Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - maruska

Pages: [1] 2
2
Tacitus' Realm / A lesson in history for Whooter
« on: November 27, 2010, 04:50:25 AM »
http://en.auschwitz.org.pl/m/index.php? ... y&catid=59

I hope you look at this and understand what I meant.

4
Open Free for All / Morgan
« on: September 07, 2010, 10:05:01 AM »
http://cafety.youthrights.org/wiki/inde ... rgan_Gauss

 I have not yet been placed in a "character building school/wilderness program/boot camp/gay re-education camp/or a therapeutic boarding school" but as of today I am packing to be placed in the later. Basically, Monday I will be expected to walk into a therapeutic/troubled teen boarding school titled "Academy at Sisters" - which is in Bend, Oregon. So far I have heard nothing but bad things of this school. Facebook groups of survivors have said that it's "taken their hopes and dreams, and replaced them with skills only to be used by housewives," and have claimed that, "it took away our basic rights, and forced us to learn nothing but compliance." My parents think it is a good idea to send me here, however, I disagree to the highest extent. I have done nothing wrong. Sure, In my past I've made mistakes, but whom hasn't? I have never done drugs, stolen, lied to the extent that it has caused me/others harm.. None of the things that the AAS advertises it shall help with. Why am I posting a testimony? Because I want this to be here for someone to edit while I'm in the program. Because I want someone to see that I had a level head about me before I left. I still have hopes, dreams, and ambitions, and I want that documented before it's gone.

I don't want to be added to the list of survivors. I don't want to have to try and survive it at all.

5
Open Free for All / Thank you, Fornits!
« on: June 10, 2010, 05:42:20 AM »
I found Fornits a couple of years ago. We were going through a very hard phase with our daughter and I was looking for solutions and I was interested to know, how other people survive teenage years of their children:) I found all those glossy program sites and learned, that my daughter would qualify for most of them. The programs looked interesting, even tempting:) I never knew before such programs existed, because we do not have them in Europe. On the surface everything looked so great, so logical...Then my friend told me about an American program that was opened in our country and closed due to child abuse after a couple of months....you would not send your daughter to such a place, are you crazy or what ?! she told me:)
 Child abuse?! I started to digg deeper.And then I found Fornits and  started reading....

All survivors who shared their stories helped me to better understand my daughter. And by learning more about programs I realized what I am doing wrong in our own home, for example that restrictions and punishments are a road to hell ...So this place has been therapeutic for me too.

Trust me, I can understand the parents desperation when you think you are losing your child and everything you try is in vain...To this day I am not sure why her puberty was so difficult. I can only guess: maybe I was too overprotective and she needed more space. Maybe she needed to rebel against everything just to find her own way . Maybe I pressured her too hard to see the world as I see it...maybe.
Today is my daughter 18 and I am so proud of her! She matured, she is amazing, she is talented and beautiful, a free spirit. I see the young woman she is becoming and I love what I see. She went through a difficult time  and we all survived as a family and we learned so much becase of  her, our family is stronger and closer today then ever. She changed...and we did,too. We are a living example that you can do it without a program:))
 

So I want to thank you all: all the survivors, all the people who come to Fornits and post. I am grateful to you.

6
The Troubled Teen Industry / Falsly accused
« on: May 22, 2010, 06:32:20 PM »
I know this is old, but I think still interesting....and telling...

http://forum.freeadvice.com/arrests-sea ... 52493.html

Our best friends' daughter is 15, and recently sent away to school for teens with severe problems. We are now in a SERIOUS situation because she has accused my husband of molesting her. My husband is INNOCCENT! But in these times, and this type of crime, you are GUILTY until PROVEN INNOCCENT. Which as parents ourselves, we have to admit, we might feel the same, if the situation were on us. Our two families have been close for over 10 years, and before she left for her "new school" we were involved with trying to help her. We don't understand why she is doing this to our families, and unfortunately, feel we should be taking pre-cautions to protect ourselves, and our children, from my husband being falsly arrested. Help!
....

In reply to why haven't we contacted an attorney, we plan to tomorrow. The situation came about in November, after the girl started sending home letters accusing everyone from her stepbrothers, to my husband, to some un-named person who she allegedly slept with for heroin. At that time, no one put much belief into it, because she's bi-polar and we thought she was trying to do anything and everything to get out and come home. Including her therapists' at school. It escalated this past Friday evening, when her mother called and said she has to believe her daughter, and she will tell anyone with children to stay away from us. I guess we're still in shock, and don't quite know what to do. We feel our lives and the lives of so many have or will be ruined by a seriously messed up kid....

