• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
(617) 267-5877     [email protected]
 
Youth Enrichment Services logo

Youth Enrichment Services for Boston's Kids

  • About
    • Mission and History
    • Staff and Leadership
    • Our Impact
    • Plans for Growth
    • Outdoor and School Partnerships
    • Financial Accountability
    • Careers
    • YES Logos
    • Rent Swann Lodge
    • Contact Us
  • Youth & Families
    • Operation Snowsports
    • Outdoor Adventure
    • Track and Field
    • Leadership Corps
    • Schools and Organizations
      • Operation SnowSports
      • Outdoor Adventure
      • School-Year Programs
    • YES Rental Shop
    • Teen Employment and Internships
    • Richard Williams Memorial Scholarship
  • Volunteers
    • Volunteer Portal
    • Operation Snowsports Volunteers
    • Track and Field Volunteer Coaches
    • Career Exploration Volunteers
    • Corporate Group Volunteer Opportunities
    • Young Professionals Committee
    • Gala Planning Committee
  • News
    • Newsletters
    • Annual Reports
    • Press Room
  • Events
    • Black Diamond Gala
    • Mass Snow Challenge
    • Boston Marathon®
    • Martin Richard Memorial Mile
  • Alumni
  • Giving
    • Donate Now
    • Leadership Giving
    • Events Sponsorships

Alumni Spotlight – Galen Weber

November 17, 2021 by Meghan Burgess

Youth Enrichment Services (YES) recently sat down with another alumni, Galen Weber, to talk about his experience at YES.

Growing up in Arlington, Galen was involved with YES programs during his time in high school, from 2005-2009. He was a part of the Junior Volunteer Program (now known as the Leadership Corps program) throughout his time at YES. During the Operation SnowSports season, he would volunteer in the YES Rental Shop to get youth fitted for their skis, and on weekends he would go on trips and teach youth how to ski.

2009 Richard Williams Memorial Scholarship Recipients Galen Weber (L) and Alexis Savage (R) with YES Academy Director, Rachada Hiranyaket (C).

During his time at YES, Galen learned that he had the best impact when he was volunteering by doing something that he loved. He said, “I loved skiing, so that made it very easy to come in and be positive and have fun while giving back.” Through volunteering with YES, he saw the energy that you get when doing something that you love, which helped him find his passions today.

Galen’s favorite memory with YES was from his first day teaching youth how to ski on the mountain. He was working with three youth and it was their first run down the mountain. One youth immediately fell over, the second youth made it a little farther before falling, and the third youth flew down the mountain. When he helped the first youth get up, he was expecting them to be discouraged but they got back up and chased the others down the mountain. He recalled, “I realized that because they enjoyed skiing, they were willing to deal with setbacks, get up, and try again.”

YES not only allowed Galen to grow and give back, it also helped him find his passion. When he was a high school senior, he participated in the YES Career Exploration Program where he was placed in a summer job with Boston Public Schools. While there, he helped track and record data they were gathering from their after school program surveys, and it was first exposure to data and programming. Galen then went on to study economics in college and work in data and programming following graduation. He attributes his career path to the summer job he was placed at by YES. He was also a Richard Williams Memorial Scholarship recipient during his senior year of high school in 2009.

Galen currently works in programming at Atlassian. Although he doesn’t ski as much anymore, he still enjoys volunteering with youth through teaching programming.

Category iconNews

Are you ready to transform the lives of Boston youth?

 

The mission of Youth Enrichment Services is to inspire youth through outdoor experiences and leadership opportunities that build confidence and prepare them to summit life’s challenges.

Footer

Youth Enrichment Services (YES)

412 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
T: (617) 267-5877
E: [email protected]

Navigate

  • About Us
  • Youth & Families
  • News!
  • Events
  • Alumni
  • Volunteers
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
  • Home

Sign up for our Newsletter!

Add me to the List!

Find Information on this website

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Copyright © 2023 YES. All rights reserved. Return to top