Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Troubled Teen Industry => Topic started by: Anonymous on October 07, 2005, 01:33:00 AM
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HAHA.
Narvin Lichfield is my dad. You guys make me laugh.
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Oh, you poor thing!
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Not really. He's actually a decent guy, and I find it hilarious that people like you, who've never even met him, go on and on about how horrid a person he is and how he should rot in jail. That speaks volumes about you, not him.
I mean, for crying out loud, I was a complete skeptic of the whole process because I had the threat of being sent to one of these "horrible" programs hanging over my head from the minute I turned 13.
Now I'm 18, I actually work at a program as a tutor, and I see myself how much of these alleged "abuse cases" are just kids desperate to go back home where they can smoke pot again. Heck, they openly admit it to me. They'll say anything and everything. It's disgusting, and I actually pity the people who believe them.
Have there been actual abuse cases in the past? Undoubtedly. Is that anywhere near a norm? Absolutely not.
The fact is, if one of these kids thinks he can dupe his or her parents into bringing him or her home by saying they all get 50 lashings a day and only get fed mud mixed with oatmeal and blah-de-blah-de-blah, THEY'LL SAY IT.
90% of all the whining you hear from program kids is pretty stupid if you actually sit down and think about it.
I have vivid memories of when I was younger, kids going into the programs and lower-level kids trying so hard to poison my mind against my father. It's sick, now that I think back on it. One kid told me that my dad picked up a washing machine and dropped it...on his ear. Nevermind that there wasn't even a nick on the kid: think about that for a second. My father is a hefty guy. He would never be capable of lifting a washing machine. Almost ALL of the claims these kids make are exactly like that: utterly bogus if you actually stop to think about it.
Wake up, people. You're getting so riled up over nothing and it's really, really pathetic.
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On 2005-10-07 09:23:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Not really. He's actually a decent guy, and I find it hilarious that people like you, who've never even met him, go on and on about how horrid a person he is and how he should rot in jail. That speaks volumes about you, not him.
I mean, for crying out loud, I was a complete skeptic of the whole process because I had the threat of being sent to one of these "horrible" programs hanging over my head from the minute I turned 13.
Now I'm 18, I actually work at a program as a tutor, and I see myself how much of these alleged "abuse cases" are just kids desperate to go back home where they can smoke pot again. Heck, they openly admit it to me. They'll say anything and everything. It's disgusting, and I actually pity the people who believe them.
Have there been actual abuse cases in the past? Undoubtedly. Is that anywhere near a norm? Absolutely not.
The fact is, if one of these kids thinks he can dupe his or her parents into bringing him or her home by saying they all get 50 lashings a day and only get fed mud mixed with oatmeal and blah-de-blah-de-blah, THEY'LL SAY IT.
90% of all the whining you hear from program kids is pretty stupid if you actually sit down and think about it.
I have vivid memories of when I was younger, kids going into the programs and lower-level kids trying so hard to poison my mind against my father. It's sick, now that I think back on it. One kid told me that my dad picked up a washing machine and dropped it...on his ear. Nevermind that there wasn't even a nick on the kid: think about that for a second. My father is a hefty guy. He would never be capable of lifting a washing machine. Almost ALL of the claims these kids make are exactly like that: utterly bogus if you actually stop to think about it.
Wake up, people. You're getting so riled up over nothing and it's really, really pathetic."
I always wondered if your dad wears a toupee or if that is his real hair I saw in those pictures?
:grin:
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Nope. :lol:
It's all real. He used to dye it, but he gave up on that a while back, if that's any consolation.
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Charles Manson is a thoughtful poet and decent musician. What! Ever met him? Then what do you know? STFU!
If we choose to violate the rights of the innocent in order to discover and act against the guilty, then we have transformed our country into a police state and abandoned one of the fundamental tenants of a free society. In order to win the war on drugs, we must not sacrifice the life of the Constitution in the battle.
--US District Judge H. Lee Sarokin
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On 2005-10-07 09:48:00, Antigen wrote:
"Charles Manson is a thoughtful poet and decent musician. What! Ever met him? Then what do you know? STFU!If we choose to violate the rights of the innocent in order to discover and act against the guilty, then we have transformed our country into a police state and abandoned one of the fundamental tenants of a free society. In order to win the war on drugs, we must not sacrifice the life of the Constitution in the battle.
--US District Judge H. Lee Sarokin
"
Do I even have to reply to that? Come back with something logical and not stupid, OK? Thanks.
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Logic? It's your logic. No one, according to your "logic" can form a valid opinion about your father unless we've met him face to face. Even then, people who don't care for him or approve of his behavior just don't "get it".
In this context, how is your dad any different from Charles Manson? Do you feel that you can form a reasonable opinion of Charles Manson w/o having to get to know him intimately and personally?
If so, then why can't we all form valid and reasonable opinions about your dad and his behavior based on what is publicly known about him?
BTW, here's a question I've asked again and again and never gotten any decent public explanation. What is the meaning of the term "sweeping the sunshine"? If you're unfamiliar w/ that term then there is only one logical explanation; I know things about your father that you do not.
Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.
--Friedrich Nietzsche
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Son, when you were "younger" why did your father have you hanging around PROGRAM KIDS in the first place? That, in itself, is strange. From how you describe these program kids, why would a responsible father want you being a "tutor" for them? PERHAPS, training you to be IN the FAMILY business later on? From your attitude here, seems like you might just fit in: you show no respect for these kids, have a belittling attitude towards them, view them as "manipuliative little liars and druggies." Just a little more training, and YOU WILL BE ABUSING THEM, JUST LIKE DADDY, WON'T YOU?
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On 2005-10-07 09:23:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Not really. He's actually a decent guy, and I find it hilarious that people like you, who've never even met him, go on and on about how horrid a person he is and how he should rot in jail. That speaks volumes about you, not him.
I mean, for crying out loud, I was a complete skeptic of the whole process because I had the threat of being sent to one of these "horrible" programs hanging over my head from the minute I turned 13.
Now I'm 18, I actually work at a program as a tutor, and I see myself how much of these alleged "abuse cases" are just kids desperate to go back home where they can smoke pot again. Heck, they openly admit it to me. They'll say anything and everything. It's disgusting, and I actually pity the people who believe them.
Have there been actual abuse cases in the past? Undoubtedly. Is that anywhere near a norm? Absolutely not.
The fact is, if one of these kids thinks he can dupe his or her parents into bringing him or her home by saying they all get 50 lashings a day and only get fed mud mixed with oatmeal and blah-de-blah-de-blah, THEY'LL SAY IT.
90% of all the whining you hear from program kids is pretty stupid if you actually sit down and think about it.
I have vivid memories of when I was younger, kids going into the programs and lower-level kids trying so hard to poison my mind against my father. It's sick, now that I think back on it. One kid told me that my dad picked up a washing machine and dropped it...on his ear. Nevermind that there wasn't even a nick on the kid: think about that for a second. My father is a hefty guy. He would never be capable of lifting a washing machine. Almost ALL of the claims these kids make are exactly like that: utterly bogus if you actually stop to think about it.
Wake up, people. You're getting so riled up over nothing and it's really, really pathetic."
You are great at discounting reality, you really are. Funny, I've never seen a kid in a program post here, only the ones who have already left/graduated. According to you, the only people accusing staff/programs of abuse are those wanting to leave. Doesn't exactly make too much sense does it? It's okay though, I understand you are only 18 and your post certainly shows it. I'm sure it will take you many years to work out the teachings of your father, I couldn't imagine having such a useless individual as a parent. Your mind must be seriously warped. When you grow up maybe you can come back and we can have an adult conversation. Until then, good luck overcoming your future demons.
The most interesting part of your post is the fact they allow 18 year olds to 'tutor' other students. What are you a few months older than the oldest students at the program? :rofl: What qualifications do you have? Ohhh... that's right, you don't need any to work at a shitty program!
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I mean, for crying out loud, I was a complete skeptic of the whole process because I had the threat of being sent to one of these "horrible" programs hanging over my head from the minute I turned 13.
That's horrible your parent(s?) held that threat over your head your entire adolescence. I've met a few people who were placed in programs at the age of 12 and 13 and they were definitely the most worse off. They routinely were the punching bags of the older students who wanting to 'let off steam'. It's a pity you support your fathers evil deeds. Although I am sure you will, I would work hard at trying not to follow in his footsteps. He is one of the most hated individuals in this industry. For good reason!
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So , son of shithead, why did dundee close down then if it's so great?
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Dundee Campaign Donation Probed
By Tim Rogers
trogers@ticotimes.net
In the latest chapter of the campaign finance scandal involving President Abel Pacheco, the office of Patriotic Parliamentary Bloc congressman Humberto Arce confirmed yesterday that it is looking into reports that Narvin Lichfield, owner of the defunct tough-love Dundee Ranch Academy, donated $10,000 to the President's election bid.
Arce, a vocal leader on the congressional committee investigating campaign finance irregularities, was asked by regional child-advocacy group Casa Alianza to look into the possibly irregular contribution following a Nov. 28 report in The Tico Times, in which Lichfield admitted he donated to Pacheco's campaign.
