The Power of Mentoring and Meaningful Work

“Through Roots Rising, I’ve become really interested in farming...I want to go grad school and hopefully buy a piece of property with a house, fields, and woods…I’d like to start an herb garden and maybe make some money as an herbalist, and then after finishing school start up a farm and my own CSA.”

The above was shared by Aviva, a high school student who is part of Roots Rising, an agriculture-based program of the Alchemy Initiative. Roots Rising pays teens to work on farms, in community gardens, and in local food pantries, but it’s not just a job. Berkshire United Way partners with organizations like the Alchemy Initiative to give young people the opportunity to explore careers and develop the work readiness skills they need.

Teens plant vegetables on a local farm through Roots Rising, a work readiness program that focuses on giving youth the tools they need to successfully enter the workforce.

Experiences like these are often enhanced by a mentor or positive role model who can support the young person in their challenges and aid in their growth. Through programs like Greenagers, another work readiness program supported by Berkshire United Way, young people not only gain crucial work experience, but are supported by mentors in the form of program staff, peer leaders, and local community members.

Donovan worked with Greenagers for four seasons and used that experience to secure a job working with Race Mountain Tree Services while enrolling in evening classes at Berkshire Community College.  The staff at Greenagers counseled Donovan through the financial aid process and continue to support him as he progresses through his professional and educational life.

Through programs like Greenagers and Roots Rising, young people can explore careers in related fields and secure employment in the Berkshires, just like Donovan. Others are given employability skills that can be applied to any line of work. The key ingredients to helping ensure our youth successfully transition to higher education and/or the workforce are opportunities for meaningful work and positive role models to help along the way.

If you’re interested in becoming one of these positive role models, please reach out to me for a list of opportunities. As they say, it takes a village!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Kat Toomey, Coordinator of Positive Youth Development

ktoomey@berkshireunitedway.org 413.442.6948 x15

Real stories from real people

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