Troubled Teens Resources

Boot camps serve a far different purpose than schools for troubled teens. They may be the last step before a teen finally ends up in prison. It’s the solution law enforcement devised decades ago in response to public out cry against violent teens.

“So law enforcement stepped up with the boot-camp solution, fashioned like a military camp. In the past, our grandfathers sent their errant boys into the service, and that practice worked… The boot-camp solution was designed as a last stop before prison…”

Over time boot camps started getting a bad rap. Some zealots in some camps took things too far and teens died. Some camps served their purpose well, actually turning teens around. But the media never said much about that.

“I see law enforcement backing away from anything but formal contact with the boot-camp-type boys.”

But what do you do with these kids who need one last chance? The public wants bad kids removed but then want those authorities responsible for their rehabilitation to wear velvet gloves. What is worse, one wonders, 2 months of hell at a boot camp or 10 years in prison.? Maybe the velvet glove public can come up with an answer but, for now, no one wants the boot camp kids.

“If law enforcement has given up on the boot-camp boys, arrest and punishment as adults could be the result.. I hope someone, anyone, will find something that will work with the boot-camp boys.”

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On way that teens can be sure to end up being sent to troubled teen boarding schools or some kind of boot camp is to post videos of themselves getting high on YouTube. We posted a drug alert earlier advising parents to be aware of the hallucinagenic drug Salvia Divorium , warning that in many states it still has not been outlawed.

Well, troubled teens are privy to the same information and instead of reading about the severe effects of this drug and taking heed, they are instead ingesting it and then videotaping themselves as they stumble about like demented banshees. Yup, that will really get you far in life.

“Even scarier than the websites just talking about Salvia, now teens are video taping and posting their experiences on websites like youtube. [Senator] Bulloch says, “I went to YouTube and saw all these different postings. And I looked at a lot of them. And its just, its scary, the high that it creates. The hallucination effect that it puts on the body and the dangers of young people, if they have other medical problems maybe their not aware of. This high could really create problems for them.”

Bulloch proposed a bill that would make selling or having it in your possession a misdemeanor in Georgia…Bulloch adds, “There are roughly 15 states now that have passed laws or have study committee looking at the law.”

Bulloch hopes eventually the United States will ban Salvia on a federal level…This strain, Salvia Divorium is native to Mexico, not the U.S., and would be the only form banned.”

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You do not usually see the discipline that is handed out in boot camps practiced in a public high school, but then Tahlequah Alternative School is designed more along the lines of schools for troubled teens than your standard high school.

“Ninth-grader Dylan Yanez must hold his hands behind his back each time he walks across the Tahlequah Alternative School campus.

He must wear the same black sweats and black shirt as other students. He must spend the whole school day without taking a break to chat with classmates. If he wants to speak, he must stand by his chair and ask, “Permission to speak.”

Referred to as a regimented program, it is an effort by the public school district in that county to keep troubled teenagers in school while simultaneously addressing their behavioral problems. The students, both girls and boys, must dress entirely in black sweat suits with boys sporting buzz cuts and girls with their hair bound back.

Unlike quasi-military educational “boot camps” like Thunderbird Youth Academy in Pryor, the Cherokee County academy does not board students overnight.

But Sams makes no bones about it. From the time they get to the school at 8:50 in the morning to the end of school at 3:30 p.m., those kids maintain strict, military discipline.

“They move from one room to another with their hands behind their back and do not stop and mess with anyone,” Sams said. “When they go to class, I make them sit in the front of the class. They need to be listening to the teacher, not back socializing.”

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One method of teen crisis intervention being employed in various cities around the country is teen court. This method of meting out justice has proven successful, often saving a out-of-control teen from offending again and landing in boot camps or schools for troubled teens.

“Teen Court has been a voluntary option for first-time juvenile offenders in Lawrence County for the past 12 years. The biggest benefit Teen Court affords the offender is a second chance, a chance to keep their record clean through successful completion of the Teen Court program and process. If the juvenile offender successfully completes the Teen Court program, their case is dismissed and their juvenile record remains clean.”

It seems peers do not like coming in front of their peers and being judged and such a judgement seems to be a strong factor for later deterrence.

The benefits the program holds for the community are two-fold. One is a focus on restorative justice, coupled with measures to deter first-time offenders from re-offending and, two, a savings to taxpayers. “We are making an impact with youth upon their first arrest. Being judged by their peers sends a strong message that this is not acceptable behavior. It is our goal to deter these first-time offenders, so we don’t see them as second, third or chronic offenders in the system,” said Todd.