Lichfield acknowledged in a phone interview with The Tico Times last month that he had donated money to Pacheco's campaign, and had appealed to the President for help when his academy was forced to close in May on allegations of children's rights abuses.
Foreign campaign donations are illegal under Costa Rica's Electoral Code.
The Pacheco campaign team, however, managed to skirt finance regulations by creating a parallel fund-raising structure to handle irregular donations that were never reported to the Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE), as required by law.
Although Lichfield admitted to the donation, a Tico Times' investigation of TSE campaign-finance records turned up no such financial contribution either in the name of Lichfield, his Costa Rican wife, academy director Joe Atkin, Dundee Ranch Academy, Rancho Dundee, or the WorldWide Association of Specialty Programs.
Dundee Ranch Academy, a behavior-modification program for wayward U.S. teenagers, was closed May 24 following two government interventions to investigate allegations of rights abuse (TT, Oct. 25, 2002; Jan. 17, March 14, May 23, 30). Lichfield was arrested and jailed for 24 hours, before being released on conditional freedoms.
Pacheco is currently out of the country and the Casa Presidencial did not respond to The Tico Times inquiries by press time yesterday.
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What kind of 'treatment' facility needs to give thousands of dollars, in other words, bribes, to public officials?
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U.S. Youths Rebel at Harsh School, by Tim Weiner
OROTINA, Costa Rica, May 25 -- A torrent of teenage rage, hard and fast as the tropical rain on this Pacific coast, washed away the Academy at Dundee Ranch this weekend.
Dundee Ranch, the latest foreign outpost in a far-flung affiliation of behavior modification programs that promises to convert troubled American teenagers into straight arrows, lasted 19 months before the students rose up in revolt and overthrew their masters.
The rebellion erupted after Costa Rican officials visited the ranch -- an old hotel on a rutted red-dirt road -- and told the children of their rights after complaints about the program from a former director.
"They told us you have the right to speak, you have the right to speak to your parents, you have the right to leave if you feel you've been mistreated," said Hugh Maxwell, 17, of Rhode Island. "Kids heard that and they started running for the door. There was elation, cheering and clapping and chaos. People were crying."
Adults beat some of the children to quell the uprising, according to six people present. The academy's owner, Narvin Lichfield, was jailed for 30 hours, may face criminal charges and has been ordered by a judge to remain in Costa Rica. Four staff members feared by the children are being deported to Jamaica, government officials said. Most of the children are going home, many to an uncertain future.
About 30 youths still remain at the academy. Two of them, Sean McDevitt of North Carolina and David Saczawl of New Jersey, sat in the cafeteria and joked about a fitting sentence for Mr. Lichfield, should he be tried on human rights charges, as threatened by a local prosecutor.
"Four years here would be about right," said Sean, who has spent the past 11 months at the academy.
Dundee Ranch's base lay in the canyonlands of southern Utah, in a business called the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, or Wwasps.
Wwasps, based in St. George, Utah, bills itself as the fastest-growing enterprise aimed at defiant and delinquent children. Some 2,200 children in 11 affiliated programs in the United States and abroad are charged between $30,000 to $50,000 in tuition and fees, generating yearly revenues of $60 million or more.
Wwasps disclaims ownership or direction of these affiliated programs. But Craig Barlow, a Utah State prosecutor who brought a child abuse charge against the director of one Wwasps-affiliated school, says they are "a lateral arabesque with no hub except for these connections in Utah." He cites a network of interlocking directorships based on blood and business ties.
Narvin Lichfield is a brother of Wwasps' founder. He started a Wwasps program in South Carolina, Carolina Springs Academy, then moved to Dundee Ranch, which opened in 2001.
Parents who sent their children to Wwasps-affiliated programs -- including Dundee Ranch; Casa by the Sea, in Ensenada, Mexico; and Tranquility Bay in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica -- suggest the programs meet a deep need. In many cases, a bitter divorce led to despair over a child who turned defiant. Schools, courts, and public health systems proved unable to cope.
Searching the Internet, parents found the Wwasps programs. A call to a toll-free number produced sales pitches, and offers of financial assistance helped to sell the programs, which are booming.
Dundee Ranch's enrollment increased 30 percent over the past year. According to students, as many as 15 children slept in a single room.
According to students, Narvin Lichfield was a fleeting if unforgettable presence.
Corey Martin, 17, who left Dundee Ranch in July, described Mr. Lichfield in a telephone interview last week as "a used-car salesman." Hugh Maxwell said: "There are people there who care about the kids. Narvin is not one of them. He's in it for the money."
Students said Mr. Lichfield set up a system typical of Wwasps programs. Children were divided into six levels, the lower ones forbidden to speak freely or raise their eyes, the higher ones free to discipline and punish inferiors. A muscular cadre of minimum-wage staff members enforced the system. Communication between parents and children was barred or closely edited. Parents were told that complaints from children were manipulative lies.
Academy directors came and went. Amberly Knight held the job from March to August 2002. She resigned, and early in March this year wrote to the Costa Rican minister for child welfare, saying that "Dundee Ranch Academy should not be allowed to operate because it is poorly managed, takes financial advantage of parents in crisis, and puts teens in physical and emotional risk."
Two months later, Ms. Knight's complaint led to a confrontation. Representatives of Costa Rica's child-welfare agency -- known as PANI, its Spanish-language initials -- arrived at Dundee Ranch on May 20, backed by the police. Events were described by six witnesses, including Joel Snyder, 17, of Wisconsin, in an open letter to Dundee Ranch parents.
"When PANI told some kids they had the right to speak to their parents and the right to private mail or even not to be held in that country, kids ran for freedom," his account reads. Other children confirm that between 30 and 50 of them revolted, some fleeing on foot, heading for the hills or seeking a beachhead on the Pacific Ocean, 20 miles away.
Joel did not run. But he refused to sign a statement immediately produced by the Dundee Ranch staff saying he had been well treated. "I was immediately forced into a High Impact facility," he wrote. He tried to leave, he wrote, and was beaten with a stick by the staff.
A 14-year-old girl at the academy, whose mother asked that her name be withheld, picked up the account.
"The police said those who wanted to leave could leave and we could talk to our parents," she said in an interview. "The staff members tried to pull all the kids back to the dorms. It was chaotic. We were excited -- `Oh my God, I'm going home.' We thought the school was going to shut down right there. Some of the kids started walking out."
She said that staff members started kicking, hitting and choking children to stop them from leaving, and that the punishment continued for hours after the Costa Rican officials left. "We wanted to talk to a higher power, the U.S. Embassy, but they would not let us," she said. Her mother, informed of the chaos through a parents' grapevine, reached the embassy, which sent a consular services officer, who helped reunite mother and daughter.
On Thursday afternoon, Mr. Lichfield regrouped. "He called every kid into the cafeteria and said, `Program's back in order. No one's leaving. Stop acting up,' and that lit a fire," Hugh Maxwell said. "It was a full-fledged riot."
Then, that night, "Narvin got arrested and all hell broke loose," as one parent who was visiting at the time described the scene. Mr. Lichfield was detained on Thursday night on a local prosecutor's complaints of physical and psychological abuse. The police seized the program's computers and files.
In Utah, Ken Kay, president of Wwasps, sought to calm parents and transfer children to Wwasps-affiliated programs inside and outside the United States. But over the weekend, even parents who passionately believe in the program found flights home for their children.
Mr. Kay kept working to persuade them to stay, saying in a weekend e-mail message -- a copy of which was made available by parents -- that programs in New York, Montana and Jamaica "would be happy to work with your child."
"I feel bad that you don't recognize that Narvin was trying to do what he could for your children," Mr. Kay wrote.
"I can't say the program did no good," said Dustin Sanow, 17, of Mississippi, "but it's pretty traumatic. Parents have no idea what's going on. I feel they manipulated my folks."
His mother, Anita Sanow, an Air Force major, did not find out that Dundee Ranch had collapsed until Sunday afternoon. "I feel that people were less than honest with me about the program," she said. "I feel they misrepresented things. I feel like the dollar mattered more than the kids."
Dustin's friend Hugh Maxwell said: "I support the program. It provides you with a chance to change. But it deprives you of so much, too. It's a last resort. It's desperation."
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does anyone have a picture of this piece of shit Narvin Lichfied?
Heres a picture of his fatass ugly brother;
(http://http://www.denver-rmn.com/desperate/site-desperate/graphics/robert.JPG)
So sonny boy, is your dad as fat and ugly as his brother? Looks like they are eating well.
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I have vivid memories of when I was younger, kids going into the programs and lower-level kids trying so hard to poison my mind against my father.
You just don't get it. These kids were trying to convince you of the truth, not poison your mind; rather free your mind! If you came near me and I found out you were the program owners son I wouldn't have 'talked' to you if you catch my drift. I would of gotten together with some others and taken you hostage. This isn't a game, son. I hope you realize that.
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On 2005-10-07 11:27:00, Anonymous wrote:
why did your father have you hanging around PROGRAM KIDS in the first place?
Because they believe w/ the full faith of a religious zealot that the Program is the high holy answer to anything and everything; completely wholesome and good for everybody.
