My Experience in Boys Town

On Friday, my CAS class and I visited Boys Town outside of Rome. The research that I had down about the Town prior to going could not prepare me for the experience I would have with these boys. As we were lead through the dorms, classrooms, and recreational areas, more boys followed our group around. In the assembly hall, the bond these boys shared electrified the room. Two older boys joked with a younger boy, but all the while they made sure he felt comfortable on stage. By the end of our tour, boys were coming up to talk to us about where they were from and they all accompanied us to our bus stop. The gratefulness the boys had of their opportunities provided by the town was palpable.

To demonstrate the total success of the program, we met a teacher in the school. He taught computer skills to younger boys. We soon found out that he had come to Boys Town when he was six. He had left for a few years once he turned eighteen, but he soon returned to teach fellow boys. By returning to the school, the ex-boy proved the success of the town. He is one example to prove the success of the idea created in 1951 by Monsignor Carroll-Abbing.