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The juvenile offender in Cicero will be making their acquaintance with the type of discipline that resembles what is meted out in boot camps.

Next time a Cicero youth is caught vandalizing property, carrying illegal drugs or tagging a home with graffiti, police may tell the child to drop and give them 20.

The town approved an ordinance at its Tuesday board meeting that creates a police-administered “boot camp” where non-violent juvenile offenders could be sent for rehabilitation.

“Hopefully boot camp will put a little fear into them as to what is expected of them in society,” said Rolando Hernandez, deputy superintendent of internal affairs with the Cicero Police Department. “It’s a great idea and … will be a good program for the town.”

Teens will be presented with 50 hours of boot camp type drilling and instruction, divided up into several four hour Saturday sessions. Included will be mentoring, anger management classes as well as two hours of intense physical training.

It is hoped such intervention will deter the teens at risk from involvement in teen age drug abuse or other criminal activities in the future, as well as give them a tie to the community by applying some of that intense physical labor towards town clean up and other volunteer work.

“Police and court hearing officers can suggest the boot camp, on a case by case basis, to youth found in violation of administrative ordinances. Schools and parents can also recommend a child’s participation in the program, Hernandez said.”

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Boot camps, military boarding schools, troubled teen boarding schools, local non-profit teen programs, mentoring; all of these various programs dedicated to teen help achieve success by inculcating in the troubled teen one lesson and giving back a couple gifts.

The lesson comes in teaching the teen how to harness the power of his or her own will by choosing the discipline of commitment, exercised by perseverance.

Independence and self-possession are the gifts. Independence from addiction, independence from the negative influence of popular culture and peer pressure, independence from the dependency of victimhood. And that delivers the troubled teen’s life back into their possession, free to make of it what they will.

And those gifts come by way of the teen committing to do what it takes, no matter what it takes, to gain mastery over their life. The simplest way to learn that is to get a job and develop a work ethic that will hold the teen in good stead the rest of their life. The basics are boring, initially unrewarding, but pave the way to life long habits of success.

Many communities have put together such programs, underwritten by non profits or the business community. Waco, in the story below, is one such town.

“Through the program, teen parents, dropouts, juvenile offenders, homeless youth and others learn fundamental trade skills that will land them high-demand jobs and — for some — a chance at a college education.

Over the course of six weeks, a dozen youths rebuild their lives with little more than self- discipline and simple carpenters’ tools.
[..]
Brandon turned it all around after being accepted into Summer Building Trades…“I was able to see the result (of my bad decisions) and correct things,” he said. “You can’t get a job if you’re behind bars.”
[..]
He recently scored a football scholarship to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and said he’d like to become a teacher or a social worker.”

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Troubled teenagers are soon going to have more time on their hands to cause trouble. For a parent surveying the summer ahead there is a certain amount of dread. Alcohol continues to be the most widely abused substance amongst teens and summer months seem to amplify the problem. Statistics and consequences are unforgiving in the picture that they paint.

“The prevalence of alcohol use among teens mixed with the effects of alcohol — a tendency toward risky and violent behavior, impaired judgment and slowed reaction time — help explain why alcohol is a major factor in teen motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides and drowning.

Its use is also linked to early sexual intercourse, date and acquaintance rapes, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, fights and community property damage. In addition, many young people also die from alcohol poisoning.”
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One study asserts that over 4 million teens get drunk in any given month. A recent survey revealed that a quarter of the eight graders, almost half of all 10th graders and over half of the seniors got ripped the month before taking the survey.

Almost 80% say they drink because it feels good and almost half because they have nothing else to do. It is appalling to think of the damage that is done because of such inane excuses and reasons. In the richest country in the world, teens can think of no other way to “feel good” but to become stumbling, puking spectacles. Wow. What do you do with that?

If you have an at risk teen, a teen that just will not listen, consider finding a boot camp, a wilderness therapy program or a troubled teen boarding school. Find a program that can present a fresh perspective, that helps the teen to experience life lived with purpose, using the gifts that they were born with. If they know how to do that, they’ll never be bored again.

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder can be tackled by many methods besides medication. Recent studies have indicated a correlation between ADHD and too much media consumption. Other studies indicate outdoor activities as a tools for managing ADD. It’s been demonstrated that weight lifting and martial arts programs are excellent for counteracting ADHD. So disconnect the teen from their media, get them outside and enroll them in a sport. All medication free.

In fact there are programs appearing daily all over the world that employ a constellation of therapies that can turn ADD into an asset instead of a stumbling block. Boot camps, troubled teen boarding schools and military schools have success with a combination of structure, discipline, accountability and cognitive self-change.

