Stephen Montaque, a sophomore at Framingham High School, began his journey with Youth Connections at the age of thirteen. Recently, he shared more about his personal experiences with the program.
Montaque first discovered Youth Connections while job hunting with his mom. It was during this search that he came across our Tier One program. He recalls feeling warmly welcomed and appreciating the lack of pressure to always be perfect, as many of the participants were just starting out in their professional journeys.
After completing the program, our staff recognized a spark in Montaque—one that suggested he was ready for more responsibility. Following his graduation from Tier One, our coordinators invited him to take on the role of Peer Leader for the Junior Rangers program the following summer.
It was through this experience that Montaque truly began to flourish. Our team saw his leadership potential and his natural ability to inspire others. As a Peer Leader, Montaque was responsible for teaching curriculum material, facilitating leadership activities, and creating engaging, positive games for our youth participants.
The following summer, Montaque took on an even larger role, co-leading the program alongside one of our coordinators. He taught Junior Rangers several key lessons, including email etiquette, environmental awareness in a professional setting, DEIA principles, and the importance of attitude and dependability.
Through his time with Youth Connections, Montaque has learned invaluable skills in leadership, communication, and mentoring. He now takes pride in being someone his peers can look up to and approach for guidance.
Montaque’s favorite part of working with Youth Connections is seeing the growth in participants from the first to the last day of the program. He explains that while the first day is often filled with shyness and uncertainty, by the final day, everyone has stepped out of their shells, feeling more confident and focused on becoming the people they aspire to be—both personally and professionally.
Today, Montaque continues to contribute to Youth Connections by assisting with tasks like conducting interviews and updating curriculum content. When asked about his goals, Montaque explains that although he is still young, he is looking forward to keeping working with Youth Connections while exploring his current passions of basketball and psychology.
We are so happy to have someone as devoted and motivated as Stephen.
If you are interested in participating in one of our programs or need career guidance, Contact Us | MSW Youth Connections.