Rising Hope in Metlakatla: A Story of Change

A Community’s Journey from Struggle to Strength Through Hope and Unity

In the heart of Metlakatla, Alaska, where the land meets the sea, there was a quiet stir. It wasn’t loud or forceful, but something powerful was happening beneath the surface. It was hope, flickering like the first light of dawn on a dark winter morning. People had been talking about the struggles, the flaws, the things that should be better but weren’t. It was easy to focus on the gaps, to point out what was missing, and to grow frustrated at the pace of change. But one by one, a few voices began to rise, not with complaints, but with something more: a question.

Where is your focus?

It wasn’t an accusation. It wasn’t a challenge. It was an invitation. An invitation to shift perspective. To stop looking only at what’s wrong and begin seeing what’s right, even in the smallest ways. And it started with one person, a young woman named Lena.

Lena had grown up in Metlakatla, like so many others, and she had seen the hardships her community faced—economic struggles, isolation, and the scars of history. Yet, somewhere deep in her heart, Lena held onto something precious: hope. It wasn’t the blind hope that things would magically get better, but the kind that fueled action. The hope that came with the belief that if people could look beyond their own frustrations and see each other as partners, they could build something better, something stronger.

One day, while walking by the harbor, Lena saw a group of young people gathered around the old community hall, arguing over a project they had been working on for months. The energy was tense. Words were sharp. It seemed like the weight of disappointment was suffocating any chance of progress. Lena stood there for a moment, watching the scene unfold. She could have joined in, adding her voice to the frustration, but instead, she took a breath and walked over.

“Hey,” she said gently, “what if we focused on what can be done, instead of what hasn’t worked yet?”

The group paused, looking at her. There was an awkward silence, then one of the young men, Kai, spoke up.

“Like what? It feels like we’ve been stuck for so long, nothing changes.”

Lena smiled, “Change starts with us. We can’t wait for someone else to make it happen. But we can start by lifting each other up. By putting in that kind word, by recognizing the hard work everyone’s putting in, even if it doesn’t look perfect.”

The conversation shifted. It wasn’t that they didn’t have challenges to face, but suddenly, they saw those challenges not as obstacles, but as opportunities—opportunities to work together, to encourage one another, to make something meaningful. Lena’s simple question had unlocked something in their hearts: what if we were the change?

And so it began. Small acts of kindness rippled out from that day. People began to take notice of the good happening in their community, even when it seemed like the problems were too big. They gathered more often to share ideas, to lend a hand, to listen to each other. Whether it was fixing up the old school, building a new playground for the kids, or organizing community dinners, the focus shifted from what was wrong to what could be done, together.

Even those who were skeptical at first began to feel the pull of something greater. The negativity that once filled conversations began to dwindle, replaced by hope, by possibility, by the strength of community. As the days passed, Metlakatla slowly began to look different—not because everything had changed, but because the people had changed. Their hearts were full, and their hands were busy.

Lena knew that the road ahead would still be tough. There would always be challenges, always things to fix. But now, the focus was on moving forward. Not backward. Not stuck in the past, but rising with purpose. And she had a sense that this wasn’t just about Metlakatla; this was something universal. Communities all over the world could rise, too.

In Metlakatla, people came together, not because they were perfect, but because they chose to be better. They chose hope. They chose action. And together, they began to build something amazing—a community bound not by perfection, but by the willingness to work, to care, and to dream.

And so, Lena’s question echoed through the streets and the hearts of everyone in Metlakatla:

Where is your focus?

In that moment, the community chose. They chose to rise.