Great Barrington — Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP) will have its annual Culinary Gala on Saturday, May 17, 5:30 p.m., at 52 Castle Street.
According to its website, the nonprofit organization was created in 2000 to empower young people by supporting youth-inspired projects that promote responsibility, self-worth, and intergenerational communication. The organization operates several youth-oriented programs, including various apprenticeships, a skate park, a Youth Operational Board, Sexual Health Education programs, Q-Club weekly meetings for the LGBTQIA+ community, and the Railroad Street Youth Student Empowerment program (RYSE).
The organization, currently located at 60 Bridge Street, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Erik Bruun was on RSYP’s Board of Directors 25 years ago when the organization was founded and has remained in that position ever since.
“Twenty five years ago, there was a bit of a crisis going on among the young people in the area who were dying of heroin overdoses, suicides, and alcohol-related car accidents,” Bruun told The Berkshire Edge. “In three years, there were 15 young people who all died from those causes. There were a lot of young people who were concerned about their peers dying from these causes, and some of them were upset because the kids all needed a place to go.”
Bruun pointed out that, 25 years ago, there was a lack of community resources and activities for the youth of Berkshire County.
“During one meeting, one of the young people in the audience asked, ‘Well, why don’t you just ask us what we need?’” Bruun said. “As the meeting went on, a couple of people gathered around our founding Executive Director Amanda Root and came up with ideas.”
Root was a 19-year-old high school dropout when the organization was founded.
According to the organization’s website, Root and her team secured an office on Railroad Street and a $2,500 fund from Berkshire County Foundation. RSYP, in partnership with other local organizations, started to create youth-inspired projects, including workshops, publications, and performances. “What Amanda did was a smart answer to the problem, which was basically around a feeling of disempowerment and disenfranchisement among young people in the community,” Bruun said. “The mission of RSYP was to empower each other as young people through inspired projects that built self-worth, responsibility, and intergenerational communication. We, as adults, don’t necessarily know what’s best for the youth of Berkshire County. The youth are the ones who have been pretty good at identifying what’s best for them and helping with support to achieve these goals.”
One such project that was created over time is RSYP’s culinary program.
The meal at the gala will be cooked by teenagers participating in RSYP’s Culinary Arts Apprenticeship Program. The mentor chef for the event will be No. 10 executive chef Zee Vassos.
Board member and RSYP alumnus Luiza Trabka is the committee chair for the event. “This event is twofold: It celebrates and shows off the skills that the apprentices learn in the apprenticeship program, and it is a fundraising event for the organization,” Trabka said. “Some of the skills our participants in the program are learning are raw culinary skills. They learn what it’s like being in a kitchen, and what type of skills you need, including how to work with others as a team, and taking instruction. It all helps you to become a confident person and to be able to work well in the culinary world.”
“I think this program is important for its young participants,” Vassos said. “We have some participants interested in pursuing a career in the culinary field who want to get their foot in the door of a restaurant. And we also have others who are there to try something new. Some of them like cooking at home and want to learn new skills and see what it’s like to be in the kitchen.”
Vassos emphasized that “the ability to learn how to cook is a valuable skill for anybody.”
“I think the participants all take something different away from the program,” said Vassos. “The program is a great way to build confidence in a unique environment.”
Trabka added that one of the many reasons for the longevity of RSYP is that the organization continues to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the youth of Berkshire County. “I think that RSYP does a great job of pivoting and expanding their offerings, depending on the needs of the current generation,” Trabka said. “RSYP continues to evolve with the evolving times.”
“The role that RSYP plays in empowering youth is really what sets them apart from other youth services,” Vassos said. “Many other youth services are run by adults, set up by adults, and there are rules made by adults. There has to be some structure for the organizations to exist. But some of the first questions I always ask my group of young chefs are ‘What do you want out of this? What do you want this to look like? What are some of the things you want to learn?’ This is why RSYP is so important in the community: because it gives young people a chance to be heard. It’s a place for opportunities to affect change and a safe place to go.”
Tickets for the May 17 Culinary Gala are available here.
For more information about Railroad Street Youth Project, visit the organization’s website.