People everywhere enjoy believing things that they know are not true. It spares them the ordeal of thinking for themselves and taking responsibility for what they know.
BROOKS ATKINSON (1894-1984), Once Around The Sun, 1951.
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Please look into the for profit 'tough love' programs under WWASP/Teen Help. Thanks.
"In the burgeoning new industry that promises parents to straighten out their defiant teens, no programs are more controversial than those linked by several Utah-based umbrella groups [WWASP, Teen Help]. One of the programs, in Mexico, was shut by local authorities in 1996. A program in the Czech Republic was shut by local authorities last fall. A third, Brightway Adolescent Hospital in St. George, Utah, closed during a state investigation last year."
Links:
Ex-Student Sues Utah 'Tough Love' Firm - [Worldwide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASP) Teen Help, Teen Escort Services, and company officials including Ken Kay, Robert B. Lichfield, Karr Farnsworth, Brent M. Facer, Jay Kay and David Gilcrease] http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03012003/utah/34117.asp (http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03012003/utah/34117.asp)
Morava Academy heads arrested before http://www.nospank.net/n-d77.htm (http://www.nospank.net/n-d77.htm)
Kid Help or Kidnapping? http://www.coastalpost.com/98/12/10.htm (http://www.coastalpost.com/98/12/10.htm)
'I call it teen torment' http://www.denver-rmn.com/desperate/sit ... rate.shtml (http://www.denver-rmn.com/desperate/site-desperate/day2/pg5-desperate.shtml)
Tranquility Bay student court Testimony http://fornits.com/anonanon/docs/wwasp/toc.htm (http://fornits.com/anonanon/docs/wwasp/toc.htm)
Who Really Owns WWASP & Teen Help? http://www.ytyt.org/infobank/document.cfm/parent/1142 (http://www.ytyt.org/infobank/document.cfm/parent/1142)
"There were little rooms, one meter by one metre, with a small window that were used to contain these girls as punishment for three or four days." http://www.intrepidnetreporter.com/Teen ... beach.html (http://www.intrepidnetreporter.com/TeenHelp/sunrisebeach.html)
Specialty Schools For Defiant Teens IntrepidNetReporter.com http://www.intrepidnetreporter.com/Teen ... nhelp.html (http://www.intrepidnetreporter.com/TeenHelp/teenhelp.html)
Psychologist Warns of an Abusive and Dangerous Residential Treatment Program for Teens [Teen Help] http://www.aizan.net/families/teens_dan ... atment.htm (http://www.aizan.net/families/teens_dangerous_treatment.htm)
Officials to Investigate 'Tough Love' Facility Here http://www.ticotimes.net/archive/01_17_03_2.htm (http://www.ticotimes.net/archive/01_17_03_2.htm)
Questions raised about Lichfield [Teen Help] http://www.thehawkeye.com/daily/stories/ln4_1216.html (http://www.thehawkeye.com/daily/stories/ln4_1216.html)
Is WWASP/Teen Help a form of terrorism? http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/16219 (http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/16219)
SCHOOLS OF HARD KNOCKS [WWASPS - Teen Help] http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1 ... ture2.html (http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/02/cov_23feature2.html)
Learn more about the WWASPS, Teen Help seminars also known as TASKS http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/des ... rate.shtml (http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/desperate/site-desperate/mpg9-desperate.shtml)
Youth Facility Director Charged With Sexual Abuse [Majestic Ranch] http://www.sltrib.com/2002/dec/12052002/utah/8391.htm (http://www.sltrib.com/2002/dec/12052002/utah/8391.htm)
My Personal Experience At Cross Creek Manor http://www.wwaspisabuse.netfirms.com/my ... ience.html (http://www.wwaspisabuse.netfirms.com/mypersonalexperience.html)
Deceived At Dundee Ranch http://www.helpyourteens.com/news/janua ... etter.html (http://www.helpyourteens.com/news/january_2003_newsletter.html)
Spamdexing the Internet http://www.helpyourteens.com/news/decem ... etter.html (http://www.helpyourteens.com/news/december_2002_newsletter.html)
Lost boy http://www.denver-rmn.com/news/0702core5.shtml (http://www.denver-rmn.com/news/0702core5.shtml)
Academy at Dundee Ranch breakout http://nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/inde ... cue20.html (http://nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/newsstory/rescue20.html)
Desperate Measures http://www.denver-rmn.com/desperate/sit ... rate.shtml (http://www.denver-rmn.com/desperate/site-desperate/mpg4-desperate.shtml)
gulag school(Diaries) http://images.kuro5hin.org/print/2001/5/16/16455/3295 (http://images.kuro5hin.org/print/2001/5/16/16455/3295)
Horror at Casa by the Sea http://www.google.com/search?q=wwasp&hl ... rt=50&sa=N (http://www.google.com/search?q=wwasp&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=50&sa=N)
Child Abuse In Foreign Schools For Wayward Americans (small details about Morava Academy, a WWASP facility that shut down after local authorities investigated allegations of abuse, child neglect and other wrong doing) http://www.coastalpost.com/98/12/10.htm (http://www.coastalpost.com/98/12/10.htm)
The Defiant School - Carolina Springs Academy http://www.free-times.com/archive/cover ... chool.html (http://www.free-times.com/archive/coverstorarch/defiantschool.html)
Troubled teens are a cash crop http://www.starbulletin.com/1999/09/29/ ... .html#jump (http://www.starbulletin.com/1999/09/29/news/story2.html#jump)
Teen Boot Camps Visitor Comments http://www.rickross.com/reference/teenb ... sitor.html (http://www.rickross.com/reference/teenboot/teenbootvisitor.html)
Teen Concentration Camps http://www.libertarianrock.com/topics/t ... index.html (http://www.libertarianrock.com/topics/teencamps/teencampsindex.html)
A Parents' True Story A Wake Up Call to ALL Parents Looking for a School or Program http://www.helpyourteens.com/true_story.html (http://www.helpyourteens.com/true_story.html)
WWASP/Teen Help Abuses Youth http://www.wwaspisabuse.netfirms.com/ (http://www.wwaspisabuse.netfirms.com/)
Residential Treatment for Youth: Do No Harm! http://www.wpic.pitt.edu/aacp/Vol-15-3/Youth.html (http://www.wpic.pitt.edu/aacp/Vol-15-3/Youth.html)
Who's Guarding The Kids? http://classic.sacbee.com/news/projects ... index.html (http://classic.sacbee.com/news/projects/guarding_kids/folo_index.html)
Trickery at Tranquility Bay, Jamaica http://www.helpyourteens.com/news/extra ... etter.html (http://www.helpyourteens.com/news/extra_january_2003_newsletter.html)
Forum - Testimony of Teens Kidnapped w/ authorization of parents and taken to overseas "behavior modification" schools. http://www.metafilter.com/comments.mefi/20422 (http://www.metafilter.com/comments.mefi/20422)
Message Board - We've Been There...Over 500+ Posts http://pub57.ezboard.com/bwevebeenthere (http://pub57.ezboard.com/bwevebeenthere)
MessageBoard - wwasp, Tranquility Bay ,CCM, SCL http://www.voy.com/58570/ (http://www.voy.com/58570/)
To the Minister of Child Welfare:
I worked as the Director at the Academy at Dundee Ranch from March to August of 2002. During this time, Mr. Joseph Atkin was the Financial Director.
Mr. Kenneth Wilson was the Student Director. I replaced Mr. Ron Del Aguila (who replaced Mr. Randall Hinton). After I left in August of 2002, Mr. Joseph Atkin replaced me. Mr. Atkin left in February of this year, and has been replaced by Mr. Francisco Bustos.
I feel that Dundee Ranch Academy should not be allowed to operate because it is poorly managed, takes financial advantage of parents in crisis, and puts teens in physical and emotional risk.
Dundee Ranch Academy is poorly managed, and this is why so many directors have left in the short 18 months that the school has been open. Company
policies and procedures changed daily on the whims of Mr. Narvin Lichfield, the owner. While I was there, Mr. Lichfield and his wife (girlfriend at the time) often made it impossible for my staff and myself to do our jobs. For example, Mr. Lichfield and his wife often changed the rules of the program without informing the staff. They would give kids special permission to
break rules, until it got to the point where the staff gave up trying to
control the students. Mr. Lichfield and his wife often demanded that structural changes be made to buildings or that new buildings be built without obtaining the necessary building permits. Orotina authorities visited several times and threatened to close the place if construction was occurring when they returned. However, because the construction workers
were more afraid of Mr. Lichfield and his fits of rage than they were of the local authorities, they would go right back to work as soon as the authorities were out of site.
The purpose of Dundee Ranch is not to help teens in crisis or their families. It is to make millions of dollars for the owner. Although the profit margins are approximately 50% -75%, Mr. Lichfield is unsatisfied. He continues to try to squeeze out every penny he can. This is achieved by
hiring unqualified, untrained staff, providing the bare minimum of food and living essentials, and by adding huge margins to additional services. For example, if a student needs a ride to San Jose to visit the doctor, Dundee charges the parents $250 when it costs them $50. If a student sees the Doctor, parents are charged $50; Dundee pays $15. If a student needs medicine, parents are charged $30; Dundee typically pays $2 - $3. Parents pay $95 per month for "incidentals" like toothpaste and deodorant. These incidentals, while I was there, cost Dundee $15 per month.
