Q: What is your role within the Department of Leisure, Family & Recreation?

Tasha Weston: “I am the Youth Coordinator at the  Manchester Youth Service Bureau.”

Q: How long have you worked for the Town of Manchester?

TW: “I have been working here since September; previously I worked summers with the Town when I was doing my undergrad and in high school.”

Q: What drew you to your specific role in the Town of Manchester?

TW: “I have felt like this is where I belong and can do so much for the community since high school. Working with the youth in the town previously got me interested in social work. This is my calling, it really was a full circle because I started assistance at YSB as a teen and now having my role currently to be the assistance I needed as a child is really important to me.”

Q: What are you trying to achieve in your work?

TW: “My role is important to me because I can really make a difference in each individual youth’s life that I come across. Some youth just need a one-on-one relationship, some need a mentor to help them with guidance, and some just need someone to talk to. Being that person in their life and being that role for whatever you’re missing is important. Also establishing educational aspects, I feel like I have so much education and knowledge that I can give to the youth, to help them be a successful adult.”

Q: What do you find the most rewarding about your work? Any major challenges?

TW: “A challenge in my work is sometimes the emotional aspect because I just want the youth I work with to succeed so badly, sometimes it’s hard to be able to deal with not everyone being able to succeed. But something that is rewarding is seeing that I am the person a lot of youth are able to come to for help. Also, seeing the personal relationships I built and making a difference and helping them grow is just the best feeling.”

Q: Any other information you would like the Manchester community to know about you (work-related or personal)?

TW: “It’s important to know that this is a full-circle thing, I would not be able to go to or get through college without USB. It has carried me so far in my personal and educational life. So I enjoy giving back to what I have been able to receive.”