Mswati Hanks

Mswati Hanks is the Youth Program Coordinator at the Charlestown Coalition. He is originally from upstate New York and currently lives in Chelsea with his wife and two sons. He has worked with youth in the Boston area for almost 20 years. Mswati would describe himself as being very driven, and a hardworking person who loves mentoring, motivating and inspiring young people. 

As the parent of two young men over the age of 18, Mswati understands the many challenges that youth, growing up in an urban environment, face today—especially youth of color. Through education, the arts, music, poetry, sports, film, theatre, civic engagement, social justice, and even the outdoors, Mswati has been able to expose these young people to a world that many of them had no idea existed, or was even accessible.

He believes that education, and finding your passion, is the great equalizer when it comes to lifting one out of poverty, or any situation for that matter. That is his main goal at the Charlestown Coalition—to educate and empower Charlestown’s youth.