Lighthouse Youth Development Center

Doug Cionni, Summer 2012

Lighthouse Youth Development Center is a group home for up to fourteen boys between the ages of twelve and seventeen. All of the residents at the YDC come from a difficult social situation, be it a broken home or legal troubles. Despites the social difficulties these boys faced, it rapidly becomes apparent that they are just like any other teenage boys who want to make some summer money and have fun while they are off from school. Lighthouse strives to allow these boys to experience positive social circumstances and give them the opportunity to develop into contributing members of our society.

My job as a summer intern was to work side by side with youth workers at the group home. My responsibilities included supervision at the summer work program, functioning as a youth worker at the group home, and forming relationships with the boys. At the summer work program we tended to a vegetable garden, took care of eleven hens, and did some serious gardening. As a youth worker I played a ton of basketball, went to King's Island and on many other recreational trips. The most important and rewarding part of this experience was undoubtedly the relationships formed with the residents. Within the second week of arriving at the group home, the boys began to talk to me about their experiences and ask for advice concerning goings on within their current lives. While not all the residents made progress during this summer, seeing a young man take your advice concerning his money, or even something as simple as his basketball game is a rewarding experience. It is the relationships I formed with the residents that personified my summer at the Lighthouse Youth Development Center and they are what I will take forward in my career.