program. The Rights of Passage Program is a transitional living home for teens who once were homeless and are now trying to get their lives back together.

"It has helped me in a big way," Jacquelyn said. " My whole life is turned around, I'm a completely different person, I do completely different things and I'm going in a direction I actually wanted to be going in since I was a kid."

Covenant House Alaska also has a Youth Resource Center right in Downtown Anchorage. But, before you simply drop in, perhaps you'd like to know more about it. According to Youth Resource Center Program Director, David Nolta, the Youth Resource Center is drop-in resource and referral service for youth between the ages of 13 and 20. Here they'll do their best to help you out, and if they can't they'll try to find someone who can.

"We'll provide anything they need to get them into a healthy, more stable conditions," Nolta said.

There's even a registered nurse, Pat Senter, who staffs the Covenant House clinic in the afternoons.

Even if you don't come to them, or don't know where to go, you might see some of the Covenant House Alaska's outreach workers wondering the shopping malls or streets in their green outreach jackets. Cheryl Charic is one of these adult outreach workers and she says she has fun with her job.

So if you're between the ages of 13 and 20 and want to find out more about Covenant House Alaska, they're located at 750 West 5 th Avenue. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday form 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. You can also call them at 258-4237, or check out their Web site at www.covenanthouseak.org .

Covenant House Alaska is not the only youth resource in Anchorage. "Our Teen Clinic" is run by the Alaska Youth and Parent Foundation's POWER Program. "Our Teen Clinic" gives free tests for HIV, AIDS and STDs. But their services don't end there. They have their own outreach program as well, and from time to time, they give presentations on topics like substance abuse and sexual assault among other things. The POWER part of the POWER program stands for Peer Outreach Workers and Education Referral. If you didn't catch it, it said, "peer workers." That means teenagers themselves actually work for their groups various programs. Seventeen-year-old Ivory Rodgers is a POWER outreach worker. For her job she approaches other youth on he street, talks to groups and helps out at "Our Teen Clinic".

"It's interesting to see how the teens kinds interact with you, and how they use the resources you have," Rodgers said.

The POWER program also has a publication called "POWER Pages" which is a listing of different organizations and companies that teens can go to for your different needs. This particular publication is written and is updated by teens. It covers things like emotional help, pregnancy, communication skills and so forth. Basically if you're a teen with a problem, they'll have someone they can refer you to so that you can solve it. If you meet them in the mall while they're working on their outreach aspect, they'll probably hand you a card with their contact information, so you can go about addressing your individual needs. If you meet them at a community presentation, you may hear about any number of topics that teens face.

"Our Teen Clinic" is located in the downtown building that houses the main Anchorage Transit Center. If you are looking to contact "Our Teen Clinic," you can call them at 257-0360. You can also got to www.aypf.ak.org and click on the POWER link.

So, whether you've run away and need a place to live while you're getting back on your feet, or you're afraid you're pregnant, there are places out there that can help Anchorage's youth. All of these resources are free and confidential. You don't have to be a runaway or pregnant to uses these resources either. So long as you are a teen interested in what is available to you, you're welcome.