Engaging in advocacy - local youth visit Beacon Hill!

January was National Mentoring Month, and young people from the Berkshires had a chance to make their voices heard in support of mentoring far outside the county - on Beacon Hill! Berkshire United Way supported a field trip for youth and adults involved in two of our funded programs, Railroad Street Youth Project’s RSYP Mentoring Program and Berkshire Children and Families’ Pittsfield Community Connection (PCC), to tell their stories about the positive impact of mentoring at the Massachusetts State House. 

Mentoring plays an important role in our work with young people – increasing high school graduation rates, reducing teenage pregnancy, and ensuring young people have the support they need to graduate high school with a college or career plan. We currently invest in four local mentoring programs; last year, those programs connected 281 young people with a caring adult.

Youth Mentoring Day is an annual advocacy day at the State House, sponsored by Mass Mentoring Partnership. A total of 15 mentees met with their respective Representatives, Tricia Farley-Bouvier of Pittsfield and Smitty Pignetelli of south county as well as Adam Hinds’ team to advocate for the mentoring line item in the state budget. This funding helps support mentoring programs across the state.  

Deonte, a mentee in the PCC program, told Tricia Farley-Bouvier, “I’ve been with the program for a few years. It really helped me because in the beginning, I was not on the best path, I wasn’t hanging out with the best crowd. But PCC and my mentors helped me with school and applying to college. I just found out I got accepted – I’m not sure where I’m going yet. But I’m really happy to be on that path now.”

So why mentor? Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people. Ultimately, mentoring connects a young person to personal growth and development, and social and economic opportunity. Yet one in three young people will grow up without this critical asset (source: mentoring.org).

To view a list of mentor opportunities in the Berkshires, visit this link and simply type in your zip code to view programs in your area.  You may also reach out to me to learn more about mentoring opportunities at ktoomey@berkshireunitedway.org ; 413-442-6948 x 15. I hope to hear from you!

Kat Toomey

Coordinator of Positive Youth Development

Resilience and hard work pay off

16-year old Pittsfield High School student, Kyle Pullaro-Clark has been a remarkable mentor and advocate. On Thursday September 6^th, nearly 20 staff members and young people gathered at Berkshire Children and Families to honor Kyle with the S.A.Y It Proud (Supporting and Acknowledging Youth) award for outstanding involvement in community and school activities.

Sarah Lampro, Youth Coordinator at the Family Resource Center, Kyle Pullaro-Clark, S.A.Y. It Proud recipient, and Kat Toomey, Coordinator of Positive Youth Development at Berkshire United Way.

As a member of Live Out Loud, an LGBTQ+ youth support group hosted by Berkshire Children and Families’ Family Resource Center, Kyle has demonstrated outstanding leadership and efforts in addressing and raising awareness about issues surrounding youth and the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to mentoring young people in Pride Play and Fun, a group for LGBTQ+ youth under the age of 12, Kyle volunteers his time and puts his energy into community events such as the LGBTQ+ Annual Conference and Pittsfield Moves.  He also provides a youth voice on panels advocating for the LGBTQ+ community.

In addition to his great work in the community, Kyle works hard in his school, home and work life, holding a job in the community for the last couple years. Sarah Lampro, Youth Coordinator at the Family Resource Center, who nominated Kyle for the award said, “I have been fortunate to watch him grow into an extremely well-rounded, hardworking and great young man who I am confident will go on to do many remarkable things in our community.”  

Established by the Pittsfield Prevention Partnership in 2012, the important work of recognizing middle and high school students with S.A.Y. It Proud awards has been continued by our Positive Youth Development Impact Council (PYDIC).  

If you’d like to learn more about PYDIC or nominate a young person aged 11-19 for a S.A.Y It Proud award, please contact me at ktoomey@berkshireunitedway.org or 413.442.6948 ext. 15. I look forward to hearing from you!

Kat Toomey

Coordinator of Positive Youth Development

Mentoring Matters

In November, I had the privilege of attending Mass Mentoring Partnership’s Decade in Western Massachusetts, an event celebrating the people and partners who have worked to create empowering youth-adult relationships throughout this region.  