While I was in the process of resigning from Dundee Ranch last August, an American male staff member assaulted and raped a female staff member at a location of about 100 meters from where all the students are housed. I was not on the premises at the time, but was involved in reporting the incident to the Costa Rican authorities and staying with the employee's mother who flew in from the United States. The parents of students who were in the
program were not informed of the incident. Mr. Atkin, one of Dundee's many Directors, dismissed the incident to a Tico Times reporter as a "non-issue." One of the reasons that the incident was not made public was because the employee who committed the crime was a recent "graduate" of an affiliated program. The program claims a 92% "success" rate, and a drunken assault of a graduate would not be seen as a success.
This leads to another issue-untrained, unqualified staff. None of the staff members are trained to work with at-risk youth. The only reason we had hired Mr. Andy Lamb, a young 19-year-old with a history of abusive behavior, is because he knew the program, and was willing to work for the very low
wage offered by Mr. Lichfield. According to the Mr. Lichfield, "there was not enough money in the budget" to hire trained, qualified staff. Here are some other highlights: * The owner, Mr. Lichfield, has been involved with these types of programs for at least 15 years, but as the Marketing person, not as a clinical person. * The current director, Mr. Francisco Bustos, (as Mr. Atkin recently got fed up with the chaos and also left Dundee Ranch) has no experience. If you
look at their website, it states that he has experience owning and operating 5 pizza restaurants. The reason he was hired is because he was a longtime friend of the owner's wife, Ms. Flori Alvaredo. * The "Family Fathers", the staff who spend all day with the students, give corrections and punishment to the students, and who are supposed to teach and kindly correct the students, are minimum wage workers who do not speak English. * The "Family Representatives", the staff that hold daily counseling sessions (called "Reflections") with the students have no training or background in this area. They are also the only point of contact between the program and the students and often find themselves in a family counseling role, for which they are not qualified. * They have only one trained psychologist on staff, who visits once a week, but parents must pay an additional $75/hour for his services. * I am the first to admit that I was not even qualified to be there. I hold a degree in Secondary Education, but took only one class in working with
at-risk youth.
In addition to this, when I was there, most of the staff were disgruntled and frustrated with the way they were treated. Often their paychecks did not arrive on time or with the right amount of money. They often took their frustration at the administration out on the students. They treated students poorly (yelling at them, giving them extra "consequences".) Staff turn-over is very high. This creates additional instability with the students. During the year 2002, there were four different Directors. "Family Representatives" and teachers came and left monthly. This created additional emotional instability in the students who were already torn from their parents and allowed extremely limited time to talk with the other students in the program. The only chance they often had to talk was with staff, and those staff continued to leave the program.
As an employee, the only training I received was on how to manipulate parents. I was told many times that "there is no reason for a student to return home before 'graduating' the program". Once they are in, they are there to stay. This process takes 12 to 36 months. There were many students who had psychological, medical, or special education needs that we could not meet. When I suggested that they be sent to another place where they could receive the help they needed, I was told to "keep my mouth shut and make sure that their parents kept them there." I was threatened with my job. If there were students who would be better off going home or entering another program, I was not allowed to suggest this to the parent. Ironically, if the parents had concerns about what was going on, we were
told to tell the parents that their children were "just manipulating them."
Students were not allowed to communicate freely with their parents, or anyone else. They were allowed to write a weekly email and letter, but the staff was instructed to read the email and letter and take out anything they did not like, or write comments to the parents. The students were not allowed to express their true feelings. Students were not allowed to talk with their parents until they were "Level 3", which could take anywhere from 4 to 24 months. At that point, they were allowed a 15 minute phone call
once a month. Staff was instructed to hang the phone up and terminate their conversation if the student said anything negative about the program.
Students were not allowed to talk without permission. Typically, they would be able to speak with their friends for about 15 to 30 minutes a day. They were isolated from the outside world. They did not have a chance to view a newspaper or the internet. Emotionally, this was very difficult for the
students, as many of them processed their emotions by talking about them.
When I first arrived, "restraints" were common. This was when a staff member would twist a student's arm around their back and throw them to the ground or against a wall. I know of at least one case where an arm was dislocated. I insisted that this stop, and I am fairly certain that it did not happen while I was there. However, I have heard reports that this was started again after I left. Further investigation should be done.
Another punishment was writing "essays" of 3000 to 150,000 words. Students were required to sit in a dark room without proper back support, and write these essays until they finished the required number of words. Often, staff members, for no apparent reason, would rip up the essays and make the students start over. Students were required to write for 8 hours a day until their words were completed.
The worst punishment was "OP" or "Observational Punishment." In this, students were required to stand, kneel, sit, or lay on a cement floor without moving for 30 minutes at a time. They had to do this for 8 hours a day, until they had "served their time". When some of the kids accepted
this, the staff made them run 100s of laps around the pool, just to make it miserable enough that the kids would want to comply.
Students had no voice. If they had a complaint, they were supposed to write a "grievance" on a piece of paper. Often, these were lost or confiscated by staff who did not want to look bad.
I stayed at Dundee because I wanted to make things run well, because I believe that when administered well, the program can be effective for some teens. However, many of the teens that were there at the time (and probably still there) would be much better served somewhere else. This was not an option because it would take money out of Mr. Lichfield's pocket. I also
realized that my efforts would never be successful. I could not hire and keep trained staff. I could not spend money on things the kids needed.
Several times we ran out of toilet paper and the kids had to use notebook paper. I could not get Mr. Lichfield to begin the dorms that were so desperately needed, and that he promised to parents "were in the works". Everything was focused on the profits Mr. Lichfield could make, not on the health or welfare of the students. Some additional examples of this are: * The city water was disconnected and students were given well water to drink, because the city water was "too expensive". Shortly thereafter, approximately 40 students got diarrhea and eventually drinking water was filtered. This may have been a coincidence. But even if the water did not have any problems, they should have tested it before they began giving it to students. * The kids are crowded in their rooms. There are as many as 15 kids in what used to be a single hotel room. They were required to sleep from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am to save on staff costs. (We only needed 2 staff when the boys were in their beds, versus 6-8 staff when they were awake.) Mr. Lichfield did not want to spend the money to hire additional staff. * For the first 10 months that the school was open, there were no trained staff administering medicine. After several students were given the wrong medicine, or were not given their medication, I insisted on hiring two full-time nurses. Before that, the minimum wage staff members who could not speak English were required to pass out medicine. I did not have the resources or support necessary to provide what I felt was a humane and safe environment for these teens. I was also concerned about the "High Impact" extension that was a copy of a program that was shut down in Mexico because of the death of students. For these reasons, I decided to resign in early August. It would be my pleasure to speak to someone about these issues. I can be reached at this email address, or by phone at 001-313-577-2704 during the day, or at 001-248-545-4163 during the evening.
Kind regards, Amberly Knight ***************************************
March 3, 2003
To the Minister of Child Welfare,
I am a parent of a former student at Dundee. My son was there from November, 2001 ? August, 2002. I am very concerned for the children that are still there. I worked closely with the school while my son was there, but still did not get answers to the questions that I asked.
It started with the lies that were told to my husband and I. We were looking for a boarding school for our son. After looking into many schools, we thought we found the perfect one. WWASP explained to us that Dundee had an aggressive academic program, a program to work with the locals to learn a new culture and a strict environment where teens would learn accountability. We were never told of the "program". We felt comfortable sending him to beautiful Costa Rica.
My son went through the first "levels" quickly so we were allowed to speak with him on the phone. He knew what kind of school we were looking for. He told us that this was not what we were told it was, that it was a program and not a boarding school. He said that the staff read his e-mails to us and when he had something to tell us, he had to wait and talk on the phone. When we addressed this with the director at the time, we were told that we were being manipulated by our son. Over time, I realized that this is the answer the staff gives the parents for any complaints that the students have. This was a red flag for me.
We decided to keep him there until PCI. This is the first time that parents are allowed to visit their children. This was one of the lies told to us from the beginning, that we would be able to visit our son after 2 1/2 to 3 months. We waited almost 6 months. I was concerned with what I saw. The staff was inexperienced. They were very nice people, but not one of them had the credentials to be able to speak to me about my son. The bottom line for them was to say anything they could so that the parent would not pull their child from the school. I knew that this was a rustic place, but the overcrowding was terrible. There were 12-14 grown boys in a small room. The beds were small and close together. The doctor even said that it was not healthy to have them so close together. When one got sick, they all did. The kids were really out of shape. Not enough organized exercise. Their diet wasn?t bad, but very little meat and vegetables. The academics were not what was promised. And the rules were somewhat scrambled. When I returned to the states, I wrote a long letter to the school with my concerns. I represented many other parents. We couldn?t believe how much of our money was being taken in, and how little was spent on the kids. I was granted a phone call from Narvin Litchfield about these concerns. He proceeded to tell me about all the great plans he had. He even sent me the blue prints of what the school would soon look like. To this day, with the quick growth of this school, I don't think that they have built the new dorms yet. It hasn?t changed much except for the building of the "High Impact".
