1Berkshire is the economic development organization for the westernmost region of Massachusetts, a community still finding its footing after its industrial sector evaporated at the end of the 20th century. In May, the 14th year of its Youth Leadership Program kicked off a three-day, two-night retreat held at Camp Becket.
“The program is kind of a population retention tool as a longer view, but primarily the program serves to help students learn about the career opportunities and the opportunities to build their lives that exist here in the Berkshires that they may be unfamiliar with as a goal of hoping to encourage them to build their lives here, as opposed to somewhere else," 1Berkshire Deputy Director of Economic Development Kevin Pink told WAMC.
Pink who directs the program, says keeping young people living and working in the county is critical.
“When we talk about population retention, that is our workforce, that is our business ownership, that is- The things that make life wonderful here really come from having people around to do those things, to create those opportunities and experiences and to really fuel our economy for the long term,” he explained.
Since reaching a high of around 150,000 in 1970, the Berkshires’ population has steadily dropped to its present figure of around 130,000. The county has particularly struggled to retain youth as the median age is 47 -- 7 years above the commonwealth’s average.
Almost 27% of the Berkshires’ residents are 65 or older, compared with just 17% statewide.
Julie Haagenson is the chair of the program’s steering committee. One of the major obstacles it must address is what holds young people back from imagining a life in the Berkshires.
“I think it's mostly just feeling like there's nothing to do," she told WAMC. "I think what we hear most from them is, there's not a lot for young people, right? I think many of them can envision, and they see a lot of examples of people who grew up here and then leave and then come back. But I think it's that middle section of like, but what is there for me now? What is keeping me here? What is here for me?”
Over the next nine months, the 31 high schoolers in the program will meet with and learn from leaders in Berkshire County’s key economic sectors.
“Advanced manufacturing, hospitality, outdoor education, arts and culture is always a favorite, because we have so many arts and cultural institutions here and the Berkshires," said Haagenson. "It's a wide depth. It's not so much about directing them towards one, but just helping them notice what kind of sparks their interest based on exposing some as many as we can.”
Participants will also be tasked with the design and completion of a collective-impact project “focused on the betterment of the Berkshires.”
Grace Towler, who grew up in North Adams, graduated from the Youth Leadership Program in 2020.
“I got to tour different industry sectors and different companies from southern and central county, and I was able to experience what they do at these different places that I didn't even really know existed," she said. "And that was a really eye-opening experience for me, because I'm like, oh, cool- so, if I'm interested in, like, different agricultural stuff, there's different farms and stuff in southern and central county that I can go and talk to professionals in this field in.”
After completing the program, she chose to stay on as a member of the steering committee.
Drawing on her Advanced Manufacturing education at McCann Technical School in North Adams and her Bachelor of Engineer degree from Clarkson University, Towler found work in the Berkshires at General Dynamics Mission Systems in Pittsfield.
“It really was a moment of great pride because I had a lot of family friends that worked there," she said. "I didn't really know what they worked on, but- it's really hard to explain what kind of work you do at a defense company. But I definitely can say it was a moment of great pride for me, for sure, when I got that first internship, and I was like, cool, my foot's in the door in a field I really care about, in a county I really care about, and with the new connections I can have through this job, I can help make the county better, whether it's through the Youth Leadership Program or through other things throughout the county.”
She says choosing to remain in the county she was raised in makes her proud.
“I have no intention of leaving Berkshire County," Towler told WAMC. "I like my job, my family's here. But for people who don't know that Berkshire County is the place that they really want to be, it is a constantly evolving county, and I take that with great pride, because there's different industries that are continuing to evolve, and different places like Adams, Cheshire, North Adams, Pittsfield, Great Barrington- There is always some sort of step in the forward direction going on in each of these different towns that just makes it so the county as a whole is just improving.”
