Alaska needs You
Let's be honest, we're facing a crisis
The State of Our State
When global oil prices fell in 2014, our economy tanked. Alaska lost 80% of its revenue, ripping open an enormous structural deficit in our state government. Despite the obvious fiscal crisis, lawmakers have consistently prioritized partisan politics over developing a true, long-term solution. As a result we’ve burned through more than $14 billion in savings over five years, throwing money at band-aid budgets without fixing the wound.
Average Alaskans have been hit hard, too. We've lost thousands of jobs. Cutting state support for police, troopers, courts, and behavioral health has done nothing to stem a rising crime wave, the opioid crisis, or Alaska’s apex rates of domestic violence and sexual assault. Medical costs are rising. Cuts to public health programs are not helping. Climate change has taken an economic and emotional toll as we lose the security of our land and infrastructure. When you add cuts to our K-12 education and university system, and an annual tradition of pink slips to the state’s workforce when the Legislature doesn’t pass a budget on time, it’s no wonder Alaskans are questioning our future.
understanding the crisis | rebuilding a sustainable economy for our future
aligning Alaskans around a New Plan
Choosing a Path
Alaska is at a crossroads — and we see two very different paths for the future of our state.
The current path may have short-term benefits, but it comes with great costs. This path fails to fully take into consideration one of the largest factors that contributes to the identity of Alaska: the people. With proposed massive budget cuts to early childhood education, the University of Alaska, the Marine Highway, arts and culture, benefits for our elderly, and many other important programs, the future for Alaskans on this path looks bleak and leads us to a place that is hard to live in.
Our path is people and place focused, and paves the way for innovation. It encourages learning for our future leaders, teachers, scientists, and artists; supports those who have loved and contributed to this statewide community; and provides jobs for those living here. This path considers the long-term, the 50-year vision for our state. It strives to ensure there are abundant opportunities for living, for education, for harvesting resources and for jobs.
Which path do you want to take?
inspiring emerging leaders to build our legacy
Let's Harness Our Collective Power
Right now, Alaskans under the age of 45 need to be change-makers, to be visionaries and to be problem-solvers. Why? Because our future and our legacy is the one that is most at stake.
This is why we created the Alaska Legacy Project. The Alaska Legacy Project (ALP) is passionate about and committed to moving Alaska toward a future of opportunities. The ALP is a nonpartisan group that believes it is up to Alaskans—to the next generation of leaders—to help realize those opportunities, as those before us have done and as we hope those after us will continue to do. The purpose for forming this group was to create a space where individuals could come together to find solutions to the current issues taking place in our state—not only because we can, but because we have an obligation to. We want to provide the space for change, to inspire our young leaders to evaluate Alaska’s existing political processes and to explore approaches that apply unorthodox means and challenge system norms. We are a proactive group, not a reactive group, which means we strive for sustainable solutions to problems and consider long-term effects. Ultimately, the ALP is a group that believes in its people, in building relationships and in securing a future and home for our next generations.
So, when should you get involved? Right now. This is the ideal time for Alaska’s young leaders to come forward, while we are in the midst of a crisis. It takes a crisis to bring change. Right now is when change happens, when solutions are found. This is the time for grit, for creativity and for forward-thinking. Right now is when we build and secure our legacy.
Though Alaskans are often credited for our grit and resilience, we are also known for our creativity and innovation. We are a solutions-based community because we have to be. Our landscape, the natural elements in it, wouldn’t allow for anything else. So let’s do what we’re made to do. Let’s find solutions. Let’s get creative. Let’s use our voices and build our legacy.
Let's find solutions. Let's get creative. Let's use our voices to build OUr state.
director
Ryan Schryver
Ryan and his wife live in Anchorage where they spend as much of their time outdoors in the mountains and on the rivers as possible. With nearly 15 years of experience in the nonprofit community, Ryan looks forward to using his expertise to grow the Alaska Legacy Project into a powerful voice for a stronger Alaska.