This brings me to a major concern. When I was there in August to pull my son from this school I saw "High Impact". This is a place where children are taken to if they do not behave. Dundee already has a punishment system that I feel is very excessive. OP as they call it is a place of isolation. Some kids stay there for weeks at a time until they conform to every rule. The children often have to lie on a cement floor, hands behind them for long periods of time. You may end up there for a very minor infraction. This is something that I would appreciate someone looking into. I don?t know if the High Impact building is open yet, but it is something that really needs to be looked into. They closed the one down in Mexico, where a teen died. Once a child is taken behind those walls, I don?t feel that there is anyone there to be able to make sure that no real harm comes to this child.
Another event happened while I was there in August. A male staff member seriously attacked and raped a female staff member. They were both graduates of the program and returned to this school to work. This happens frequently in these schools, as grads work for very low wages. I was in Joe Atkins office while he was talking with authorities to try and find this boy. It was pretty serious at the time, but later Mr. Atkins shrugged the story off in the Tico Times.
I feel that there is both physical and mental abuse to these teens. Some of the children that are there may have been headed for jail back home but there are also many of them like my son, whose parents wanted them to have an opportunity. An opportunity to catch up in school, learn a new language and culture and get back on the right path. The parents are so manipulated that they don't really know how there son or daughter is doing, and would never get a call from the staff that they thought that this was to harsh for them and they need to go home. I don't believe this has ever happened in any of the WWASP schools. With vertually no screening of these teens before they enter the school, it is hard to understand that some one would not recognize that this is not the place for everyone. Once you enroll your child, you are pressured into thinking that he will only succeed if he "graduates the program". This can take from 18-24 months.
I do believe that there is physical abuse going on. I understand that there are times when a child may need to be restrained, but I believe it is happening to often. The mental abuse is worse. They are not allowed to talk with each other except in group to talk about their problems. They have absolutely no contact with the outside world. They can not read a newspaper or hear a newscast. Current events are taken away from them and my son had no idea what was happening in our world while he was there. I was told that there was a music department at Dundee. I had to fight to let my son have his guitar. They said that he needed to concentrate on other things. It was so sad when I left the school with him last August. So many of the kids were upset and crying because my son would play his guitar at night while they were trying to go to sleep. This was the closest thing to real life that they had.
Mr. Narvin Litchfield, his brother and friends own many of these schools, both in and outside of the U.S.. The ones in Cancun, Samoa, and The Czech Republic were closed down. Carolina Springs is often visited by child welfare in the states and has been cited with many violations. One important one is that the upper level children give out punishment to the lower levels. This is illegal in the states. Children can not dole out punishment to other children. There is also overcrowding.
I also have concerns about your organization interviewing the students. There are ramifications that can happen if the staff or owner do not like what the students say. The children don?t have any representation while at this school. If they say anything to their parents they are called liars and manipulators. From my experience, the parents are just as manipulated as the students in this program. You are told to "trust the program" and let them do whatever they feel is right for your child. Not a good concept when no one at the facility is really trained or qualified to be working with teens.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Work 716-635-9820 Home 716-759-2676
Thank you, Martha Martin
http://www.unicef.org/voy/cgi-bin/zdisc ... 2324-12840 (http://www.unicef.org/voy/cgi-bin/zdisc.cgi?show_action_date_all_all_2003-03-16-2324-12840)
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A Texas Father's True Story
Being conned by Casa!
"It all started when my son was born (10/07/84), him aging and me fermenting."
In May of 2002 I had just about had enough of the lies, arguments and late night worries with our son. Ryan was 17 at this point and going through the same aging techniques many of us chose in our lives. The school of hard knocks combined with a destructive path escalating out of control. Ryan had been diagnosed as ADD at twelve years previous to his junior year. However the latest symptoms did not indicate ADD behavior. His behavior had now turned into disgruntled child. We as parents could see his grades dropping, the attitude changes, mood swings, etc. He was just starting to experiment with marijuana and chasing that with alcohol.
As a parent, I've always wanted the best for my children. And as parents who were raising three children, they had the best I could afford. The way I was raised and with my values, my goal was to provide modern society with a young man, who was accountable for his actions and could survive in today's economy. We have achieved that mark with our oldest daughter this past September. However, with Ryan, we were having difficulties. His disrespect and lackadaisical attitude towards everything and everyone had us concerned.
Our search began. I contacted local and state agencies, as well as private facilities within our financial range. Because of his age & being six months from turning the magical age of "18", any local or state treatment facilities were out of the question. All of them basically stated; "he was to close to becoming of legal age." I then increased our search nationwide. Again, I was informed, because of his age, no one wanted to take on the task of a soon to be legal adult.
Then, I stepped up our search to the Internet and found the World Wide Association of Specialty Schools (WWASPS). I couldn't help but find them they were with every search term I typed in. I also realized that they owned so many different URL's, as every toll free number I dialed, they answered! That should have been my red flag, but I was desperate enough to believe anything and discard red flags. All of a sudden the telephone was ringing, the emails started to pop up, etc. I was informed that they had a special school for every child in need. I sat down with Ryan, informed him of our plans and he was not receptive of the idea. Once he saw the school was in Mexico, he really didn't like the concept. However, once we received the marketing literature & brochures, he was curious. We too could not believe that such programs existed without any prior knowledge on our part. After a couple of weeks, we as a family, Ryan included, decided that he would be willing to try this at least until he was "18". Casa By The Sea here we come! We flew out to San Diego, California and had a mini vacation prior to our beautiful drive down the Mexican coast. When we pulled up, Ryan, stated, "I can't believe you are going to leave me here." "This place is a dump," not actually a club med but it had potential. The price, we were paying nearly $3,000 per month. Not to mention the $2,000 administration fees, and the $295 for uniforms, and the $95 a month for incidentals, $35 for a physical, $50 for a visa, etc. Total over two months was approximately $15-20K, including expenses. So much for a less expensive program as reality is, the costs add up like a Wal-mart receipt.
The marketing glossy brochures and video's, depicted children swimming on the beach, horseback riding, being able to work in the local town, fishing, snorkeling, group therapy, onsite counselors, etc. They lied, it's on the water, but the cliff to dive into it, would most likely kill your child. Snorkeling? Who are they kidding! Fishing? Dream on children. Group Therapy? Where is the therapist? Counseling? Oh, you wanted counseling? Not included, please pay more.
The therapy that is included consists of your dysfunctional child sitting with my problem child and his delusion of earth as it is to him discussing 25 other messed up children's problems in a group. I wonder why my insurance is having a problem covering this one? The family Representative (FR) / Therapist (not a real therapist) is a person who I understand receives less than minimum wage, and not licensed. For the most part a poorly paid babysitter with your child being their only income. The FR's job is to inform the parents to disregard the letters your child is sending you. Everything he is writing about does not or did not happen. During this time, everyone from "the program" is constantly telling you to hurry up and get to the Resource Realizations seminars. Another form of misrepresentation, now the blinders are in place. The seminars are basically everything I have been through as businessman with the exception that they "Act" like they are therapists. The seminar is to make you aware of why you messed your child up. Then they attempt to change your lifestyle forever. I personally think they change your lifestyle by soaking your bank account. I think humiliating people in front of others is simply not appropriate. Making people cry, telling them they should blame their parents for the way they have been raised, in your face until you disclose some deep dark secret. The worst part was when a facilitor (who is not a qualified therapist) tells the parents to go to Hawaii (or any trip) and send your child a postcard, "Having a great time without you." Now that was an eye opener. I will disclose to anyone, how I love my parents and they did the best they could with what they had. Look at me, I'm not a model citizen, but I do know the difference between right and wrong. I forgot to mention the end of the seminar, they sales pitch about signing up others to defer your expenses. Pyramiding, I believe, is the correct term, at your child's expense. For every parent I could refer in, they would give me a free month of tuition. If Ryan is already home, I would receive $1000.00 for each referral in. Sounds like an Amway pyramid to me. I believe it is worse, since children are involved.
The seminars are design to teach accountability. Who was accountable for watching over my son in Mexico? A drunk? The night watchman reeked of alcohol. How do I know? Ryan knows his beer. No, I am not proud of that, but realistically, that is why I sent my son to Casa By The Sea to stop him from starting to drink. Now, they place a man who does not speak our language, add alcohol and place my son in his care. Ryan was capable of hanging out with drunks in Texas and he failed Spanish. Boy, did I ever make a valid point with him on this decision.
The food, what there was of it, was not fit to feed to animals. Ryan lost about 20 pounds while residing at Casa By The Sea. Please understand Ryan was under weight prior to entering. He was hungry all of the time, then given categories and worksheets for eating someone else's food that they didn't want. Punishment for eating? My son returned home underweight and I paid near $3000.00 per month? It was clear to me this is not the place for my son or any human in my opinion. However his FR would continue to inform us everything is going fine with Ryan.
