Northville Man Empowers Teens with Confidence, Positivity

Hundreds of high school students graduated a few weeks ago. However, achieving that dream isn’t as easy for everyone.

The statistics stacked against high school students and the pressure and challenges teenagers face can threaten their chances of completing school and becoming successful adults.

“Most people think at risk or underprivileged kids don’t care. That’s not true. They just don’t know,” Joseph Montante said.

Montante is the founder and regional manager of The First Place Association, which works to teach teenagers what they often don’t know – how to stay positive and be successful. 

“We provide them a movement away from hope to opportunity,” he said.

Montante, a Northville resident since 1972, has worked with young people since 1992 when the organization first started. It became a non-profit in 2007 and expanded its programs. 

Students learn science in science class and math in math class, but there’s no success class for them to learn success, he said.

“Ninety percent of those kids are good at something, but don’t have the motivation,” he said.

One such program is the Life Direction Course. It’s an intensive program one hour a day for four weeks. What’s unique about it is that it uses techniques like music to engage students.

“They listen to the music and read the lyrics,” he said. “Then we ask two questions: what’s one thing you got from the song and what’s one thing you didn’t understand?”

Since 2007, about 400 people have gone through the program. Since 1992, thousands of 14 to 19 year olds have passed through The First Place Association’s classes. He said critical thinking exercises like those teach teenagers to explore what they don’t understand. That exploration is a critical part of learning and a necessary attitude for success.

Montante said staying competitive is another key component for success. He said many of these challenges extend beyond high school. 

“Many of us are held hostage to documents of doubt,” he said.

Based on research, 85 percent of the messages to which teenagers are exposed are negative, he said.

“Our goal is to reverse that,” he said. 

He worked with child psychologists to develop posters and magnets that include positive messages to counteract the negative. That combined with teen programs, like the one that uses music, intend to give teens focus.