I have been up against the controversy surrounding wilderness programs since my daughter, Michelle, died in one.
Wilderness programs are as good as the people selling them. It's a Buyer Beware, lucrative Industry.
There are those who will say a wilderness program saved their life. And, there are those who will say a wilderness program tarnished their life. It is my opinion the ones who had a good experience were "lucky." There are NO laws in place to protect the children. Well, I take it back, there are two federal laws that should protect children in wilderness programs, but they are not being enforced. There is NO screening process in place. The wilderness industry is known for being a one size fits all experience. The industry has earned the reputation of accepting any child, and their parents money. One has to ask themselves, "How much does it cost for lentils, beans, rice, oatmeal, raisins, etc." Why are these programs so expensive? The overhead is minimal.
I experienced firsthand what can go wrong within the wilderness experience. I know what to look out for now. It's too late for my daughter. It's not too late for others.
Who are these people who are out in the middle of the desert with the children? The counselor who was with my daughter filled out an application prior to employment. For position desired, he put...."slave." We later learned through our lawsuit discovery that the counselor who was 'sold' to us as a highly trained survival expert, was in fact an ex-felon.
When a California, Court-Adjudicated Youth, died in the Vision Quest program, Arizona, I began looking into this industry as well. I found the same fatal flaws existed in both privately owned lucrative industries. The only difference between the two is, how the child is sent, and where the money comes from.
In the privately owned Court-Adjudicated Industry, we the tax payers, and the state the child resides in fund the program. In the privately owned Wildernesss Program, insurance companies and the parents fund the program.
One has to ask, "how much do the counselors get paid to live out in the middle of the boonies for weeks on end with these children." Vision Quest is known for advertising in local newspapers for their hired help. I understand they pay their counselors minimum wage to travel with the wagon train. One has to ask, "what kind of help is willing to work for minimum wage and live out in the boonies." Vision Quest is known to have qualified teachers working with the youth. But, the so-called counselors have been known to abuse the children.
Where both entities fall short is with the level of expectation and quality of care.
All too often, transient, untrained, underqualified individuals are allowed to take children out into the desert for "treatment." Who's watching the children? Who's watching the industry?
The problem is, there is NO law to say what happened to these children is against the law. It's legal child abuse in the name of help and therapy. The wilderness/boot camp industry has earned the reputation that we are talking about on this thread. I believe the industry should stand up and be measured by supporting Congressman George Miller with the passing of bill 1738, to "End Institutionalized Child Abuse."