7
The Troubled Teen Industry / How to become a field instructor...
« on: May 18, 2010, 08:49:17 AM »
Field instructors must be at least 21 years of age. They must be able to pass an annual physical examination, pass pre-employment and random drug screening tests and pass a Federal Criminal Background Check. They must have a high school degree or equivalent and have a current CPR & First Aid certification. Finally, our staff must be patient and love the outdoors.

THAT´S IT?!?  JUST A HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE?!?


Oh wait , yes there is something else: you will be expected to complete our training (7 days) and internship (3 shifts )
During the first half of training potential guides experience the program much like the students. They are blindfolded on the ride out to the wilderness to prevent them from “seeing the way out”, and metaphorically “starting a new life”. They are expected to memorize and abide by the rules including calling numbers while away at the latrine, completing camp set-up and break-down chores, and working on friction fires and phase work. Hiking is an integral part of training as it is imperative that guides have the physical stamina to keep up with the students on hikes. After the first few days of training focus transitions from learning what the students experience to the policies and procedures of the program as well as the skills a guide must have to be successful in the wilderness. Training lasts seven days in the field directly and two days in the classroom; total of nine days inclusive.


And after that: go and change the life of a teenager...


I simply cannot believe this. This must be a joke , right?!?

http://www.wildernesswork.com/faq.php

9
News Items / Missing teen
« on: April 26, 2010, 06:32:27 PM »
Mo. Teen Disappears Weeks Before Graduation
 

 
Missing 17-year-old Chanel Mare

Police say Chanel Mare walked away from the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Humansville, Mo., where she was just a few weeks from graduation. Her family is frantic to find her.

Chanel was last seen April 22, 2010, at Hood's Truckstop westbound on Interstate 44 in Missouri. The truckstop is about 90 minutes from the ranch, and officials have no idea how she got there.

In a strange coincidence, a volunteer at the ranch saw her at the truck stop. The volunteer called the school, and officials said they would come pick her up. But because of the distance between the school and truck stop, Chanel was gone by the time they got there. Officials say that Chanel either ran into the woods or hopped on a truck to avoid going back.

Chanel's family has turned to AMW help. They hope she is on her way back to where they live in Nevada, but she could be anywhere.

11
I WONDER IF   ANYONE WOULD HAVE AN ADVICE?

http://forum.freeadvice.com/child-custo ... 75-p2.html
.....
Why is the 15yo in "boarding" school?

Bottom line is that the stepmother was ticked off at the 15 year old and didn't want the daughter living with her. Before the marriage, the father was very lax on rules concerning the 15 year old. She did what she wanted. Then the stepmother moved in and imposed a lot of specific and strict rules. The 15 year old was given a huge written list of household chores that she was supposed to do daily. The girl balked at being turned into a maid. After about 3 weeks of conflict, 2 men showed up at the door and escorted the 15 year old to the airport and all the way to the camp in California. It costs something like 30-40k a year to keep her there...

My sister (the mother) was furious when she found out. She filed some motions but she didn't file the right one to "catch the court's attention." About 6 months after the girl was in CA, the court judge asked the father why the daughter was sent to camp. The judge asked, did she burn down a house? Steal a car? The father said no, that she "wasn't obeying the rules" at home.

The "camp" never allows family members to contact her unless they approve of and support their program. For that reason they have never allowed her own mother to communicate with the 15 year old. The stepmother however is allowed to write frequent letters to the 15 year old - and she mentions her deceased husband on literally every page. The father and stepmother claim the 15 year old is making "wonderful progress."

The father said that after the 15 year old completes the "program" in the California camp (summer 2010) then he will send her to an "internet gaming addiction camp." Back in January 2010, the extended family finally got to see the 15 year old for the first time since she was sent away. While she was glad to see us, she was also extremely depressed. She confided in some that she had thoughts of suicide, and also had written a suicide note a few months back while in CA. She is not doing good at all...

