Do you ever find yourself looking for inspiration in a world
that sometimes seems filled with doom and gloom? If so, I encourage you to check out Berkshire
United Way’s social media campaign, Humans of the Berkshires. Featured on both Facebook and Instagram, Humans of the Berkshires is comprised of inspiring,
real life stories from young people right here in our community.
Inspired by the famous “Humans of New York,” Humans of the
Berkshires is a community of celebration and support for the aspirations,
challenges, and achievements of the young people in our community. Data
collected from our students indicates that they do not feel recognized for
their positive community engagement, leadership, and goals. Humans of the
Berkshires was founded specifically to counteract these perceptions and to
nurture an environment that celebrates our amazing youth.
To date, Berkshire United Way has interviewed over 150 young
people and featured their stories on Humans of the Berkshires. I’d like to take this opportunity to share a
couple of those stories with you.
Carlos
Pascual-Polanco from the Pittsfield Community Connection (PCC) program
says, “I want to open my own landscaping business, that’s my main thing. In the
future, I see myself having my own car and business. I’ve been a volunteer at
the soup kitchen, like cooking and serving food there on the last Saturday of
every month, that was cool. My mentor at PCC, Mark takes me out to new places,
places I’ve never been before, places I’ve never seen. We went to the
mountain in Pittsfield State Forest and went hiking in the field with the
flowers, and it was cool. I also used to work at the farmer’s market downtown
with some people from PCC and my friends, we had to get there early to set up
and then later take the tents down, it was fun. I would say PCC has helped
me with job skills, and we have dinners together. It has helped me out a lot. ”
Mary Howe from the
Roots Rising program says, "As cliche as it might sound, just try new
things, get involved with your community, and meet new people. For instance, I
wasn’t too sure about Roots Rising, but when I got here and met everyone I was
really happy. I met a bunch of people I would have never met. These people are
all from different backgrounds, different cultures, and I definitely get to
know more about them and especially more about my environment. Roots Rising
teaches me about farms and how you eat, and knowledge that you should just
know. I am learning things that school doesn’t necessarily teach me."
Carlos and Mary talk about things that have helped them
succeed—the support of a mentor and positive activities in the community—things
that have made a real difference in their lives. Berkshire United Way mobilizes
individuals and organizations as well as volunteers in 32 communities from
Savoy to Sandisfield to make sure opportunities like these are available to all teens here in the Berkshires. When the young people in our community
succeed, we all succeed.
To nominate a young person in your life, between the ages of
14-25, for Humans of the Berkshires, please email humansoftheberkshires@gmail.com.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Kat Toomey
Coordinator of Positive Youth Development
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