Health Promotion Practice January 2014 Vol. 15, No. 1 10–17 DOI: 10.1177/1524839913475801 © 2013 Society for Public Health Education 10 Because of imposed rapid social change, Alaska Native youth are growing up in a context different from their elders and suffering far worse health and behavioral out- comes. This research seeks to understand (a) their every- day struggles and life challenges, (b) the practices and resources they rely on to get through challenges, and (c) the meaning they make from these experiences. Data were generated from interviews with 20 Alaska Native youth between the ages of 11 and 18 years, balanced by gender and age-group (early and late adolescence). Purposive sampling identified participants with a broad range of experiences. Following a semistructured guide, youth participated in face-to-face, audio-recorded inter- views, transcribed verbatim. A codebook was developed using an iterative process and transcripts were coded using ATLAS.ti. The most commonly identified stressors were relationship loss, “not being there for me,” nonsup- portive/hostile experiences, transitioning into adulthood, and boredom. Resilience strategies included developing and maintaining relationships with others, being respon- sible, creating systems of reciprocity, practicing subsist- ence living, and giving back to family and the community. These opportunities allowed youth to gain a sense of competence and mastery. When difficult experiences align with opportunities for being responsible and com- petent, youth are most likely to exhibit resilience. Keywords: child/adolescent health; qualitative research; health research; Alaska Native; minority health; rural health >INTRODUCTION Alaska Natives face unique sociodemographic cir- cumstances that place them at increased risk for adverse health and behavioral outcomes. Compared with the U.S. population as a whole, Alaska Natives are younger, 475801HPP XX X 10.1177/1524839913475801 Health Promotion Practice / Month XXXXWexler et al. / ALASKA NATIVE YOUTH NARRATIVES AS A WAY TO UNDERSTAND RESILIENCE 2013 1 University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA 2 Northwest Arctic Borough, Kotzebue, AK, USA Lived Challenges and Getting Through Them: Alaska Native Youth Narratives as a Way to Understand Resilience Lisa Wexler, PhD, MSW 1 Kasey Jernigan, MPH 1 Janet Mazzotti, MSW 1 Elizabeth Baldwin, MPH 1 Megan Griffin, MPH 1 Linda Joule, MA 2 Joe Garoutte Jr. 2 CIPA Team 2 Authors’ Note: The work reported on here was supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) award (ARC-0755348). The award supported research assistantships for Kasey Jernigan, Elizabeth Baldwin, and Megan Griffin. Janet Mazziotti’s data management and analyses were supported by the funding. Community partners Linda Joule, Joe Garoutte, and the CIPA Team (made up of Alaska Native community members) received no financial support for the work. Last, Lisa Wexler received a portion of summer salary for 3 years to complete the research presented here. The NSF does not itself perform research. Rather, it formulates basic research programs responsive to scientific and societal needs and obtains public funding for them as part of the President’s annual budget request to Congress. Then it issues solicitations, evaluates proposals from universities and other institutions located throughout the United States, and awards funds to support the meritorious projects. Address correspondence to Lisa Wexler, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Public Health, 313 Arnold House, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; e-mail: lwexler@schoolph.umass.edu. Child, Adolescent, and School Health Focus Issue