Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog!
Hope you had a good week. Check in with the teen in your life? What did they have to share? Hey teens, did you check in with the adult in your life? Share something with them about what you are thinking about. They would love it if you did!
New Subject – Teen Resource
I wanted to add a new subject to my blog to showcase people and organizations that are out there helping teens and families. I plan to showcase a different one each month. So, we’ll start things off in January with a look at Boys Town, an advocate for teens and families located in Boys Town, NE.
How did I learn about Boys Town?
I was in our kitchen looking the calendar hanging on the wall. We received it in the mail and use it to keep track of important family events. This one is from Boys Town and states 100 years of saving children and healing families. So I went online to find out a little bit more about them.
What they do at Boys Town?
The organization was started by Father Edward Joseph Flanagan in 1917. He developed a lifelong interest in young people and the struggles they face growing into responsible adults while he was ministering to the homeless in Omaha, Nebraska.
According to their website, boystown.org, is a beacon of hope for America’s children and families through life-changing youth care and health care programs across the United States.
Along with the youth care and health care services that Boys Town provides, they are also recognized internationally as a research leader in hearing, language and related communication disorders, and childhood neurobehavioral disorders. Their findings are integrated into the treatment of the children and families that they serve.
Another thing I noticed is that they are an advocate for teens. One way is through their views on the Juvenile Justice System. Another is through their programs helping teens to make changes to their lives and help them succeed.
Advocate for Juvenile Justice Reform
I read a couple of books lately talking about inequities in the current justice system and treatment of juveniles who have been incarcerated. One of them, Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson is a true story about his experiences as a black lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). EJI is a non-profit law firm who helps people who cannot afford or are unable to fight for their rights. Stevenson tells the story of three different teenagers who committed crimes and were given much stronger sentences that would impact the rest of their lives. EJI investigated the circumstances involved in these cases and through the courts, were able to get the sentences reduced.
Boys Town takes the approach of rehabilitation and redemption rather than punishment and incarceration and advocate for fair treatment and practices of teens if they enter the juvenile justice system. like EJI, they want to give these teens a chance to change the course of their lives despite a bad choice they made to get into trouble.
Advocate for teens to change their lives
Boys Town helping teens and families to get the assistance that they need to reach their full potential. They provide a residential program for teens in need of a second chance.
In the Who we Help section of their website, Boys Town describes the teens that they serve.
“We don’t give up on kids and are committed to helping those who have failed in other systems… We give them the second chances they deserve.”
One of the posts on their Facebook Page features a video about a teen named Kahla. She came from an abusive situation before she came to Boys Town. She is thriving now because of their residential program. In her video testimonial she says,
“Change myself for something better.”
There are many more testimonials of how Boys Town has helped people succeed. You will also find these on the Who we Help Section of their website and on their Facebook and Instagram profiles.
Check out Boys Town
Boys Town is an organization available to help teens and families in need. Not only are they actively participating in their lives, but they are also conducting research into areas to help improve the treatment they provide to their clients.
With their focus on advocating for Juvenile Justice reform and providing teens with opportunities to make a better life for themselves, I believe Boys Town would be a good teen resource for them and their families to look into.
Here is a link to their website: Boys Town
Teen read about Peer Pressure
Another good resource for teens would be my young adult novel which focuses on that very topic. The Hard Way is a story about how fifteen-year-old Paul navigates being put into a position by his friends to make a choice between doing something right or doing something wrong.
Here’s a link to The Hard Way on the books tab of my website. The Hard Way
Please forward this information to someone who may be looking for a good teen/young adult read. If you subscribe to my email list, you’ll be able to follow my writing journey and receive a free copy of chapter one.
Have a great week!
