For some travel experiences, the excitement ends when the travelers return home, but for a Pennsylvania College of Technology group, the benefits from a service-learning trip to Alaska are still being unpacked.

The contingent from Penn College’s human services & restorative justice major partnered with YWCA Alaska to host “Through It All: We Rise Together,” a conference on the campus of the University of Alaska Anchorage that brought together human services professionals from across the state to explore new pathways related to domestic violence. Outcomes from the summer event endure in Alaska and in the skill sets of the young Pennsylvania community leaders.

“The biggest impact (for me) of the trip to Alaska was the exposure to another state and its unique culture,” said Colin G. Browne Jr., of Williamsport, who plans to graduate this month. “One of the biggest experiences I am continuing to use is understanding different people, being nonjudgmental and being empathetic toward others. The academic piece of this class looked at the prevalence of domestic violence, which is a serious problem, one that I was not familiar with. After learning from others’ experiences, I continue to use their stories to be supportive and empathetic to things I don’t understand.”

To enhance the students’ experiences in the three-credit course, Service Learning in Human Services & Restorative Justice, Rob Cooley, associate professor of anthropology/environmental science, chose to focus on Alaska for a variety of reasons, including its distance from Pennsylvania, its vast beauty and “bucket list” travel appeal, as well as its myriad cultural differences.

“I picked Alaska because it’s stunningly beautiful, and a lot of our students have not had the opportunity to travel to a place like that. But it also has a really unique history. It has a very significant native population to this day that’s relevant and central to the state’s cultural identity. Central PA doesn’t have that,” Cooley explained, noting that, while Penn College human services & restorative justice students graduate as some of the best-prepared professionals in their field, their experience is often focused in Pennsylvania, its demographics and culture. He wanted to broaden their cultural awareness and experience working with diverse populations by applying their skills somewhere entirely different.

“Whenever you travel, things are different, even if you’re in a different city in the same country – the food is different, the language is different, the architecture, the geography, the landscape, the history – and that shapes how people do things. It shapes how people interact with each other; it shapes opportunities, as well as challenges,” Cooley said.

With a close relationship to the local YWCA and familiarity with its mission, the Penn College professor reached out to YWCA Alaska, which serves the entire state, to see how his 12 human services & restorative justice students could be of help.

“I am always interested in creating space for young people to lead, and the YWCA Alaska always has more work than people,” said Theresa Lyons, chief executive officer of YWCA Alaska, “so it was an opportunity to do some good work in our community and support young leaders. Win-win!”

After some brainstorming, Lyons and Cooley agreed to have the students create a one-day conference focused on the topic of domestic violence.

Alaska has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the U.S., and according to the latest report by the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission, Alaskans are affected by domestic violence “at alarmingly high rates.”

During Spring 2022, the Penn College students performed extensive research into the complex issue of domestic violence as it relates to Alaska, including geographic, economic, historical and cultural impacts. They also focused on coordinating logistics for the conference, to be held in June, after the spring semester ended.

“The students from Pennsylvania College of Technology developed and coordinated a summit on a topic that is critically important to Alaska,” Lyons shared. “The students were impressive. They were able to connect people from around the state of Alaska who are engaged in work related to domestic violence. They were able to coordinate expert panelists. This was done while they were in Pennsylvania. It was indeed remarkable. However, what was most impressive was the amount of knowledge the students mastered on the subject and their passion for the work. It was clear that they will make great social workers!”