How do you know what you want to do after high school when you haven’t had a chance to experience adult life? Most high school juniors and seniors are asked the fateful question, “What are you planning to do next?”, hundreds of times before they even graduate, sometimes even before they begin their senior year. Or worse, they are handed scores of ‘adultisms’ (when an adult tells a younger person what they need to do or makes a condescending statement based on age) by well-meaning and not-so-well-meaning grownups.
These questions and statements are often powder kegs for anxiety and stress, according to Gabrielle Reeve, Youth Operations Board and Special Projects Coordinator for Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP). To help young adults navigate this unknown territory with relative calm—perhaps even confidence—Reeve and Apprentice Coordinator Molly Lovejoy (both in their second year with RSYP) ran a one-week program titled RYSE: The Railroad Street Youth Student Empowerment Program (RYSE), offering young people the chance to explore their goals and potential next steps after high school.
The RYSE program was founded by Z Estime in 2017, working with mentors and other young people to figure out the skills and space young people need to figure out their next steps, the ideal structure for RYSE, and how to set up a scholarship to help make the next steps financially possible. This year’s RYSE program had nine participants, ranging in age from a rising junior to two high school graduates. Over the course of five days (July 25-29), they met with RSYP staff, guest panelists, and local partner organizations to participate in self-reflection and self-care activities, create community, network, and learn about task-balancing, goal-setting, and financial behavior (such as budgeting and filing taxes).
The primary focus for the week was to help participants address that critical question: “What am I doing next?” Being vigilant to avoid introducing oppression (defined as the pressure or angst youth feel when adults say, “You have to do such-and-such,” or worse, “You’ll never do such-and-such”), the RYSE program sets no expectation that attendees will end the week knowing everything or feeling like they are on a set path. Instead, Reeves explains the emphasis is on taking the stress, fear, and anxiety out of “adult stuff” and helping young people feel “empowered with the tools, resources, and networks to feel they are experts in their own lives.”
Day 1 included reflection and community-building, along with goal setting. Day 2 introduced task-management skills, like breaking things down, making lists, and visualizing. A youth panel, composed of four people from the community, offered reassurance that sure, there can be a lot of stress about not making mistakes, but there’s no need for such stress. On Day 3 the group headed to Berkshire Community College (BCC) in Pittsfield for a tour, followed by a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) workshop led by the BCC Financial Aid Office and a budgeting workshop led by Greylock Credit Union (a great partner to RSYP through the years).
Day 4’s focus was an introduction to insurance (car, health, etc.), identifying key words to know, grounding teens in what to worry about when, and providing supportive resources. In the afternoon, an adult panel, made up of locals from a variety of professions, shared their insights about redefining the meaning of success.
Day 5 included more reflection, followed by a workshop about tax liability and becoming independent that was led by Tanya Frazier, community navigator with Habitat’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. (If you are wishing right now that someone had offered you this kind of guidance as a teen, you are not alone.)
Those who participate in the RYSE program receive a stipend of $200 upon completion and are eligible to apply for a scholarship of up to $20,000 that may be used over the next four years to assist with tuition at a state or private college or university, a community college or vocational school, a focused curriculum for a gap year, or any GED Program.
Sheffield resident Shi-Anne Phillips, a 2018 participant and second-year intern with RYSE, puts the experience this way: “In high school I always heard about this place where everyone is accepted. That is rare to find. I knew I wanted to get involved with RSYP.”
What contributes to that accepted feeling, she explains, is the overall vibe of the place and the kind, compassionate people who staff the various programs. Phillips first worked in the Design-Apparel apprenticeship, offered by RSYP board member and Great Barrington-based interior designer Jess Cooney. Due to the pandemic, that apprenticeship was conducted by Zoom; it included seven students who worked in groups on various projects.
The beauty of RSYP, according to Lovejoy, is that “you can come in and make it what you want it to be.” For some, it is a pitstop to catch their breath or assess where they are; for others, it is an integral part of their life that leads to skills development, internships, and beyond. “If you’re that person who really wants to get involved,” Reeve adds, “you have the chance to shape what RSYP is and does.”
When asked about the greatest challenges young people are facing today, both Reeve and Lovejoy cite hopelessness, racism, and housing insecurity/cost of staying in the area. (They noted that Construct is trying to address the need for more affordable housing.) RSYP collaborates with a lot of local organizations. At a time when mental health and the impact of stress is growing more palpable by the month, there can never be enough resources to support young people.
