'More Than Words' bookstore in Boston gives life skills, opportunities to teens and young adults
BOSTON - "More Than Words" is a bookstore on Berkeley Street in Boston, largely run by young adults ages 16 to 24 who are in the foster care system, homeless, or out of school. The organization's motto is "Taking charge of their lives by taking charge of a business."
"It's a safe space for me. I like being here, it's kind of like a home away from home," Star, a youth senior partner at the store told WBZ-TV.
They offer hope, growth and change.
"We push them really hard. We don't lower the bar for our young adults because we know they can hit the bar way up here," said MTW Youth Development Coordinator Sheila Graham. "Whether they're in the Department of Children and Families, Department of Youth Services, that doesn't mean they can't be successful. So we want to give them the opportunity to actually rise to that."
Not only do they help run the bookstore and online shop, but they receive life development skills and mentorship from adults to work towards their goals.
"I've definitely gained a lot of responsibility and leadership," Star said. Star is one of the youth employees who leads tours of the building and trains managers.
Ninety-two-percent of their participants have earned or are on track to earn their high school diploma or equivalent.
"Just watching a young adult accomplish something that seems so small to somebody else but just passing a HISET exam. The excitement to watch a young adult pass their HISET exam when they didn't even believe that they could accomplish that. It's just pure joy," Graham said. They've been working at MTW for almost 11 years now, and considers the youth who go through the program her children.
"I stopped putting it to the side. I'm about to have my HISET. I have one more test left. So I've been really pushing myself," Star said. She explained she's seen a lot of growth in herself since starting the program at age 16. After four years at More Than Words, Star will graduate this year.
For more information, visit their website.