A Guiding Hand for Troubled Teens
Publication: Spare Change Newspaper
Author: Andrea Scalise
Date: March 8, 2004
On a frigid Monday morning, James C. Swenson begins his day ensuring the well-being and chance for a better future for twelve adolescent boys. As if that were not enough for one day, Swenson simultaneously deals with a pipe that has burst during the night. But this does not faze him. As Program Director at the Mary E. Sargent House, a residential facility in the South End serving troubled adolescent boys, he uses what he has to the best of his ability to do whatever is best for the boys.
Swenson joined Sargent House as it made the transition in 2001 from a female shelter to a group residence for troubled adolescents. It now supports teenage boys, some of whom have been abused and neglected. He has seen the program grow from the ground up, hiring every staff member and getting this program running.
Sargent House is part of Community Resources for Justice, a nonprofit organization that was established 125 years ago. Its noble mission is to help people live outside of the care of the state after age 18.
John J. Larivee, Chief Executive Officer of Community Resources for Justice believes in using what the community has to offer to help those who are at risk for committing crimes. "As innovators in service delivery and social policy, we remain deeply committed to the search for effective and cost efficient ways to enhance the quality of life in our communities and to advance the quality of justice in our government," says Larivee. The work of Sargent House and Community Resources for Justice is funded at the local, state and federal levels.
When Sargent House began, it was licensed to serve boys aged 15 to 18. Now, it has expanded to include boys starting at age 13. This addition of younger residents to the house has proved to be a difficult task. Handling this wider age range involves dealing not only with personality discrepancies, but also with different approaches toward discipline required by the age difference. The team understands how to deal with a 13 year old, for instance, who may need more nurturing than an 18 year old.
Although in the mid-morning Sargent House is quiet, the atmosphere changes as the kids arrive back from school in the afternoon. Quarrels erupt, and the staff does its best to maintain the ‘floor’. They use various measures of discipline: a time out of bed, or taking away some of the privileges of the boys. Quickly, residents learn the rules. The staff is alert to any troublemakers, looking at each situation from all angles. Many times, for instance, there are deeper reasons for one of these boys acting out. They may be upset because of something that happened at school, or during a phone call with a parent. These clues help the team to counsel the boys, and help them to recognize their own destructive behavior.
Each day, the boys receive attention to their progress in school, counseling, and tutoring, all of which are necessary to teach them skills that will prepare them to live independently once they become adults themselves.
Now in its third year, Sargent House is still growing in terms of what the program has to offer. As the House makes more connections, the staff members are able to offer more opportunities to the teenagers. The boys have the opportunity to learn to snowboard at Wachusett Mountain, for instance. They have the chance to be paired with a mentor from Northeastern Law School, and to participate in various activities with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
Because they are familiar with the system and with relevant existing resources, the caseworkers are able to evaluate the educational level of each child, identify any special needs, and suggest which school best fit the educational experience of a particular resident. The school chosen might be public or private, and sometimes a resident is even able to continue to go to the school he had attended previously in his hometown.
Serving children from the Department of Social Services who have been victims of abuse and neglect is generally more challenging than dealing with those who have acted out in more isolated incidents. But Swenson has an optimistic view. Although Sargent House is dealing with more challenging and complex issues, it is also true that the staff members of the program are able to achieve better results with them.
With every resident, Swenson sees each small improvement as a victory. And each one is a victory. For example, when a boy changes the manner in which he speaks to an adult, he is perceived much more positively. This kind of small change in mannerism is not only a change in communication and understanding others, but a change that will eventually help the younger clients at the house feel better about themselves.
Swenson reflects on the boys whose paths were changed by Sargent House. A fourteen-year-old boy was en route to be adopted by a family. But unfortunately, the opportunity for him fell through. This is obviously a horrible thing to occur to a vulnerable teenager, to be so close to the chance at a stable home, and then to be thrown back into the system. With help and counseling from the Sargent House staff, he was able to overcome his shaky start to adolescence. At fifteen and a half, he was placed in foster care. Swenson says that this success -- the placement and the accomplishment -- is the kind of thing that helps House staff members get through frustrating times. The boy still visits occasionally, according to Swenson.
In so many instances today, parents do not feel in control of their children. When there is a concern for the safety or well being of the child, sometimes parents, especially single parents, believe they need to take drastic measures. A frustrated single mother placed the future of her rebellious son in the hands of the system. Unable to control the activities of her son, which no longer included school, but drugs, instead, she let the state determine how he would best be served. At Sargent House, the son did not only learn that he had to conform to restrictions and rules but also learned what he could accomplish. Now, with a job and a curfew at 11:30p.m., this boy is helping himself achieve a little discipline, and even more importantly, self worth.
In this budget crunch, and as the population in correctional facilities swells, we must look at the bigger picture. We are forced to contemplate the reasons why certain people commit crimes. Is there a way to prevent troubled youth from becoming criminals? Does the US correctional system work in preventing people from committing crimes? And more importantly, have we adopted the most cost efficient ways to prevent crimes?
Community Resources for Justice is one of the organizations that not only assists the young at risk, the offenders who have served their time, but also examines these questions every day. With various facilities in the Boston area designated to assist the youth, the adults and the disabled, they are a force that the Department of Social Services has come to depend on.
These strengths of the facilities rest in the fact that they can function independently, yet under the umbrella of Community Resources for Justice. Although challenging, these facilities strive to provide consistent treatment for people who are struggling, and at risk to themselves and to others. Sargent House accepts referrals of youth to its residence based on what is good for that individual child, always keeping in mind the other residents in the house. Swenson highlights how important it is to have the support and assistance from the other programs, having their hands in all aspects of human services. “Working with these youth”, Swenson says, "is the most positive aspect of human services, because it is at that age that the problems begin."
As with the start of any human service agency, the initial stages of the birth of Sargent House were a struggle: developing guidelines, hiring staff, and working as a team. Swenson is proud of the work they have accomplished. But Sargent House is far from finished. "Can we be better than we are right now?" is not a question Swenson is afraid to ask. He finds more comfort looking outside the box to discover the best way things can be done to help the boys in the program. In few instances is there a foolproof method to determine how a staff member or child would fit into Sargent House. Swenson uses his "gut feeling”, knowing whether a person will or will not work with the kids. With years of experience, leadership of a program that achieves where many cannot, and the optimistic attitude he projects throughout this residence, we should trust his gut too.
For more information on Sargent House and Community Resources for Justice, visit www.crjustice.org