Youth speaking to youth
One such young woman was willing to come to the center early on Friday morning to talk about how RSYP and RYSE have shaped her. At 16, Avery Carr (who grew up in Otis) is a rising junior at Monument Mountain Regional High School who learned about RSYP from posters placed at school.
In the spring she participated in the center’s Culinary Apprenticeship with two Great Barrington chefs—Zee Vassos of No. 10 and Daire Rooney of Marjoram and Roux. Meeting for eight Mondays from 3 to 5 p.m., the group took hands-on lessons in prepping, cooking main courses, making desserts, and more. As a culminating feat, they prepared the meal for the RSYP fundraising annual dinner held in May, which raised $100,000 for the nonprofit business.
After seeing more posters announcing the RYSE program at school—and with a little encouragement from Lovejoy—Carr quickly applied. “I liked that it was a small group because there was time for every voice to be heard. I feel like I made a lot of good friend connections,” she says, adding the week’s program has been “really helpful.”
Parented by a single mom, Carr has always found transportation to be a difficult hurdle, “but here at RSYP, I can hang out in the drop-in center until 7 p.m. when she picks me up, which enabled me to participate and feel truly connected with people my age. Here everyone is open to welcoming new friends.”
Indeed, during designated hours, RSYP’s drop-in center is a place where teens can play games, have snacks, hang out, and “learn about a lot of things no one else talks about,” Carr says. Plus people are welcome to use the basketball court and skate park in the back, even when the center is closed.
“Covid definitely had a big impact on my high school years,” she states. “Looking back, we didn’t get a lot of closure. It’s hard at times to feel like I am a high schooler at all because the experience has been so limited, but at times I also feel almost like a full-fledged adult because of what I’ve lived through.”
And thanks to RSYP, Carr says she’s “been trying out a lot of different opportunities and resources lately. I’m no longer afraid to ask, ‘Can I have help?’”
The Culinary Apprenticeship has been especially encouraging for Carr, who says she has always felt a strong pull to explore the culinary world after high school (and describes doing a “ton of cooking” while growing up).
Her first networking connections were Justin and Mariah Forstmann of Chingón Taco Truck (based out of North Adams). This summer, she has been working as a line cook with Chefs Raymond Stalker and Oliver Antunes of Cantina 229 (in New Marlborough). She met Cantina co-owner Josh Irwin at the RSYP annual dinner and credits him with being helpful in supporting her culinary goals. On August 13, she plans to enter Dottie’s Coffee Lounge cupcake contest in Pittsfield.
Carr makes a point of asking every chef she meets, “What has been your journey?” For example, Chef Steve Browning of Prairie Whale (another program panelist) said a good strategy for moving up in the culinary world is listening to the chef, showing your passion, and giving 120 percent to your work.
And while the whole point of the RYSE program is deflecting the “What are you planning to do next?” question, Carr already has some ideas. “Culinary school is expensive,” she acknowledges. “I’d like to go to community college or regular college to have a rounded education, and then study culinary and baking arts. I’ve always been into food culture, and I’ve found you learn more through jobs than anything.”
Even still, being flexible is key. “Something important we learned in RYSE is that the path isn’t concrete. It can change,” Carr reflects. “It’s always good to have goals, but if they’re not working, it’s important to reevaluate them.”
The last day of the most recent RYSE program began with the usual morning check-in to gauge how the group was feeling, followed by the question: “What is a moment from this week that really stands out to you?” For some, it was the BCC tour, for others the meditations at Naumkeag, and for others the youth panel.
One big takeaway for many was hearing the adult panelists, who had chosen very different paths, all say that they felt successful in their lives. Viewing the road ahead as a lifelong journey filled with many possibilities was an important theme that resonated with the youth.
As they wrote their affirmations to one another—sharing funny moments, qualities they admired—there was a palpable earnestness and commitment, evidence of a week that bonded the group in meaningful ways. Even though the temperature heated up outside, inside the air was chill, with comfy couches, potted plants, bulletin boards filled with helpful information, and shelves of games, musical instruments, and endless snacks. It looked just like “a place where everyone is accepted,” as Phillips would say.
For more information about the Railroad Street Youth Project, go to https://www.rsyp.org/ or see previous article in The Berkshire Edge.
