Founded in 2004, More Than Words (MTW) began as an online bookselling training program with four young men living in a Waltham group home. Together, they tested the idea that a serious business could serve as a powerful vehicle for disconnected youth — helping them develop job skills while building self-efficacy, agency, and a sense of self-worth. The concept worked. Young people found empowerment through real responsibility, earned income, and a supportive environment that became the foundation of MTW’s culture. 

The MTW Model 

MTW operates a four-phase model designed to equip youth with the personal and professional skills needed to achieve economic independence. 

Readiness Training: Youth begin with 4–12 weeks of paid shifts, receiving intensive support to address urgent needs such as transportation and food access. 

Job Training & Leadership Development: They work 15–30 hours per week, leading shifts, developing marketing strategies, setting personal goals, and evaluating both their own and their peers’ performance — using data to measure progress. 

“You Job” Coaching: Each participant receives personalized coaching and case management to set and achieve goals related to education, career, and life planning. 

Career Services: After graduating from the program, youth receive over two years of continued support in securing jobs and pursuing higher education. 

MTW also provides flexible, intensive support — including crisis management, advocacy, and assistance navigating public systems. The organization actively advocates for raise-the-age legislation to extend juvenile jurisdiction to 18–20-year-olds and increase housing resources for the youth they serve. Importantly, MTW’s advocacy efforts are youth-led, with program participants and alumni taking the lead in meetings with public officials to share their experiences and drive change. 

Growth & Expansion 

Within its first year, MTW expanded into a physical storefront, opening a used bookstore that created new skill-building opportunities for youth while increasing community engagement. In 2011, the organization launched a warehouse bookstore in Boston’s South End, more than doubling the number of youth served and proving the scalability of its model. 

By 2018, MTW expanded its capacity at both its Boston and Waltham sites. In 2020, recognizing the critical need for stable housing, MTW launched an in-house Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Program. This initiative provides 2–3 years of housing for youth facing barriers to placement through state agencies or partner organizations. Participants receive free or subsidized rent, hands-on case management, and life skills training to transition toward independence. To date, 15 youth per year benefit from this program, with many successfully moving on to jobs, postsecondary education, and independent housing without further support from MTW or DCF.