Showing posts with label Boys' Town. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boys' Town. Show all posts

Friday, June 13, 2008

The Bonsai Reprieve

When we first entered Boys’ Town, we were met by two women who worked with the boys and translated Italian into English for us so we were able to understand the boys and some of the adults who worked in the town cantina.

The two women gave us a tour and one of the stops along the way was a garden that contained many rows of individual bonsai tree plants. There were many different kinds which varied in color, height, width, and shape. I had wondered if this was some type of science class or experiment so I asked one of the ladies what this garden was used for. She said that the bonsai trees were planted and cared for by the boys in their spare time. She said that they provided this space so that the boys could take on a hobby; the plants helped them to relax and to take their minds off of anything bothering them. I was immediately impressed by her response. How nice it would be to go out to this serene garden and work with nature for an afternoon! Boys’ Town provides so many activities and learning spaces for young boys. It is definitely a path leading to future successes as the boys grow up, and it was an inspiring place to visit; I wish them the best!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Boys' Town Trip


Boys’ Town is comprised of young, orphaned boys who live in apartment-like complexes. These are located in a hilly area southwest of Rome. Surrounding the plazas and gardens sit the residential villas, schools, laboratories, church, theatre, restaurant, bank, bazaar, and sports facilities. Close by there is also a farm which is used for educating the boys about agriculture and the environment.

The boys have also established their own currency, the Scudo, which is a coin that can be earned by completing the activities they are assigned when in school and outside of the classroom. These coins can then be used to buy toys and candy in the bazaar or deposited in the citizens’ bank. It can also be converted to Euro at a fixed rate of 1 Scudo = Euro 0,01.

As a class, we will be visiting Boys' Town on Friday, June 13, 2008. This is an incredible opportunity, and we are extremely thankful to the boys for giving us this unique glimpse into their personal lives.

Picture and information taken from:

http://www.citrag.it/eimg/eindex_09.jpg