Newton's Carroll Center For The Blind Celebrates YIT Graduation

NEWTON, MA — The Carroll Center for the Blind celebrated Youth In Transition (YIT) Summer 2021 program graduates with a ceremony on Wednesday, recognizing their hard work over the past few months.

The YIT program is a six-week residential program for students ages 15 to 21 and promotes independence by helping them strengthen their organizational, personal, and home management skills and community travel abilities. Carroll Center President and CEO Greg Donnely described this year's group of graduates as "alive, boisterous, energetic, and enthusiastic."

"They helped serve us this summer," said Donnely. "It has been an amazing summer for everybody."

"Their social development and academic development over the summer is just amazing," he continued. "It seems like yesterday that they started, and they're here today with remarkable progress."

YIT program graduates spent their summer working on daily living skills, including cooking, cleaning, and laundry, health and money management, technology training on devices including computers, tablets, and smart speakers, and learning about travel options.

The students also took weekly field trips to Boston's historic sites, beaches, museums, and amusement parks and had the opportunity to join a variety of clubs and participate in activities including fencing, sailing, games, and arts.

"Your young people have learned a tremendous amount of skills this summer," Director of Rehabilitative Services Jennifer Harnish told parents and guardians at the ceremony. "Your young people have learned really new skills and what they need from you when they get home is to step back."

Carroll Center staff remarked on how close this year's students became, spending their free time in each other's company, and how they helped each other throughout the program.

"This group of students is probably the most supportive of other students that I have ever see," said Chief Program Officer Diana Rosenbaum.

For more information about summer programs at the Carroll Center, click here.