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Northern Berkshire Students Garden Virtually

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Northern Berkshire 2020 Summer Youth Works program went virtual this year with a seven-week virtual gardening Program.
 
The Northern Berkshire Summer Youth program typically places students in paid internships with local companies but, like most things this year, COVID-19 forced the Berkshire Workforce Board (BWB) to adapt.
 
Through funding from the First Congregational Church of Williamstown and MountainOne, the BWB converted programming to a seven-week virtual gardening program.
 
The Berkshire Workforce Board partnered with Greenagers, a youth environment group, who supplied each student with a container garden. Greenagers provided lessons and students learned about gardening and its impacts on food insecurity and social justice. Students also learned about cooking with vegetables.  
 
North Adams Growing Healthy Garden Program also provided daily instruction, mentoring, and videos. Students learned gardening tips and tricks and tried a variety of new foods. 
 
All vegetables harvested were delivered to the Berkshire Food Project. 
 
The final service-learning project was at the Louison House where students built raised garden beds.
 
McCann students Ashlyn Belisle, Molly Boyer, and Camryn Belisle participated in the program as well as Abby Bird, Vernon Lewis, Talia Rehill, and Hanna Shea from Hoosac Valley. Mount Greylock student Madison Helm also participated.
 
Staff Heather Shogry-Williams, Kat Toomey, Michele Boyer-Vivori, and Molly Meczwor recruited, selected, and mentored students with continued support from the MassHire Berkshire Career Center who provided weekly stipends to the participants.
 
A socially distancing celebration was held on Aug. 6 at the Drury High School gardens. North Adams Mayor Thomas Bernard gave congratulatory remarks. BWB Board members, Adams Selectwoman Christine Hoyt, funders, partners, parents, and grandparents were in attendance. 
 
 

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Myotherapy Practice Opens in North Adams

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Holistic Myotherapy in Greylock Works offers a calming area for clients to discuss their treatment and problems.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A new mind and body therapist has opened for business in Greylock Works.

Owner of Holistic Myotherapy, Georgette Yannetti, started her muscle therapy practice in her native Brooklyn, N.Y., to help those with spinal problems like herself.

"I started my practice in Brooklyn in 2015 specifically to help teenagers with spinal deformities, scoliosis, because I myself struggle with that since I was an adolescent, I had four spinal surgeries and was disabled," she said. 

Yannetti worked as a massage therapist at the Greenwich Hotel and started doing myotherapy as a side project until it took off and she could focus on it full time. 

Myotherapy is a deep-tissue massage and stretching treatment that focuses on muscle and joint pain.

"The practice just took off, and it wasn't just for scoliosis," she said. "It branched out to other spinal deformities and just other kind of people suffering with other kind of disabilities, and not even just physical disabilities, but psychological, you know, anxiety, depression, anything that people really needed space to be held for."

She explained her process as building a connection with clients and being able to talk with her about their problems before they get on the table.

"It needs to be more than just like, well, you're gonna get undressed and now I'm gonna touch you for like 60 minutes. To go from I don't know you to now get on the table — you can't, there needs to be more," Yannetti said. "So I provided this seating area and tea and like a little bit of connection. So even though I'm not a psychotherapist, I mean, I am very clear with people, like I'm not your therapist ... but I provide the space for people to also share more about themselves, what's happening."

She said she couldn't find the type of service she is now giving and wanted for herself.

"I basically started my practice, and I was like, when I receive body work, this is what this is the kind of work that I would want because this is what I need when I'm receiving body work because of my trauma, and I can't find that," she said. 

Yannetti moved to Berkshire County earlier this year because she had always enjoyed visiting the area, saying this was her preferred vacation spot and even came here for her honeymoon.

"I've been visiting consistently for the past 10 years, specifically to Berkshire County, just because I love it here. It's been a safe space for me. I never wanted to leave," she said. "Every time I came, I was always like, I don't want to leave, and that said something to me. Whenever I had the opportunity to travel, if it wasn't internationally, I was like, I want to go to the Berkshires." 

She was looking online one day and found a house, and her husband agreed it was their perfect place. On a whim they decided to buy it and move out here. While she was not initially planning to restart her practice, she decided to do a free class with Greylock Yoga and fell in love with the renovated mill building. She immediately asked about a space for rent and signed the lease in early June.

She held her soft opening on July 1.

She hopes her clients know this is a safe space where she will support them.

"That I'm here to support them in whatever their process is. That this is a safe space. A lot of people release emotionally in here, because the body stores emotion. A lot of people are still learning that."

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