On the face of it, More Than Words is just a funky bookstore-café on Moody Street in Waltham. But, a gentle scratch below the surface reveals their inspiring and invaluable mission:

More Than Words is a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers youth who are involved in the foster care system, court involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.

By working as a team to manage their own retail and online used book business, café, and community space, youth develop the employment skills, leadership, and self-confidence they need to successfully transition to adulthood. In addition to store-based job training, youth are engaged in personal transition planning and case management to support their progress towards employment and education.

The MTW model is premised on the belief that when at-risk youth are challenged with authentic and increasing responsibilities in a business setting, and have high expectations and a culture of support, they can and will address their personal barriers, create concrete action plans for their lives, and become thriving members of society.

[On a personal note, I visited More Than Words with our first-annual support check in mid-August 2010 and was profoundly impressed by the level of sophistication and efficiency of their operation. To read the blog post I wrote about my experience that day, please CLICK HERE. - Bob Perry]