I first became aware of Harriet Boorhem about a year ago while we were researching a story on the state of homeless and runaway services in the United States. Boorhem is the president of Promise House, which provides a multitude of services to homeless youth in the Dallas area.
Searching for service providers to interview for the story, I noticed that Boorhem writes from time to time in an online journal of sorts that she called “Promises to Keep.” Her entries are as compelling as they are varied; the site is a true look into the life of a youth work leader.
Youth Today is happy to announce that Boorhem has agreed to chronicle more of her thoughts and observations as our blog section’s first online diarist. She will write about twice a month about her life as a youth work executive, the community she lives in, and the youths who pass through the Promise House doors.
These are precarious times for runaway and homeless youth providers, many of whom are seeing more youth in need of their help while federal and state resources remain stagnant or in decline. Capturing the emotions and experiences of a local leader in the field, we believe, will help tell the story of what is happening on the ground in one of youth work’s most challenging arenas.
Look for Boorhem’s first entry at Youthtoday.org in December. Enjoy!
John Kelly
Managing Editor
Youth Today
