Last year, after nearly 10 years working on the Middle East for the United Nations, Adam Hinds returned to his home of Western Massachusetts to become program director for a new youth development program called Pittsfield Community Connection. The relocation was intentional, he says, because of the combination of culture and natural beauty offered only in the RI region. I grew up in Shelburne Falls, attended Wesleyan and then the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts for a masters in international affairs. After working for the Kerry and Olver campaigns, I moved in a more international direction and worked for the UN for the last 10 years, mostly in the Middle East. Last year I decided I wanted to get into more domestic issues, like poverty, and I explored the possibilities of laying down roots in the Berkshires. I intentionally focused on this area because it’s difficult to find a place where you can do meaningful work, but that also has outdoor activities like mountain biking and skiing, and a thriving art and food scene. Hotel on North, Methuselah Bar & Lounge, and District Kitchen & Bar have all opened up in Pittsfield since I arrived here.
Now I’m the program director of the Pittsfield Community Connection, which is a citywide strategy to help vulnerable kids and their families. We offer help through counseling, but also employment and education support. Every kid has a mentor and their caregivers also are linked to a community member for support. There are seven paid staff and outreach members, including a social worker and mentor leaders, some of whom are former gang members and drug dealers. When I started, we noticed two kids who demonstrated the fact that they were in a gang, but over the past year in our program, they’ve done well in both school and athletics and have been employed by local businesses. The transformations they’ve gone through and the involvement of local businesses are laudable. Pittsfield Community Connection is always looking for mentors for the kids and partners who can be matched with the parents. We also have a wine tasting and dance party fundraiser coming up on June 28 at Methuselah in Pittsfield from 6:30-9:30 p.m.
