Copyright berkshireeagle
PITTSFIELD — Since its founding in 1995, Youth Alive has encouraged children and teens across Berkshire County to forge new bonds as they stomp out a step routine or master a drum rhythm. Now, 30 years later, the multicultural arts program has seen hundreds of students pass through its ranks and continues to enroll dozens of young dancers and musicians each year. “We're just so proud of these young people,” said Shirley Edgerton, the program’s founder and executive director. At the Berkshire Innovation Center on Saturday, current participants and alumni reflected on how the multicultural arts program has broadened their horizons and encouraged them to embrace their talents and identities, one dance routine at a time. Rev. Nakeida Bethel-Smith, a pastor at Hood-Shaw AME Zion Church in Providence, R.I., recalled the impact of the program’s founding on youth of color in her keynote speech. “It was a place for them to build a bond and a friendship. It was a place for them in a community that didn't have something that represented them,” said Bethel-Smith, who grew up in Pittsfield. “To see something like Youth Alive come alive at the time that it did, it was awesome.” While she knew dancers may have struggled with personal challenges behind the scenes, Bethel-Smith recalls one thing about the group’s performances: “I never saw them miss a step.” Edgerton was inspired to create the program after seeing the community reaction to a step routine her daughters had put together. In addition to teaching step, hip-hop and African dance styles, Youth Alive also offers percussion lessons to youth ages 8 to 18 and provides participants with mentorship opportunities. Thirty years later, Edgerton remains in awe of the young people who have brought their talents to the program. “I've been blessed to be a part of their lives,” she said. The celebration featured step performances from some of Youth Alive’s current members and alumni, as well as Williams College step dance group Sankofa. The event also served as a fundraiser for ROPE, Youth Alive’s sister program. ROPE, short for Rites of Passage and Empowerment, is dedicated to providing mentorship to young people of color who identify as female or nonbinary. Edgerton moved to create ROPE in 2010 to ensure that young women were receiving the same opportunities and community support that Youth Alive’s male participants had. In addition to studying dance and music, ROPE students have the opportunity every two years to travel to Africa to participate in a cultural exchange and volunteer with local schools and orphanages. The group is currently fundraising for a trip to Ghana next summer. ROPE also sponsors college tours for students, with an emphasis on visiting historically Black colleges and universities. The organization’s leaders estimate that about 85 percent of the program’s participants go on to graduate from college. While the Trump administration pressures federal agencies and higher education institutions to phase out diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Edgerton said Youth Alive will continue to embrace its core mission of promoting multiculturalism. “This, too, will pass,” is her outlook. “Part of my goal has always been to teach the girls to be resilient," she told The Eagle. She said the organization will focus on “displaying our hope for the future, regardless of what the reality is right now.” As she looks to retire in the near future, Edgerton added that the program is currently making plans to find a successor to serve as executive director. For the students, the program continues to forge both friendships and educational opportunities. “It brings a lot of the girls together,” Mary Asare, a freshman at Pittsfield High School and ROPE participant, said of the program. She credits ROPE with providing members with many learning experiences, giving them “a deeper outlook into different cultures.” And for the program’s travel component, she has one request: “Dubai next!”
