PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) announced it has been awarded a $10,000 Community Impact Grant from Fallon Health. 

 

This one-time award will fund the pilot of the Active Minds Curriculum at Pittsfield High School. 

 

"We're pleased to award grant funding to Berkshire Regional Planning and the SPARK initiative to help support early intervention programs for children and youth,” said Cheryl Schmaltz, Community Engagement Manager. “By focusing on teen mental health and substance use prevention, we can eliminate barriers to health care for this important population and enhance outcomes.""

 

The Active Minds Curriculum is a national peer-to-peer mental health program designed to foster mental health awareness among students by empowering them to connect and support one another. This initiative aligns with recent 2025 student data, which identifies increased mental health awareness as a critical factor in preventing substance use among youth, stated a press release.

 

Upon the completion of the 13-lesson curriculum, BRPC anticipates that at least 80 percent of the 19 participating students will serve as peer mental health supports for the Pittsfield High School student body. 

 

"Our goal is to empower young people in our community with the knowledge and tools to support one another effectively, and to recognize when professional help is needed," Noe Gonzalez Ortiz, Public Health Planner with BRPC said.

 

The long-term goal is to establish an official national Active Minds chapter at Pittsfield High School by the end of the academic year, with plans to expand the model to Taconic High School .