Coalition Core  The Northern Berkshire Community Coalition  To receive our electronic newsletter by e-mail, send us a request by clicking here.
Welcome Introduction People Programs News Further Resources Contact Us		The Coalition Core supports the formal helping systems and institutions by offering information exchange and community planning through . . .   COMMUNITY FORUMS that average over sixty participants each month and address issues that the community brings forward. These forums are held on the second Friday of each month and feature wide ranging discussions about issues that impact the community. Local elected officials, including State Representative Dan Bosley, State Senator Ben Downing, and Congressman John Olver are often participants at these monthly forums. In addition, local neighborhood and business leaders, social service workers, public safety officials, representatives of the local Clergy Association, parents, and others are represented at these monthly meetings. These monthly meetings offer opportunities for individuals to come together to hear about new community events and during the meeting's second hour, to address pressing issues. The monthly community forums for the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition are usually held the second Friday of each month at the First Baptist Church in North Adams.   OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, issued ten times each year both via the internet and through the mail, includes articles, information, and opinions about community life. To receive the newsletter either by mail or through the internet, send us an e-mail by clicking here.   OUR MONTHLY TV SHOW (Northern Berkshire Tonite) is a taped TV show airing to many throughout the region. Topics for Northern Berkshire Tonite generally follow the monthly meeting topic and include guests from throughout the community. Northern Berkshire Tonite offers opportunities for North County organizations to air brief advertisements during this half hour show. Northern Berkshire Tonite airs nine times each year.   COLLABORATION AND LINKAGES that occur within the Coalition forum and network. A unique role of the Coalition is the neutral role it has in the Northern Berkshire community, and the many relationships that have developed from the monthly forums and events like the Neighborhood Expo. In its role as a community convener, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition has been instrumental in the creation of community services that include the area's homeless prevention program and shelter (Family Life Support Center, and Louison House), a comprehensive transportation system for those at work or seeking work (Transportation Association of Northern Berkshire), and a unique program that offers access to health care for the uninsured (Ecu-Health Care). The Coalition is responsible for bringing an office of Big Brothers and Big Sisters to North Adams. Community Task Forces including the Northern Berkshire Youth Collaborative and the Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Task Force began as discussions within Coalition meetings and continued as more focused discussions during the year. Linkages among state and local agencies and area residents are possible through the many meetings and forums that the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition offers.     COMMUNITIES MOBILIZING FOR CHANGE ON ALCOHOL (CMCA) is a multi-year project to reduce underage drinking by reducing teenagersķ access to alcohol and by establishing stronger community norms against underage drinking. The program, as defined by the grant that supports it, is focused on Adams and Williamstown, although because it is an ģenvironmentalī approach, its reach goes beyond those two towns to most of Northern Berkshire. CMCA is novel because it does not speak directly to youth. Rather, it addresses two groups of adults: parents, who are responsible for guiding their children; and young adults (age 19-25, approximately), who are often the procurers of alcohol for minors. The strategies for each town are guided by a strategy team from that town consisting of parents, teens, law enforcement, educators, civic leaders, and other who have a stake in this issue. To see the design of our 2005 billboards, newspaper ads, and postcards, click here. To view our two latest television commercials, click here. For more information, or to get involved, contact Ed Sedarbaum at esedarbaum@nbccoalition.org.