As part of the celebratory program, two mentors were recognized for having outstanding relationships with their mentees, and making an incredible impact on their lives. As I listened to their stories, I was struck by how important it is for every young person to have a caring adult in their life, yet there are young people here in our own back yard who need, perhaps even seek, a mentor in their life.

Whether mentoring pairs meet daily or once a week, there’s something to be gained by the positive relationships that evolve. In fact, young people who are mentored often go on to be become mentors and role models themselves, contributing not only to their success, but to the success of future generations.

Mentoring plays an important role in Berkshire United Way’s positive youth development work and we were among twenty Difference Makers recognized by Mass Mentoring for supporting mentoring activities across the region.

Trevon, a participant in the Pittsfield Community Connection Mentoring Program, poses with his mentor, Dana. 

Dana, a mentor in the Pittsfield Community Connection program at Berkshire Children and Families, one of the mentoring programs supported by Berkshire United Way, could easily have been one of the two mentors honored by Mass Mentoring.  She and her mentee, Trevon, talk a bit about their relationship below.

What would you say to someone who was thinking about joining a mentoring program?

Trevon: “I would say, just do it. I enjoy having that extra support around in my life, and to help me with questions. What I like about Dana is she’s soft-spoken (sometimes) and it’s good to have her in my corner, and I know she’s there with me for a long time.”

What advice would you give to someone thinking about becoming a mentor?

Dana: “I would tell them it’s just a lot of fun, and it gets you out of your own box and bubble and doing things that I wouldn’t be doing because I’ve already done them, but now I get to relive them again.

It can be a little intimidating because you may feel like you need to be a ‘finished’ person or a ‘perfect’ person and you need to have tons of resources and it’s not true, we’re all flawed people and it’s definitely been paying off for me and now I have a friend for life.”

January is National Mentoring Month.  To learn more about how you can make a difference by mentoring, please contact me at ktoomey@berkshireunitedway.org or 413.442.6948 x15.

Kat Toomey 

Coordinator of Positive Youth Development.

Crossing the bridge from poverty to self-sufficiency

Cathie moved into The Redfield House and soon began making full use of the services offered.  She met with staff on a regular basis and learned about EMPath, which, “transforms people’s lives by helping them move out of poverty*.”  As part of our economic prosperity work, Berkshire United Way partners with Berkshire Children and Families to help people like Cathie succeed through EMPath. To achieve this goal, EMPath uses the Bridge to Self-Sufficiency^®. This bridge from poverty to self-sufficiency is supported by five pillars—family stability, well-being, education and training, financial management, and employment and career management—to cross the bridge, participants must attain key objectives in each of those areas. 

As a resident at The Redfield House, Cathie’s housing needs were stable, however, she had other challenges to deal with, most concerning was her daughter’s health.    Although Cathie was motivated to earn her GED, her daughter was often sick.  Tending to her medical needs took up most of Cathie’s time and energy, affecting her attendance at work and school – she found, then lost, three jobs and withdrew from school to care for her daughter.  

With support from Redfield staff members, EMPath helped Cathie see her life in a series of steps that allowed her to focus on needs, achieve goals and measure progress.  She continued to use the Bridge to Self-Sufficiency^®, focusing on family stability and well-being.  She connected with a pediatrician who helped her better understand her daughter’s medical issues.  She realized the need for her own self-care and began to see a therapist and participate in self-help groups. 

In addition, Cathie found a job that she enjoys and has a schedule that complements her family’s needs.  She paid off her back rent and developed credit that reflects her good standing as a tenant.  She is working on healthy relationships and is a great role model and mother for her young daughter.

Cathie, pictured here with her daughter, is creating life changing habits that will lead to her success. 

Cathie is learning that she can evoke changes in her life and is using the resources available to her to do so.  Despite the trauma she faced as a child and in her adolescence, she is creating opportunities for life changing habits that will lead to her success.  

To learn more about our investments in the community, please visit berkshireunitedway.org.

Julie
Program Manager, Community Impact

*https://www.empathways.org/