The Railroad Street Youth Student Empowerment Program (RYSE) offers young people the chance to explore their goals and potential next steps after high school. Over the course of five days, participants will meet with panelists and local partner organizations to create community, network, and learn about balancing tasks, goal setting, financial behavior (taxes, budgeting, etc.), educational options, and to participate in self-reflection and self-care activities.

Youth receive a stipend of $200 upon completion of the program and are eligible to apply for a scholarship of up to $20,000. The scholarship may be used over the next four years to assist with tuition at a state or private college or university, a community college or vocational school, a focused curriculum for a gap year, or any GED Program.

Greetings from our co-founder of RYSE, Zinc! “Hi, hello friend. I am so glad you’re curious about the RYSE program, a place to begin choosing your next steps after high school. As a first generation, low-income student, I craved mentorship and guidance. I started to reach out to my Berkshire community and came to learn about all the other traditional and untraditional educational paths. I found out that everyone can create a different version of what success is to them, and this inspired me! So, in 2017 I created the RYSE program to support and resource students like myself who craved peer mentorship and a new perspective. This is a space for Juniors, Seniors and recent graduates to feel less alone–empowered to choose the academic option that fits them best. Education is a personal story. Education is about skill development. Education is about community.”

Link to Regina (previous RYSE coordinator) presentation on RYSE

The RYSE 2024 program will be taking place July 15th, for a week Monday-Friday!

Reach out to Kate (Kate@rsyp.org) or Gabby (gabrielle@rsyp.org) for more information.

RYSE Scholarship Winner Announced!!