EP 17: Q&A with MPAL Executive Director John Rainville

From the outside, you’d think the colossal building on the corner of Beech and Lake street in Manchester is a police academy or substation with a formidable facade. But inside, there’s an elite-level boxing gym, a well-kept kitchen used for culinary arts classes, and a huge area for wrestling and Aikido classes. This is where MPAL looks to serve the 8,600 at-risk youth within a mile of the facility and beyond.

John Rainville, executive director of MPAL, explains that there is magic when officers meet and interact with community members and their children.

Listen as Anthony Payton interviews Rainville on the benefits and challenges of the MPAL program in Manchester, NH.

 Anthony Payton is a freelance writer and father living in Manchester. He can be reached at anthony.payton@collaborativenh.org. This story is part of his project, The Common Ground Initiative which aims to highlight the diversity of our communities with stories of people the average Granite Stater might not get to see or meet. The goal is to clarify misconceptions and find the threads that bind us all together as one New Hampshire community.

The podcast is produced by Payton in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative and the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University. The views expressed in this podcast are the hosts alone and do not necessarily reflect those of GSNC, its partners or The Marlin Fitzwater Center.