This summer the Youth Works Program is providing opportunities to all youth in Berkshire County!
Youth Works is State Funded and provides Work Readiness skills and opportunities to income eligible youth ages 14-21.
The program begins June 28th and ends August 12th! All youth are paid $13.50 an hour (If enrolled through Youth Works).
Below is a full description of the North County Gardening Program, specifically for youth ages 14- and 15.
Below is the application for youth to apply, ages 14-21. (Youth do have to be income eligible for Youth Works, however the Workforce Board has secured funding for additional slots who may not be eligible) .
Youth Application Form - SUMMER: https://youthworksdata.org/aboutyouthworks.asp?key=key1s&yw=MassHireBerkshire
Please feel free to reach out to Kelly Groves-Skrocki with questions at kskrocki@masshireberkshirecc.com.
North Adams Gardening Program
Youth have the opportunity to participate in the North County Gardening Program. Berkshire Workforce Board, who is partnered with Greenagers will provide participants with a Service and Project based Learning experience. The program was developed by the region’s agricultural learning program from the Northern Berkshire Growing Healthy Garden Program. Tier 1 North County participants will receive container gardens and lessons about gardening and the positive impact it has on the community. Within these lessons, and hands on experience at community garden sites, participants will learn about the impacts on food insecurity, social justice, and about cooking with vegetables. Participants will also read ‘Seedfolks’ and participate in weekly discussions around the book’s premise involving an urban community garden bringing all residents from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds together. Program partners will provide daily instruction, mentoring, and videos about the tricks of gardening, dos and don'ts in planting, recipes to make using their harvested vegetables and discussions around the challenges and solutions for food insecurity and social justice within their Northern Berkshire community. All vegetables harvested at the community sites will be delivered to the Berkshire Food Project, which provides free meals to the community. The final service-learning project will be at the Louison House (Homeless Shelter) which will be in-person, the last week of the program, where the students will maintain and build raised garden beds under the guidance of Greenagers staff.