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Multicultural BRIDGE
FoundedSeptember 2007
FounderGwendolyn Hampton-VanSant, Director and CEO
FocusDiversity Education
Location
  • Lee, Massachusetts
Area served
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Websitewww.multiculturalbridge.org

Multicultural BRIDGE (Berkshire Resources for the Integration of Diverse Groups and Education, or BRIDGE Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Lee, Massachusetts. Co-founded by Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant and Marthe Bourdon, BRIDGE serves diverse groups in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Boston, and other regions in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York City.[1] Services include workforce cultural literacy[2] and cultural competency training, youth leadership and multicultural education,[3] community-based civil rights and social justice forums and conferences, and multicultural advocacy.[4] In 2015, BRIDGE received the Berkshire Trendsetter Award for Nonprofit Impact from 1Berkshire.[5] BRIDGE is a minority and women-run nonprofit and is certified by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Program Provider.[6]

Programs

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Cultural competency training

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BRIDGE conducted cultural competence training with municipal employees in Great Barrington[7] and Pittsfield, Massachusetts[8] and staff at the Berkshire Eagle, King Arthur Flour, and Fairview Hospital.[9] During a 2010 cultural competency celebration held at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick recognized BRIDGE for facilitating public and private sector group work.[10]

Youth education

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The organization works with Lenox Memorial High School, Miss Hall's School, Monument Mountain Regional High School, Pittsfield High School, Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth, and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts to facilitate multicultural youth programs[11][12] and educational film screenings.[13] BRIDGE has also worked as a partner with Berkshire Hills Regional School District on parent education and family engagement through a grant from the US Department of Education since 2012.[14]

Public forums

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The organization founded the Berkshire County Race Task Force, whose first town hall meeting was held at Shakespeare & Company in collaboration with the Community Relations Service of the U.S. Department of Justice[15] and hosted the Berkshire County Civil Rights Conference with support from Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz as keynote speaker and Massachusetts State Representative William "Smitty" Pignatelli, State Legislator Tricia Farley-Bouvier, and Pittsfield Mayor Daniel Bianchi.[16] In 2014, BRIDGE was recognized for the efficacy of its cultural competence programs by Carolyn Turpin-Petrosino of Bridgewater State University in Understanding Hate Crimes: Acts, Motives, Offenders, Victims, and Justice[17]

Multicultural advocacy

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BRIDGE profiles multicultural leadership in the Berkshires through a monthly blog distributed through The Berkshire Eagle.[18] These editorials were collected into an anthology crowdfunded through IndieGogo in late 2014 and published in 2015 as Berkshire Mosaic: A Multicultural BRIDGE Living History Project.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "BRIDGE work: Organization's co-founder discusses diversity and demographics." Berkshire Trade & Commerce Monthly. February 2012.
  2. ^ Douillet, Georgia. "Bridging Communities: Cultural brokering for mutual understanding." The Women's Times. (Northampton, MA). April 2010.
  3. ^ Smith, Jenn. "Students building a BRIDGE to tolerance." The Berkshire Eagle. (Pittsfield, MA). February 18, 2010.
  4. ^ Dupont, Nichole. "Bridging The Cultural Gap for Berkshire Immigrants." iBerkshires.com (North Adams, MA.) July 29, 2011. http://www.pittsfield.com/story/39115/Bridging-the-Cultural-Gap-for-Berkshire-Immigrants.html. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  5. ^ Dobrowski, Tony. "Business community fetes Berkshire Trendsetter Award winners." "The Berkshire Eagle". (Pittsfield, MA). September 12, 2015. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/local/ci_28801464/business-community-fetes-berkshire-trendsetter-award-winners. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  6. ^ http://www.multiculturalbridge.org/programs/advocacy. "State Vendor/SDO (Formerly SOMWBA)". Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  7. ^ DuPont, Nichole. "Local group promotes diversity across Berkshire County." AdvocateWeekly.com. (North Adams, MA.) April 15, 2010.
  8. ^ Smith, Jenn. "Learning from differences: Finding a path to common ground." "Berkshire Eagle." (Pittsfield, MA). August 1, 2015. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/ci_28571735/learning-from-differences
  9. ^ Dupont, Nichole. "Area Hospitals, Schools Learning Diversity, Sensitivity." iBerkshires.com (North Adams, MA.) April 11, 2011. http://www.iberkshires.com/story/38264/Area-Hospitals-Schools-Learning-Diversity-Sensitivity.html. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  10. ^ Jones, Trevor. "Governor visits cultural competency celebration." The Berkshire Eagle. (Pittsfield, MA.) July 6, 2010. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/local/ci_15453156. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  11. ^ Scribner, David. "BRIDGE offers ambassadors for cultural tolerance and diversity." Berkshire Record. (Great Barrington, MA.) December 25–31, 2009.
  12. ^ Willard, Lucas. "Pittsfield Students Learn from African-American Role Models in their Community." "WAMC Northeast Public Radio." (Pittsfield, MA). February 15, 2013. http://wamc.org/post/pittsfield-students-learn-african-american-role-models-their-community. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  13. ^ Smith, Jenn. "MCLA gets living civil rights lesson." The Berkshire Eagle. (Pittsfield, MA.) May 5, 2011. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_17544067. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  14. ^ Smith, Jenn. "Making the Grade 2014: Working together for the future." "The Berkshire Eagle." (Pittsfield, MA.) February 27, 2014. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/learning/ci_25237266/making-grade-2014-working-together-future
  15. ^ Stafford, Scott. "Learning to bridge racism." The Berkshire Eagle. (Pittsfield, MA). October 24, 2009. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_13636701. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  16. ^ "Mass. U.S. Attorney Ortiz Delivers Keynote Address At Civil Rights Discussion." WAMC Northeast Public Radio. November 19, 2014. http://wamc.org/post/mass-us-attorney-ortiz-delivers-keynote-address-civil-rights-discussion. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  17. ^ http://www.routledgementalhealth.com/books/details/9780415484015/. "Understanding Hate Crimes: Acts, Motives, Offenders, Victims, and Justice (Paperback) - Routledge Mental Health." Routledge Mental Health. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  18. ^ Abbott, Kate. "We begin 'On the Bridge'." The Berkshire Eagle. (Pittsfield, MA). February 23, 2012. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_20024930. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  19. ^ Townes, John. "Multicultural BRIDGE gets behind book on diversity." Berkshire Trade and Commerce p. 3. December 2014. http://www.btaconline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/December-2014-BTAC.pdf. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
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