Everything I was hearing, smelling, tasting, seeing was all adding up to a very bad situation. I believe their term for this is "pigs chattering." Well my pig wasn't buying into this scam any more. So I removed Ryan in late August of 2002. We traveled to Casa By The Sea unannounced and picked up our son. The school wasn't thrilled we were there. Ryan was elated to see us, underweight and glad to be going home. His biggest regret when we were leaving was worrying about two students who had grown up at this facility. The two boys, ages 13 & 14, had been there 36 & 24 months, respectively. That is truly sad, and I feel the parents should put themselves there to understand the depth of agony they suffer. If you really don't want to be parents, give your children to a relative or even a ward of the state. At least then they would get an education and food. Many parents are paying thousands of dollars for this deluxe (and that is a very loose word) babysitting service.
The Director of this program, Mr. Dace Goulding, continued to inform us that he had nothing to hide. Mr. Goulding also personally stated that we would receive a full refund. Did I mention that this is on tape? Mr. Goulding knows he said it, my wife heard it, another adult who traveled with us heard it, my son heard it. After returning to the United States, Mr. Goulding developed convenient amnesia, and he instructed me to contact their headquarters in Utah. Now I thought I was making some progress. I was speaking with the man in charge, Mr. King Kay. Mr. Kay also informed me I would get a full refund, if I signed a settlement agreement. After further discussions, Mr. Kay decided I was not entitled to a full refund and expenses unless I signed his "confidentiality agreement." That was his settlement agreement, "keep my mouth shut about our findings, our recordings (tapes), and the facts that they fully misrepresented us as they are doing to many others." Obviously I decided not to sign any such agreement, as I believe parents need to know what is going on. Freedom of speech is our First Amendment, and when children are involved, I will shout it from the roofs. I am fortunate to be in a spot that I did not have to sign the agreement, as I believe many have, since they were striped of their savings.
That is where we are today, I have obtained legal council and will be filing a lawsuit against everyone involved with this organization of what I believe to be con men, thieves and liars. This merry band of so-called religious people, are raping families of life savings to warehouse their children. What a big mistake I made concerning my son's health and welfare. Our family is currently in licensed counseling and progressing towards a happy means.
I would recommend anyone who is contemplating placing a child in a WWASPS facility, to do your homework! Don't believe everything you hear, and remember those reference parents they give you may also have a hidden agenda. They are part of the pyramiding referral ladder. This has been a very learning experience for our entire family. Again, please do major research prior to placing your child in a warehouse for others to raise.
If you have any questions or comments, I welcome you to contact me via the number below. I do have all documents, tapes and evidence to back up my story. I do know there are many parents that fall for their tactics, and for this, I am sorry. If you are currently involved with WWASP, please disregard my story, or if you desire, do your homework. This is a factual story of our experiences and opinions.
Respectfully,
Lee E. Colburn
Pearland, TX
(281) 485-2522
http://www.helpyourteens.com/news/decem ... etter.html (http://www.helpyourteens.com/news/december_2002_newsletter.html)
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On 2005-10-07 09:48:00, Antigen wrote:
"Charles Manson is a thoughtful poet and decent musician. What! Ever met him? Then what do you know? STFU
Charles Manson is a far better human being than any of these program staffers could ever hope to be, Antigen. It's not nice to slander him by making comparisons with program directors/staff, even if it is to prove a point to the dipshits that defend those child-abusers.
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My father is...
a scumbag.<---- PERIOD
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Gimme a moment to wade through everything here. You all seem so eager to beat a dead horse.
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(http://Why I Believe Dundee Ranch Academy was the Wrong School for My Twin Boys
Carey Bock
Mandeville, Louisiana
985-626-7488
January 26, 2003
Before I explain why Dundee Ranch Academy was the wrong school for my boys let me say that I am not in denial of the fact that my boys did need help and I am not in denial as to the fact that they still do today.
Here is my experience with Dundee and why I felt the need to pull my boys from this "program."
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When I found out my boys were sent to Dundee Ranch Academy in Costa Rica I was concerned. I began to do some independent information gathering. I wanted to make an informed decision as to whether or not I was in an agreement with the program chosen and be sure that it had the resources necessary to help my boys. I first began reviewing the information provided on the internet website for the WWASP schools and the website for Dundee itself. I followed that up by directly contacting the school. I emailed the director asking him to provide me with information on the school's employees. I wanted to know things like: where they had worked previously, how long they had worked with teens in crisis, how they were trained, what their specific credentials were and whether they did criminal background checks on all individuals who had contact with the teens. (The school does credit checks on the parents, why should I not be able to have criminal background checks done on the employees?) The reply that I received back from the director at Dundee, Joe, was that he did not have time to provide me with that information. He suggested that I look again at Dundee's website. I explained to him that I needed information, and not just boiler plate information, but specific information on the individuals who worked with the boys on a day to day basis and who were responsible for their well-being. I believe as a parent it was not only my right to have access to this information but my responsibility. Needless to say, after many requests, I was never provided with any information from Joe.
I then heard a story about a very serious incident that occurred at Dundee. I heard that as a result of the incident there were employees who had been fired. I emailed Joe, the director, and Ken Kay to see if they could either confirm the incident or deny it. I asked them why certain employees were not longer employed by Dundee. Neither one would address my question. Why? Don't parents have a right to know? If there is an explanation why would they not be willing to provide it?
The next thing I did was to have my attorney get me a copy of the enrollment agreement that had been signed. The first thing that I noticed that did not seem right was that the cover page of the enrollment agreement stated that "if joint custody both parents must sign." Well my case is and was a joint custody case and yet I never signed anything. I had never even seen the agreement. Anyway, I began to read over it. What I gathered from reading the contract was that it was written to protect the school and all affiliates and not the teens. I decided to have it looked at by a licensed clinical social worker. I wanted the opinion of a professional. I took it to an individual who has worked with Boys Town for over 10 years. This individual has had experience working with at risk teens and the credentials necessary for providing a professional opinion. This is what was pointed out by this professional:
1) By signing the agreement parents are signing over their right to what is known as in the States as "informed consent." (The right to be informed about all decisions relating to your child.)
2) The staff employed by Dundee are not professionals. These individuals who are responsible for the health and well-being of the children do not have to be qualified, trained or certified to provide the types of services that at risk teens need.
3) Teens were allowed to punish other teens. (Are these teens emotionally stable enough to punish other teens at lower levels? If so why are they still in the program? Wouldn't they or shouldn't they be able to go home if they are at a stage where they are emotionally stable enough to determine what is right or wrong for another student? Or, could it be that the students at higher level are cheap labor for the school?)
4) The school is not licensed or regulated by any outside agency that has the ability/power to monitor the methods and techniques that are being used in the school. (That will likely change now that the local authorities know that the school is there and that there are children there.)
There were many other red flags noted in the enrollment agreement. These were the ones that were the most concerning for me.
Children have to be protected. Information is vital for making informed decisions. They should never be isolated and not allowed to contact their parents. Even if they are the "manipulators" the school claims them to be. I would think that the very parents who lived with them for the first 12-18 years of their lives would be able to determine whether or not their child is being manipulative. There is nothing more important than communication between parent and child, direct open communication that is uncensored. If my child wants to vent or complain, then let them do that, I am an adult and I will decide whether or not it is something I need to be concerned with. I do not need someone who is 26 years old with degree in economics who has never had kids of his own telling me that my kids are manipulating me and that I should not have contact with them.
Carey )
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In this context, how is your dad any different from Charles Manson? Do you feel that you can form a reasonable opinion of Charles Manson w/o having to get to know him intimately and personally?
In all honesty, no. I can't form a personal opinion of Charles Manson himself. His acts however, I can. Comparing the acts of Charles Manson, a man in prison for life tied to several murders, to the acts of Narvin Lichfield is ridiculous.
As for your other point, I'm willing to admit there are many things about my father that I don't know and have yet to learn. But the hate I see here is infantile and baseless.
Son, when you were "younger" why did your father have you hanging around PROGRAM KIDS
Oh, dear old dad regularly left me in the boy's dorms overnight, said it'd be healthy for me!
...Don't be an idiot. How could I possibly avoid contact with kids in the program? I lived on the campus of one for two years, and traveled with my father many times as he set up different programs. I find nothing my father did then to be irresponsible.
From how you describe these program kids, why would a responsible father want you being a "tutor" for them? PERHAPS, training you to be IN the FAMILY business later on? From your attitude here, seems like you might just fit in: you show no respect for these kids, have a belittling attitude towards them, view them as "manipuliative little liars and druggies." Just a little more training, and YOU WILL BE ABUSING THEM, JUST LIKE DADDY, WON'T YOU?
Calm down, I can feel the spray from here.
First of all, I'm a tutor helping kids who have difficulty in English. I fail to see where this becomes a problem; I was a regular A+ student in English classes, and most of the kids who enter the problem routinely failed their English courses. I'm helping them out.
Second of all, you're suffering from an acute case of "Oh, save the children!" If you met any one of these kids, you'd know they NEED help. Yeah, most of what they've done is incredibly stupid. STUPID. Stupid kids. Wah-wah, poor them; the point is, if they really try for it, these programs DO help them. I've seen it.
