Our Mission:
"Improving Lives, Lands and Communities throughout Alaska."

We are Dedicated to:
Helping young people make the connection between what they learn and how they live.

Our Story:
In 1986, four partners planted the seeds of SAGA to fill the gap created by the loss of the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) and Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC) in the Tongass National Forest. Three of the founders, Joe Parrish, Marc Ramonda, and Mark Whitman had been part of the False Island YACC program based out of Sitka, Alaska, and they were determined to keep the torch burning for future generations. With the support of the Juneau Ranger District and the Juneau School District, they created the Southeast Alaska Guidance Association as a private summer corps for Juneau youth. In the next few years SAGA became a non-profit corporation.

In 1992 SAGA received funding through the National and Community Service Act, and went year round. We moved from our nest at the Juneau Ranger District to a lodge in Juneau's Eagle Valley that became our base and training site. SAGA originally had 2 programs: the Corps program and the adventure based education program at the Eagle Valley Center. As our programming grew beyond Southeast Alaska, we began to just use the name SAGA.

In the mid 90's came the development of a forerunner of the Connections program - the Host Agency Program (HAP). HAP evolved into ROPE (Rural Outreach Prevention and Education program) - helping youth serving agencies receive a steady stream of dedicated AmeriCorps members that would serve at those agencies, helping them achieve their missions. To meet the need for affordable housing in the state while helping young people learn the construction trade and complete their basic education, we developed the Young Alaskans Building Affordable Housing program in Fairbanks in the late 90's. This program moved to Sitka for a few years, and now is right in our backyard here in Juneau, Alaska.

SAGA has grown and changed to meet the needs of Alaska. Thousands of people have been part of the SAGA since 1986. "We have been blessed with tireless, hardworking, dedicated, creative staff, who have done so much for so many with so little, that they believe that they can do anything with nothing in no time flat!" We always love to hear from our alumnae, so drop us a line or give us a call and remember to always:

Play Hard, Play Safe, Shoot Straight, and Nobody Gets Hurt!