Parents need not despair if their teen or child has been diagnosed with ADD. First, get more than one opinion. You might find some schools are extremely heavy handed when it comes to demanding a teen be medicated. Stand your ground and seek alternatives if you are uncomfortable with medicating your teen.

Experiment with behavioral modification training that you can conduct at home. About.com has several suggestions along these lines, with links to various programs.

“Behavior Modification programs are an important part of treatment for children with ADD/ADHD. They can be used to improve behavior at home, improve academic success or improve family relationships. They can range from elaborate programs to simple charts.”

“They’ve given quilts to men and women in the military, victims of Hurricane Katrina, 13 staffers at the center and Ashley Zauflik, the 17-year-old Falls girl seriously injured in a school bus crash earlier this year. They’ve also made quilted pillowcases for patients at Doylestown Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and nearly 300 tissue holders for Neshaminy Manor, the county-run nursing home.”

“They” in this case would be young boys,troubled teens serving in a mandatory residential treatment program for crimes and drug related problems.

The experience holds forth a basic principle that teen behavioral programs emphasize in troubled teen boarding schools, boot camps and other programs directed on teaching adolescents to re-invent their lives. It summons a number of skills and attitudes that teens may have not yet experienced.

“I thought it was corny,” said a 15-year-old boy who was committed to the center’s residential treatment program four months ago.

But he and the other teens say quilting teaches focus and teamwork and, perhaps more importantly, donating their handiwork earns them recognition and boosts their self-esteem.”

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One young man hits the nail on the head.

“..making quilts for sick kids or soldiers in Iraq, it feels good. It’s serving a purpose.”

A troubled teen needs to have a sense of purpose which comes from learning that their life has value and much to offer. It is a lesson that needs to be taught in teen boot camps and wilderness therapies simply because it is so infrequently taught at home.

Does your teen have a sense of purpose?

Boarding schools, military schools,brat camps and boot camps are standard and trusted listings in the menu of choices parents have when seeking professional help for their out of control teenagers.

There is also a variety of differing therapeutic programs that are designed to serve the wider community. Some offer a spiritual emphasis, some a militaristic approach, some follow more esoteric or specific treatment models. Some very effective but smaller programs are regional in scope,with little exposure or dissemination outside their immediate area.

Th multi-systemic therapy or MST, available in North Carolina, is an interesting and seemingly less disruptive means of redirecting out-of-control teens, by allowing the troubled teenagers to remain in their homes and schools, yet adhere to a regimen.

“I don’t know where we would have been today without MST,” said her grandmother, whose name is being withheld to protect Aja’s identity. “She was lost in grief, with no role model in her life. She would have been locked up by now.”

Aja’s family is one of more than 90 that have participated in MST since it was established in Bergen County five years ago. Only two other counties — Essex and Camden — offer it.

Those involved say it’s a proven model for dealing with some of the most troublesome juveniles.

“Beginning at age 11 or 12, many of these children get arrested about 25 times before they turn 18,” said Lucien Duquette, director of Bergen County’s Division of Family Guidance.

Unlike detention centers, boot camps or some other youth programs, multi-systemic therapy doesn’t isolate the teens. Rather, it deals with them in their own environment.

Therapists visit the juvenile’s family, relatives, neighborhood and school several times a week, keeping the youths away from undesirable peers and making sure they stay in school. The therapists also help the parents set rules.

It’s a tough job that puts them on call 24 hours a day. Sometimes they respond in the middle of the night, often in unsafe neighborhoods.
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Shortly before Christmas 2005, Aja walked out of her grandmother’s home in the middle of the night following a bitter argument. School officials called the livid grandmother a few days later.

“I told them I don’t want her home,” she said. “I will relinquish custody. Let DYFS take her. Let them take her to [a shelter].”

Both women were skeptical when a therapist from the MST program got involved. But after weeks of interviews, they settled on a plan that included counseling for the grandmother.

“That made me realize how I was grieving myself, and how I was contributing to Aja’s behavior,” the older woman said.

Through several sessions, both learned to control their anger and avoid provoking each other.

Soon, things quieted down. Aja eventually got a part-time job at a local clothing store.

She opened a bank account and obtained a driver’s permit. She stayed in school and out of trouble.

Accepted at six different universities, Aja eventually settled on Livingston College. She now chats with her grandmother by phone three times a day.

“That was our goal in the program, and we certainly achieved it,” her grandmother said.

Aja agreed.

“It’s a great program for someone who wants to change,” she said. “And I wanted to change.”
from North Jersey.com/Kibret Markos