Third, I'm avoiding the "family business" like the plague. That's my personal choice, but I really don't see what the big conspiracy is with my cousins and uncles getting involved with the business. Isn't that kinda what capitalism is about? "Callahan and Sons" doesn't get nearly as much attention.
Also, fun fact: Narvin Lichfield has never abused any of the program children. You're choking on digital vomit.
Funny, I've never seen a kid in a program post here, only the ones who have already left/graduated.
Oh, we have a winner! Two points.
Maybe because...they're STILL IN THE PROGRAM? You're not allowed to waste your time on the internet while you're still inside.
According to you, the only people accusing staff/programs of abuse are those wanting to leave. Doesn't exactly make too much sense does it? It's okay though, I understand you are only 18 and your post certainly shows it. I'm sure it will take you many years to work out the teachings of your father, I couldn't imagine having such a useless individual as a parent. Your mind must be seriously warped. When you grow up maybe you can come back and we can have an adult conversation. Until then, good luck overcoming your future demons.
Point out what doesn't make sense about that. The only people who "want to leave" are those not working to graduate. They want to go back to what they know. Don't be stupid. It looks bad in a person of your age.
And condescencion only works when the person you're trying to talk down to actually thinks you're somehow justified in talking down to them. Nice try though, I'd applaude the effort in anyone else.
The most interesting part of your post is the fact they allow 18 year olds to 'tutor' other students. What are you a few months older than the oldest students at the program? What qualifications do you have? Ohhh... that's right, you don't need any to work at a shitty program!
Oh, so clever! What do I have? Let's think about this one for more than the three seconds it took for you to regurgitate.
Hmmm...a GED? Something these kids altogether LACK?
That's horrible your parent(s?) held that threat over your head your entire adolescence. I've met a few people who were placed in programs at the age of 12 and 13 and they were definitely the most worse off. They routinely were the punching bags of the older students who wanting to 'let off steam'. It's a pity you support your fathers evil deeds. Although I am sure you will, I would work hard at trying not to follow in his footsteps. He is one of the most hated individuals in this industry. For good reason!
No, it was a good thing. Do you honestly think I was tempted to screw myself up nearly as much as some of the kids in there have? It was extra incentive not to be a complete idiot.
And the "punching bag" statement is laughable. If anything, the older kids befriend and encourage each other to befriend the younger ones. Of course, you'd know the inner workings of the program having spent so long with them, so I'm not going to question your authority on the matter any further. :tup:
As to my father's "evil deeds": name one. Please. Point out one thing beyond "Oh heavens he opened these satanic child-eating hellpit schools!" bullcrap.
What kind of 'treatment' facility needs to give thousands of dollars, in other words, bribes, to public officials?
Go down to Costa Rica.
Try, I repeat, try to open a business without paying the local officials for their support.
Fail miserably.
It's not called a third-world country for nothing.
Oh, and: you're laughably stupid if you believe most anything coming from the Tico Times. It's not your fault, it's just ignorance; the Tico Times is considered by most to be almost a tabloid.
"They told us you have the right to speak, you have the right to speak to your parents, you have the right to leave if you feel you've been mistreated," said Hugh Maxwell, 17, of Rhode Island. "Kids heard that and they started running for the door. There was elation, cheering and clapping and chaos. People were crying."
Adults beat some of the children to quell the uprising, according to six people present. The academy's owner, Narvin Lichfield, was jailed for 30 hours, may face criminal charges and has been ordered by a judge to remain in Costa Rica. Four staff members feared by the children are being deported to Jamaica, government officials said. Most of the children are going home, many to an uncertain future.
Yeah, it's best to stay current with the times, hombre.
That's been proven to be the biggest lie Tim Weiner ever bothered to report.
"Laughing, cheering, elation?" The kids were raping each other in the bathrooms and attacking the buildings with hammers and rocks and whatever they could get their hands on, while local police sat and watched and prevented the staff from doing anything. I went down to the facility right after it closed. The place was a mess from these "poor little kids" had done to it.
Chaos indeed.
does anyone have a picture of this piece of shit Narvin Lichfied?
Heres a picture of his fatass ugly brother;
So sonny boy, is your dad as fat and ugly as his brother? Looks like they are eating well.
Haha, look at you! Taking potshots at people over the Internet. I bet you feel accomplished.
I frankly don't care what you think about my uncle. You're probably more of a troglodyte than he is.
You just don't get it. These kids were trying to convince you of the truth, not poison your mind; rather free your mind! If you came near me and I found out you were the program owners son I wouldn't have 'talked' to you if you catch my drift. I would of gotten together with some others and taken you hostage. This isn't a game, son. I hope you realize that.
And then of course, the psychotic bottomdwellers raise to the bait.
Free my mind. Right. Despite the fact that everything they tried to tell me was a blatant lie? Good job, junior.
Oh, and lay off the drama. Taken me hostage? Besides making you sound like a psychopath, it also proves that you are incapable of connecting action and consequence. Follow your own soiled line of reasoning: if you were to have "taken me hostage," what in God's name makes you think my father, apparently the most recent incarnation of Satan, would not make the rest of your existance utterly miserable for it?
The program kids never did this because they, unlike you, have at least enough intelligence to try turning the doorknob instead of ramming the door with their skull. Metaphorically speaking.
Because they believe w/ the full faith of a religious zealot that the Program is the high holy answer to anything and everything; completely wholesome and good for everybody.
This has almost no connection to anything the person you quoted said.
That aside, everyone involved with the programs will openly admit that the programs do not work for every single case. Some kids are beyond the help the programs can offer.
Please look into the for profit 'tough love' programs under WWASP/Teen Help. Thanks.
"In the burgeoning new industry that promises parents to straighten out their defiant teens, no programs are more controversial than those linked by several Utah-based umbrella groups [WWASP, Teen Help]. One of the programs, in Mexico, was shut by local authorities in 1996. A program in the Czech Republic was shut by local authorities last fall. A third, Brightway Adolescent Hospital in St. George, Utah, closed during a state investigation last year."
"Last fall"? Do you even know how many years ago that was? What is the obsession this forum has with outdated media?
...I'm not even going to bother wading through the articles you all keep posting. For one thing, almost all of them have come under legal attack for libel. For another, it's a waste of my time to try and respond to the personal bias of a journalist. Get your own opinions, people.
Amberly Knight has changed her story so many times that her testimony is now a common joke.
Charles Manson is a far better human being than any of these program staffers could ever hope to be, Antigen. It's not nice to slander him by making comparisons with program directors/staff, even if it is to prove a point to the dipshits that defend those child-abusers.
By far the worst reply yet. You're not even forming your own words anymore, you're just channeling the concentrated stupidity of everything that's been posted so far.
I would think that the very parents who lived with them for the first 12-18 years of their lives would be able to determine whether or not their child is being manipulative. There is nothing more important than communication between parent and child, direct open communication that is uncensored. If my child wants to vent or complain, then let them do that, I am an adult and I will decide whether or not it is something I need to be concerned with.
Oh wait, scratch that, this one takes the cake.
I don't even need to point out that being a parent does not somehow make you a walking lie detector. Half of the kids in the program I work at were involved with drugs and sex for years upon years and hid it so well that their parents didn't find out until they discovered evidence of some kind.
You're entirely too gullible if you believe you can't be manipulated by your children.
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Nobody in their right mind would send their kids to Costa Rica so don't blame the kids who end up there ... it's ain't their fault their parents are sick in the head.
:skull:
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*** I was a regular A+ student in English classes, and most of the kids who enter the problem routinely failed their English courses. I'm helping them out.
Freudian slip??? :lol:
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More like a typo. :roll:
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Wow. You put a lot of the other program trolls to shame.
God's name makes you think my father, apparently the most recent incarnation of Satan, would not make the rest of your existance utterly miserable for it?
That says it all... :lol:
You are one funny kid.
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So do ya'll think this poster really is the son of Lichfield as they claim? I find this all rather laughable.
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The fact an 18 year old kid with a GED is working for the program discredits it. What exactly do you do there anyways? How much do you get payed?
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For one thing, almost all of them have come under legal attack for libel.
Ah. You spend your blood money to silence the truth. How admirable of you all.
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Go down to Costa Rica.
Try, I repeat, try to open a business without paying the local officials for their support.
Fail miserably.
It's not called a third-world country for nothing.
Foreign campaign donations are illegal under Costa Rica's Electoral Code. Lichfield acknowledged in a phone interview with The Tico Times last month that he had donated money to Pacheco's campaign, and had appealed to the President for help when his academy was forced to close in May on allegations of children's rights abuses. Sounds like a bribe to me.
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Try, I repeat, try to open a business without paying the local officials for their support.
Fail miserably.
It's not called a third-world country for nothing.
Do you consider America a third world country?
Why then is it necessary to donate so heavily to the GOP?
Is it not true your father and uncle have donated close to $300,000 to the GOP? Why donate so much for a legitimate program? $100k to G Dub in one pop is a lot.
Why'd your dad just drop 5k in Utah?
LICHFIELD, ROBERT
LA VERKIN,UT 84745
TEEN HELP/OWNER
2/17/2005
$5,000
Republican Party of Utah
http://opensecrets.org/indivs/search.as ... bmit=Go%21 (http://opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?txtName=lichfield+&NumOfThou=0&txt2006=Y&submit=Go%21)
I mean seriously, you are sitting on a fucking empire. Once you get control you'll be making MILLIONS! So tell me why we should take anything you say seriously?
