Boys Town New York

Spreading Hope Overseas

Students from Denmark's Hillerød Pædagogseminarium National Institute for Social Educators learn about Boys Town's mission.

The help, healing and hope found at Boys Town is working its way across the ocean, thanks to lessons learned in New York.

A group of 24 students from Denmark's Hillerød Pædagogseminarium National Institute for Social Educators, a college specializing in social education training, visited Boys Town New York to learn about the programs offered to children.

"It is a great experience for the students," said Michael Hannberg, the group's International Coordinator and facilitator of the visit. "This program (Boys Town) is very different from our approach in Denmark and I want the students to be able to understand the differences."

Boys Town helps severely at-risk, abused, abandoned and neglected teens by giving them a loving home with old-fashioned family values.

"Teaching our youth social skills in a family style environment and how to be responsible makes them feel cared about and gives them the tools they need once they leave us, such as leadership skills," says Anthony DiLauro, Boys Town New York Executive Director to the Denmark students. "We're giving them the opportunity to develop into productive members of society."

According to Hannberg, government and local communities contribute 95 percent of the money used towards human services in Denmark, unlike in the U.S., where many non-profit organizations work on local, national and international issues.

"Luckily, more and more non-profit organizations are coming into Denmark," said Hannberg.

After spending the morning at the Boys Town New York offices, the students were given a tour of the short-term residential programs and the Boys Town New York Willoughby School, where children find smaller class sizes and individualized education.

According to the students, visiting the programs served as an invaluable experience, with one of them noting the impact that combining "old-fashioned love and respect with new-fashioned science" can have on kids in need.

One Denmark student said, "I can see now how this focuses on the immediacy of shaping a child's behavior."