Juneau schoolchildren from Girls on the Run and Boys Run I toowú klatseen are teaming up, Saturday, Dec. 2, at Dimond Park Field House for a 5-kilometer run.

Close to 60 girls and 20 boys from five different elementary schools are signed up to participate. The Mario Kart-themed run begins at 10:30 a.m. Festivities will begin at 10 a.m.

Girls on the Run and Boys Run I toowú klatseen (Tlingit for “strengthen your spirit”) are both 10-week programs that build protective factors that make kids less likely to experience and perpetrate violence. Kids become empowered with a greater sense of self-awareness, self-confidence, interpersonal skills, and learn the joy of serving their communities.

“How we treat each other and how we treat ourselves today shapes who our children become tomorrow,” Alaska’s Girls on the Run Coordinator Jalina Gutierrez said in a press release. “Nurture compassion today, inspire confidence today, encourage critical thinking today, in yourself and in your children, and every tomorrow will be greater than the last.”

Girls on the Run currently operates in five Juneau schools: Gastineau, Montessori Borealis, Auke Bay, Harborview and Riverbend Elementary. Montessori Borealis and Harborview Elementary also run Boys Run I toowú klatseen.

All youth runners are required to have a running buddy for the activity. AWARE (Aiding Women in Abuse & Rape Emergencies) is seeking running volunteers willing to be paired with children. Other volunteers will also be needed for setup, cleanup and craft stations.

To sign up as a volunteer or learn more, contact Natalie Watson at 586-4902 or nataliew@awareak.org.