Longest Day In October

 This month according to tradition we did a long, long day. We held many groups throughout the day and focused on the youth. We used the theme of victim empathy and empowerment throughout the day. We started the day off early with a big breakfast to fill the boys up. After that we went to two different homes to help the owners of the homes with their yard work. The boys and staff helped trim trees, rake leaves, throw stuff away, dig up gardens, etc. The people were so happy to have the help and really appreciated the help. This is a great way for our youth to interact in the community, not only to get their service hours, but to show that they can make a positive difference in someone else's lives.

As administration we decided to start a new peer council for the youth. We developed this as a way to empower the boys in the facility and hopefully get them to see that they can control things in a positive way and use this control and power to build healthy relationships and have a happy life.
We also did groups on self esteem, treating others with respect, and attunement with each other during the afternoon.

As dinner time approached we let the youth know that they would be in charge of cooking their own dinners. We gave them the ingredients and told them to make what they wanted to make. We also broke them up into teams. It was a good way to see the youth come together and resolve conflict, or they did not resolve conflict. Some of the food was great, some of it was not.

 As the sun went down and dinner was cleaned up we had the youth read the following poem.

The Cold Within

Six humans trapped by happenstance
in black and bitter cold
Each possessed a stick of wood,
Or so the story's told.
Their dying fire in need of logs,
the first woman held hers back
For on the faces around the fire
She noticed one was black.
The next man looking 'cross the way
Saw one not of his church
And couldn't bring himself to give
The fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes
He gave his coat a hitch,
Why should his log be put to use
To warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought
Of the wealth he had in store,
And how to keep what he had earned
>From the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black man's face bespoke revenge
As the fire passed from his sight,
For all he saw in his stick of wood
Was a chance to spite the white.
And the last man of this forlorn group
Did naught except for gain,
Giving only to those who gave
Was how he played the game.
The logs held tight in death's stilled hands
Was proof of human sin,
They didn't die from the cold without,
They died from the cold within.


James Patrick Kinney

After this we headed out on a hike at which the end they were greeted by the fire. At the fire they were to read on a piece of paper what was keeping their cold within and to burn it if they were ready to move forward. This was a very moving experience for so many of the youth, staff and therapists as well.

We truly work with some great kids. 

We look forward to the next big activity!