RECONNECT Center Opens in Pittsfield
The REONNCECT Center located at the Catholic Youth Center on 26 Melville St in Pittsfield has opened as of the beginning of the recent school year. It will be open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm for drop-ins and for referrals. Staff advisors will be available to help youth and young adults, ages 16 to 24, plan their next steps in a career pathway, including strategies for further education, job search, training, and life skills.An official opening ceremony took place at 10 am on Friday October 24, 2008 at the RECONNECT Center at the CYC. Mayor James Ruberto, who has strongly supported the “reconnect” goals, presided over the formal dedication.
Other speakers included Senator Benjamin Downing, who endorsed the interagency effort; Superintendent of Pittsfield Schools Dr. Howard “Jake” Eberwein, who has organized a community-wide task force to address the drop-out challenges; and Sheriff Carmen C. Massimiano, whose innovative Juvenile Resource Center (JRC) has been a key collaborator in drop-out prevention and alternative pathways.
Heather Shogry, Youth Director at the Berkshire County Regional Employment Board (BCREB) gave a brief history of how the project and the interagency collaboration came about. Jim Ciullo, a youth consultant for the BCREB explained how the center is designed to operate, and introduced the 1:1 Career Coaching that is available. Master of Ceremonies for the event was RECONNECT Center Director Tom Dillon, who introduced the speakers and cited a number of collaborators and supporters, many of whom were in attendance.
The RECONNECT Center idea emanated from a 2-day event held at the Boys and Girls Club Lighthouse in September of 2007 in which over 100 youth dropped in to speak with an advisor and/or to meet employers and life skills coaches. The interagency planning team for that event, called the Pathway 21 Partners, felt that an ongoing community effort could serve a community need in 3 ways: a) help youth and young adults, especially those at-risk of dropping out or who have dropped out; b) enhance the community workforce by including more young people; and c) decrease the ratio of young persons who are dependent or under-performing.
With its interagency contacts, the RECONNECT Center can help youth and young adults take the next steps towards a career pathway. Strategies will be individualized to each person. The blend of education/training, finding a job, personal problem solving, etc will depend on each person’s needs. A holistic approach can be taken and mentors, called Career Coaches, may be available to work 1:1 with certain youth (this feature is available countywide). Also, the Center will provide a space for youth to form support groups around specific life skills and career development themes.
The RECONNECT Center is in the early stages of development and welcomes relevant community input. Community volunteer organizations may also wish to get involved in the development. For example, the Center envisions a “coffee shop” where motivated youth can meet and encourage one another. Also, computer stations with educational and career preference software are needed, along with the technical assistance for set-up and maintenance.
Center Director Tom Dillon is a lifelong educator who taught at Pittsfield High School for over 30 years, where he also served as a coordinator of work-based learning. The Center phone number is (413) 997-4556.
The RECONNECT Center is a component of Berkshire Community Action Council and is receiving its funding from a combination of state (Commonwealth Corporation start-up), local (City of Pittsfield, Berkshire United Way), and private (Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Berkshire Bank Foundation) sources.
To schedule a visit to the RECONNECT Center, please call the Center at (413) 997-4556 between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm.
For general information about the project, and/or the overall Pathway-21 initiative, please call Heather Shogry, Youth Director, at the Berkshire County Regional Employment Board (413) 442-7177.
