COMMUNITY MATTERS: Youth leadership and agency help define and determine community.
The projects undertaken by the RSYP are guided by a principled formula: project ideas are inspired by youth (and on occasion adults working closely with youth); these ideas are often incubated with the help of trusted adult allies, and the organization supports the projects through seed funding and advocacy.
Railroad Street Youth Project members unveil the Du Bois mural in the alley off Railroad Street in January 2018. Photo: David Scribner
“This is our town too! We are not going away….”
In the late 1990s, the youth of South County faced a harrowing period, mourning the loss of more than ten peers in about 18 months. One death of a young person is too many. This growing number left the community grieving, numb, and searching for answers. During this time, Railroad Street served as a hub for many young people. They gathered in front of shops and parking lots to socialize, smoke cigarettes, and engage in other activities.
This era also coincided with Great Barrington’s accelerated gentrification. The community was attracting new residents and small business owners with visions of a more cosmopolitan downtown catering to affluent adults. The presence of groups of young people in front of storefronts became increasingly noticeable and, to some adults, disruptive. Tensions occasionally flared, reinforcing stereotypes and widening the divide between youth and adults. There was an imperative to address these forces and trends, especially the crises affecting young people.
In my last column, I shared the origin story of Berkshire South that brought people together at this time, across generations, to create more spaces for recreation and community-building. Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP) is another enduring organization catalyzed during this era with a mission that remains relevant and compelling to this day.
Respecting Youth Voice; Promoting Youth Agency
Early RSYP youth leaders: Amanda Root (now Kennedy) and Gary Soldati. Photo courtesy of Railroad Street Youth Project
In response to the growing crisis, a Heroin Task Force was established to identify ways to address the increasing use of this drug and its tragic implications among young people. During one of their meetings, the task force sought to understand what kind of support young people needed and wanted. Among the attendees was Amanda Root (now Amanda Kennedy), a young person deeply concerned about the situation. As the adults grappled with the question, Amanda raised her hand and simply asked, “Why don’t you ask young people what we want?” This straightforward question sparked a series of events that centered around youth voice and empowerment.
Barrington’s Stage founding artistic director Julie Boyd served on the task force. Taken by Amanda’s question, Julie reached out to her and other young people with the idea of staging the play “Suburbia,” which used humor to explore issues of youth disillusionment and disenfranchisement in a town like Great Barrington. Amanda would end up co-producing the play and another young person, Alethea Root—no relation to Amanda—was the co-director, and now is an established filmmaker. A series of performances were staged at Simon’s Rock, and a “talk back” occurred after each to generate discussion and ideas for how the community could better support young people and address issues impacting their lives. It was a great success on many levels, and it left those involved with the question, “what are we going to do next?”
Poster for”Suburbia” aat Barrington Stage
There was about $2,000 in surplus from the play’s production. In line with the purpose of the projection, Julie gave the money to Amanda for seed money for future projects involving young people. Amanda Root turned to the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation to manage the funds and help provide direction for how youth could organize to support similar projects. Amanda worked with BTCF’s Carter White and a group of youths, including Regi Wingo who now served on the RSYP board, to craft a mission statement that aimed to empower young people through youth-inspired projects promoting self-worth, responsibility, and inter-generational communication. Subsequent partnerships with Berkshire South Regional Community Center and Community Health Programs brought additional financial resources, which were matched by youth-involved fundraising to support young people in designing projects that elevated youth voice and agency. The fund and future nonprofit organization under this mission statement would be called the Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP).
Governance Matters
Inter-generational involvement was a goal from the start and a productive tension emerged early on: how can youth effectively collaborate with adult allies to undertake projects– and retain their vision and agency through to the project’s completion? It takes a trusting relationship between youth and adults to navigate this tension. Erik Bruun, now owner of SoCo Creamery, got involved at this juncture. He recalls attending an early organizing meeting. The room was filled with passion and, with that energy, chaos. There were concerns that well-meaning adults were dominating the process. Amanda went to Erik for advice on how to navigate these tensions and create conditions for productive youth-adult partnerships.
The RSYP bylaws and organizational structure continue to reflect its founding principles. A Youth Operational Board (YOB) is responsible for catalyzing and supporting youth-inspired projects and manages a $15,000 fund they allocate for projects up to $5,000. A board of directors, composed of adult and youth representatives, supports fundraising, oversees operations of core programs, approves youth-inspired programs over $5,000, and holds fiduciary responsibility. Over the years, the board has not used its veto power over programs. Mutual respect for each board’s role has fostered compromise. Additionally, a spirit of risk-taking is embedded in the organization’s culture, necessitating the continuous nurturing of trust between youth and adults.
Guiding Principles Endure
A meeting of the Youth Operational Board (YOB) at the RSYP headquarters. Photo courtesy of Railroad Street Youth Project
The projects undertaken by the RSYP are guided by a principled formula: project ideas are inspired by youth (and on occasion adults working closely with youth); these ideas are often incubated with the help of trusted adult allies, and the organization supports the projects through seed funding and advocacy. As Erik Bruun noted, the organization “helps young people get from one point to another—but does not do the work for them.” Success lies in the process as much as the product, as the design and implementation of the projects underscore that youth have agency to affect things impacting their lives, and adults are there to support, not co-opt, their ideas.
Over the last 25 years, countless youth-inspired projects have emerged through this formula. Concerts, fashion shows, youth-designed trips, and gatherings over food. One youth leader wanted to start a greenhouse and farm to cultivate plants native to the Berkshires. After a feasibility study and business plan were developed, Project Native was launched, resulting in the establishment of a 55-acre farm on North Plain Road. Another young person produced a Joey Ramone tribute concert at the bandstand behind the Great Barrington Town Offices. The W.E.B. Du Bois Mural, now located in the alley between Railroad Street and the Triplex, was initially on the back wall of Carr Hardware. This mural was created by youth artists sent to RSYP by the courts to fulfill community service, at a time when the historic leader was not as widely embraced by the town as Dr. Du Bois is today.
From the early days to the present, a priority has been to provide a drop-in center where young people can gather for companionship and support, and to discuss issues affecting their lives. When an issue calls for action, the organization supports youth leaders. For example, years ago, youth were concerned that schools were not doing enough around sexual health. Staff supported youth in establishing a task force to address this gap.
Members of RSYP work at Project Native. Photo courtesy of Railroad Street Youth Project.
Over the years, youth and their allies have overcome skeptics and detractors. Today, the RSYP involves over 700 youth, which represents about half of all 12–25-year-olds in South County. The youth involved are supported by a staff of 15 professional staff and 6 young people in leadership internships. Skillfully led by longtime executive director Ananda Timpane, the professional staff forge trusted relationships with youth, serving as advocates, mentors, and teachers. Through the organization, young people shape their community and claim it as their own. Now more than ever, the organization’s mission is crucial, as it enables young people to exercise agency and feel empowered in their local community in the face of an increasingly fast-changing and volatile world.