12
Facility Question and Answers / horrible...just horrible
« on: March 21, 2010, 02:56:23 PM »
http://www.troubledteenblog.com/choosin ... your-teen/

So Cal aunt February 16, 2010 at 11:30 am
My husband and I took legal guardianship of my niece after her recovering addict father (my brother) died when she was 10, and her addict mother’s attempts to parent her after a 9 year absence failed. We had a 3 yr old plus a new pregnancy at the time, and taking on a troubled 12 year old was challenging. These past 3 years have been stressful but worth it as we’ve seen her grow and thrive in a healthy family environment. In the past year, she’s been seeing a therapist (solo sessions or with me), to help deal with behavior issues — lying, failing in school, cigarette smoking, dressing and acting trashy, impulsive behavior (stole a pack of cigarettes, snuck out of the house after midnight, stole a yearbook at school), etc. She says she wants to change but doesn’t know how. We suggested there may be “skeletons” in her psyche from her childhood that she’s locked away but they are sneaking up on her occasionally… and she agreed. We recently started to slowly and carefully bring to light some of the neglect and abuse from her early years, barely scratching the surface… and the behaviors got worse. After a year of researching schools, and several talks with an education consultant friend of the family, we decided the time was right and settled on what we feel will be a great school for her: Cedar Ridge Academy (www.cedaridge.net). The ed con said “when kids need re-parenting, that’s the place I recommend”. It’s a small (41 kids) therapeutic boarding school with a family feel where they focus on emotional growth, helping kids deal with traumatic childhood experiences, and academic achievement (finish high school, college prep). I took her there last Wednesday for what she thought was an interview, then told her she was enrolled and would be staying. She was horrified I lied to her, especially when her friends (many whom are struggling teens and 2 are former RTC grads) warned her it might be a drop-off vs. a visit, and she defended me saying “my aunt would never do that to me… I trust her, she never lies to me”. I felt horrible. But she admitted she would not have come if I’d told her the truth, even though she agrees it’s in her best interest to be there. Anyway, it’s been a tough few days for all of us, but I have faith that she will thrive there. I have to write my Impact Letter today and don’t know where to start. In the meantime, I am so grateful for the presence of this blog and for all of you wonderful commenters (parents and former students) who so freely share your experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Thank you very much! God bless all of us and our struggling teens.



 :flame:

13
News Items / crazy...
« on: March 14, 2010, 06:30:08 PM »

14
The Troubled Teen Industry / Another sad story
« on: January 28, 2010, 08:53:14 AM »
From another forum:


This is the first time I have ever joined in on anything like this but I need someone who will understand what we're going through. We have an adopted 15 year old daughter who we have had since birth. She was always strong willed and was diagnosed as ADHD at 8 yr old. Things got progressively worse over the next 5 years. The summer before high school she started getting heavily involved in drugs & alcohol. In Oct 2007 we sent her to a school in Utah for help. She came home a couple months ago after being there for 16 months. She actually graduated from the program and we were so proud. They diagnosed her there with RAD and we have read everything we could get our hands on and done everything all the therapists said but find out now the basically cheated the system and did whatever she had to do to get out of there. She had been home a little over 2 months and is right back where she was before or even worse. Dealing with a teenager with RAD is very different that dealing with an infant or toddler. She is rude, disrespectful and using consequences doesn't work. We are pretty much waiting for her to get picked up by the police but know that they will only bring her right back home which she has made very clear is the last place she wants to be. God help us - we love her but just don't know what to do.

This is so sad...I feel for those parents, I was in similar situation a couple of years ago with my daughter....it was hell...so I know what they are dealing with...
they are hurting, they are scared...and here comes SOMEONE with a solution: let her go to a school in Utah to get help....oh well...

I do not know how the people working in those schools  can sleep at night...or do they really all  believe they are doing the right thing? Do they never have any doubts? Who is allowed to  work in such schools?  
I think back of the only time when such a school was opened in my country...the Morava academy. After a couple of weeks the Czech teachers reported the school to the police...they learned quickly that the methods were abusive and against the law in my country...the Academy was closed short after...so I wonder...

15
Feed Your Head / Painter
« on: January 27, 2010, 06:48:15 AM »
This has nothing to do with Fornits...but I find it fascinating...one of my students forwarded it to me and I think it might be interesting for you too:)

This video shows the winner of "Ukraine’s Got Talent",  Kseniya Simonova, 24,  drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II.  Her talent, which admittedly is a strange one, is mesmeric to watch.
 
The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about £75,000.
 
She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.
 
It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman’s face appears.
 
She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier..
 
This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.
 
In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.
 
The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine, resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.


http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vOhf3OvRXKg

Pages: [1] 2