The Pittsfield Youth Commission meets Thursday for the first time.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pizza, tweeting and some serious assessment of the generation gap in perceptions of the community's greatest challenges were among the features of the inaugural meeting of the newly reactivated Pittsfield Youth Commission.

 

At its first session at the Ralph Froio Senior Center on Thursday, the city's newest and arguably most diverse public body was sworn in and welcomed by local officials who expressed enthusiasm about its potential to leverage ideas for positive changes in the community.

 

The group, which consists of 21 voting members, two-thirds of them between the age of 14 and 18, and four additional advisory members, was welcomed as the newest branch by Mayor Daniel Bianchi, who put forth its members for confirmation by the City Council last month, then sworn in officially by City Clerk Linda Tyer.

 

"I can't tell you how appreciative I am of your willingness to serve on this commission," said Bianchi. "It's a very important thing, and something that I think should be a real active, vibrant part of our community."

 

"Oftentimes young people don't feel as though they have a voice, especially when it comes to their community, and running its government," Bianchi added. "I want to give you that voice."

 

"This is an amazing opportunity for you to make change in your city," Ty Allan Jackson told his younger colleagues on the commission. "This is the time for you to be loud."

 

Youth members were quiet at first, but opened up among each other when tasked to generate and prioritize lists of Pittsfield's greatest assets and worst problems, while adult members went to a separate room to do the same.

 

While some overlap was seen in the two groups' analysis, youth and adults differed on key points in both categories, and in the prioritization of shared concerns.

 

For teen members, the top five community assets were the public school system, extracurricular programs, a diverse community of people, available public resources, and the local faith community.

 

Drug and alcohol abuse, along with gang violence were the top two issues that most concerned them, followed closely by a lack of local businesses and activities geared toward their age demographic, and relative obscurity of those that are available. 

 

Bullying was another key concern shared by the youth members, in particular the need for more proactive and effective strategies going beyond the kind of informational anti-bullying rhetoric typically offered.

 

"I don't think it should be just words, just saying 'Don't bully,' " said youth member Emma Foley. "I think kids have become really desensitized to that."

 

Lack of adult mentoring and positive role models was their final top concern, a gap the commission hopes to help redress through its mix of membership. 

 

"It is an honor to serve with you," the Rev. Sheila Sholes-Ross of First Baptist Church told the other commissioners. "I'm looking forward to the work we'll be doing together."

 

The meeting also featured a speed-networking rotation to allow the members to become acquainted with each other, and wrapped up with pizza, taking selfies and posting about the meeting to their respective social media networks (hashtags: #PittsfieldYouthCommission and #PYC). 

 

Advisory member Vincent Marinaro, who previously served for many years on the Youth Commission before its disintegration in the late 2000s, encouraged the members to use social media and firsthand contact to spread the word about the commission and listen to the concerns of their peer groups.

 

"You are representatives of your peers," said Marinaro. "So it's your responsibility to find out the pulse of your classmates and other peers, and youth of all ages."

 

At its next meeting on Oct. 9, the commission will elect a structure of officers that will include two youth members as co-chairs and a four-member executive board to support them.