PS: You sure sound like a daddies boy. I love the quote where you say your dad would fight your battles for you. That is fucking priceless man. Fucking rich kid defending his empire online. :roll:
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I mean seriously, you are sitting on a fucking empire. Once you get control you'll be making MILLIONS!
Nah dude this guy is narvins son the brother of robert the owner... its roberts kids who are in the bank. what does narvin own.. dundee ranch- lol fuck him and his program. good luck with not getting arrested like your dad kid :tup:
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All I want to know is -- did you go through the seminars? :wave:
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Wow. You put a lot of the other program trolls to shame.
God's name makes you think my father, apparently the most recent incarnation of Satan, would not make the rest of your existance utterly miserable for it?
That says it all...
You are one funny kid.
Apparently your sarcasm detector is broken.
So do ya'll think this poster really is the son of Lichfield as they claim? I find this all rather laughable.
Uh, whatever toots your whistle.
The fact an 18 year old kid with a GED is working for the program discredits it. What exactly do you do there anyways? How much do you get payed?
What qualifications do you need for tutoring? :roll:
Ah. You spend your blood money to silence the truth. How admirable of you all.
No, "I" spend my "blood money" against lies. Tim Weiner's article has been virtualy laughed out of court, and the New York Times has considered firing him over the incident.
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are you in costa rica right now, tutoring kids?
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On 2005-10-07 21:26:00, Anonymous wrote:
"I mean seriously, you are sitting on a fucking empire. Once you get control you'll be making MILLIONS!
Nah dude this guy is narvins son the brother of robert the owner... its roberts kids who are in the bank. what does narvin own.. dundee ranch- lol fuck him and his program. good luck with not getting arrested like your dad kid :tup: "
Yeah, too bad the man who arrested him had no authority to do so and he was out a day later. Get your facts straight.
Narvin owns Dundee and Carolina Springs Academy.
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I mean seriously, you are sitting on a fucking empire. Once you get control you'll be making MILLIONS! So tell me why we should take anything you say seriously?
PS: You sure sound like a daddies boy. I love the quote where you say your dad would fight your battles for you. That is fucking priceless man. Fucking rich kid defending his empire online. :roll: "
I already said I want nothing to do with the programs when I got older.
Also, please point out where I said I'd "have my dad fight my battles for me." Instead of adding your own inferior interpretation to it (also known as covering your butt), read what I actually said.
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Assuming you're the same idiot who oh-so-subtly threatened me in the first place. :roll:
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:wstupid: :wave:
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I am interested in working at Dundee Ranch as a tutor. How would I go about applying for that position?
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(http://http://photos1.blogger.com/img/76/1124/640/Isaac%20Angry.jpg)
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Dundee Ranch is closed.
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I'm high on marijuana. :smokin: I love everything about marijuana. I bet you could grow some seriously good equatorial variety in costa rica. :smokin:
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::alieneyesa:: ::bwahaha::
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Geez why you gotta go and mess up this thread with that B.S. druggie? GO back to your program for a while would ya! :razz:
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Well, as it seems none of you can come up with anything more intelligent than idiot-babble, I'll put this place behind me.
I hope at least some of thise got through.
See you never. :grin:
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See you never.
:tup:
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I would like to talk to you about your father, are you still around? You said you lived at program, Did you stay at dundee? like lollie? you know flori's sister? you must not be flori's. his son with her is a baby..4 maybe. wait never mind I dont think thats even your dads baby, So why would your mother let you go down there and stay? with flori? What did flori do for a living before dundee? I heard rumors...lady of the night??? Your mom must have been one pissed off lady.. If your still around I have more questions...
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I think I met Narvin once. DOes he live in Hodges, SC?
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That means in the future you'll be groomed to take over!!! How great is that?!! Please, you better get off here before your Daddy writes you out of his will.
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come out, come out, where ever you are
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Daughter, do you mind if I call you sister? Cause we have a lot in common. I wasn't as tied up in it as you are. But I was conscripted at around the age of 6. I think we could actually find a good bit of common ground if you want to.
I know you just got spanked pretty hard. But you have to admit that it really was funny as anything! If you're still feeling scorched, please read it again only, this time, play the Benny Hill theme song in the background.
"There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds."--Lord Alfred TennysonKarate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world.
-- Dave Barry
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When I found out my boys were sent to Dundee Ranch Academy in Costa Rica I was concerned. I began to do some independent information gathering. I wanted to make an informed decision as to whether or not I was in an agreement with the program chosen and be sure that it had the resources necessary to help my boys. I first began reviewing the information provided on the internet website for the WWASP schools and the website for Dundee itself. I followed that up by directly contacting the school. I emailed the director asking him to provide me with information on the school's employees. I wanted to know things like: where they had worked previously, how long they had worked with teens in crisis, how they were trained, what their specific credentials were and whether they did criminal background checks on all individuals who had contact with the teens. (The school does credit checks on the parents, why should I not be able to have criminal background checks done on the employees?) The reply that I received back from the director at Dundee, Joe, was that he did not have time to provide me with that information. He suggested that I look again at Dundee's website. I explained to him that I needed information, and not just boiler plate information, but specific information on the individuals who worked with the boys on a day to day basis and who were responsible for their well-being. I believe as a parent it was not only my right to have access to this information but my responsibility. Needless to say, after many requests, I was never provided with any information from Joe.
Son of Litchfield, do you not agree that parents have the responsibility and more importantly the right to know specifics on the caretakers that they have intrusted their kids with?
I then heard a story about a very serious incident that occurred at Dundee. I heard that as a result of the incident there were employees who had been fired. I emailed Joe, the director, and Ken Kay to see if they could either confirm the incident or deny it. I asked them why certain employees were not longer employed by Dundee. Neither one would address my question. Why? Don't parents have a right to know? If there is an explanation why would they not be willing to provide it?
Son of Litchfield, do you disagree with the idea that parents have a right to know about each and every incident, especially those of the magnitude that involved the two councelors, that takes place in the program?
The next thing I did was to have my attorney get me a copy of the enrollment agreement that had been signed. The first thing that I noticed that did not seem right was that the cover page of the enrollment agreement stated that "if joint custody both parents must sign." Well my case is and was a joint custody case and yet I never signed anything. I had never even seen the agreement.
Son of Litchfield, don't you think it is important that "the program" follow through with their own rules and that they have the consent of both parents like required? Maybe you should ask your dad why that requirement is in the contract on the very first page. It is important.
Anyway, I began to read over it. What I gathered from reading the contract was that it was written to protect the school and all affiliates and not the teens. I decided to have it looked at by a licensed clinical social worker. I wanted the opinion of a professional. I took it to an individual who has worked with Boys Town for over 10 years. This individual has had experience working with at risk teens and the credentials necessary for providing a professional opinion. This is what was pointed out by this professional:
Son of Litchfield, don't you think it is important that the contract be written to protect the kids from imappropriate actions by the staff?
1) By signing the agreement parents are signing over their right to what is known as in the States as "informed consent." (The right to be informed about all decisions relating to your child.)
2) The staff employed by Dundee are not professionals. These individuals who are responsible for the health and well-being of the children do not have to be qualified, trained or certified to provide the types of services that at risk teens need.
3) Teens were allowed to punish other teens. (Are these teens emotionally stable enough to punish other teens at lower levels? If so why are they still in the program? Wouldn't they or shouldn't they be able to go home if they are at a stage where they are emotionally stable enough to determine what is right or wrong for another student? Or, could it be that the students at higher level are cheap labor for the school?)
4) The school is not licensed or regulated by any outside agency that has the ability/power to monitor the methods and techniques that are being used in the school. (That will likely change now that the local authorities know that the school is there and that there are children there.)
Son of Litchfield, couls you please give me your feedback on the 4 issues stated above?
There were many other red flags noted in the enrollment agreement. These were the ones that were the most concerning for me.
Children have to be protected. Information is vital for making informed decisions. They should never be isolated and not allowed to contact their parents. Even if they are the "manipulators" the school claims them to be. I would think that the very parents who lived with them for the first 12-18 years of their lives would be able to determine whether or not their child is being manipulative. There is nothing more important than communication between parent and child, direct open communication that is uncensored. If my child wants to vent or complain, then let them do that, I am an adult and I will decide whether or not it is something I need to be concerned with. I do not need someone who is 26 years old with degree in economics who has never had kids of his own telling me that my kids are manipulating me and that I should not have contact with them.
Son of Litchfield, we already know what you think about this "it takes the cake". Well, I happen to know my own two boys far better than Joe, the staff at Dundee, your father, their own father, or any other person on the face of this planet, including you. There is only one other that knows them better than me and that is the Lord.
You see, Son of Litchfield, I myself would never have signed the contract based on the issues in my letter, there is just too much at risk.
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On 2005-10-07 22:03:00, Anonymous wrote:
"I'm high on marijuana. :nworthy: :nworthy: :smokin:
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:smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :tup: :em: