On 2005-06-12 18:24:00, ButterflyEP wrote:
"with lower level not being able to talk to each other without and level 3 or up listening is so that those students WILL NOT make plans to run away and i hated it when girls thought that they could get away from there because we went on lock down...
Teens socialize. That's normal and healthy. Not allowing them even to have a simple conversation with each other (and we're not talking about a 10-minute restiction-- this is a permanent rule, it's like that all the time) is cruel, and it serves to do nothing but increase the child's feelings of loneliness and prevent them from developing a support network within the facility.
asking to sit and stand is due to the fact that we have to realize that things are not got to be just handed to us we actually have to earn it and i did earn it because that rule is only in place for the level ones and two again for the running away...
Having to ask whether you can sit, stand, or talk, is a permanent rule-- it's not a temporary restriction. "Learn that things were not handed to us"? Do you realize how insane that is? the right of being able to stand up, sit, or speak without asking for permission beforehand has nothing to do with things being "handed to you". Freedom of movement is a RIGHT, not a privilege to be earned. This rule has ZERO therapeutic value, and it serves only to drive home the point that the staff is in control, that you are so powerless and helpless and dependent on them that you will even have to ask them permission for the most basic actions (e.i., sitting, standing, moving).
No child should be subjected to this.
and in my opinion you continue to make assumption and not knowing the truth with out having an openmind about things... i also invited a few friends from CSA to come to this site and chat with you that way you have more then just one opinion ....
Please, don't make assumptions about me. I am very openminded. As I said, during my research of WWASP, I got feedback from both sides of the aisle. The "WWASP is a helpful, life saving program" side seemed to have absolutely nothing to back up their claims. Not only that, but I also found out why they seem to think that their lives were saved. Lifespring seminars, intense psychological pressure, and Synanon-style groups were used in the coercive persuasion process to convince them the program is beneficial.
they are very eager to be apart of our chats because they too do not understand where you have gotten this idea of abuse in the school and most of the time the staff members are very honest if you call ask for mrs. teresa or Mrs. Lynn they are the ones that will be most honest and i dont think its fair for you to put such hatred toward people that you have absolutely no proof to have done anything..."
The program itself is abusive. The physical abuse that's prevalent in WWASP programs is a tool to break the kid down (remember the screams coming from the OP building?), and get them to succumb to the program.
This is what a CSA survivor has to say about his experience (copied from the NYRA forum):
"I ended up spending a total of 20 months in WWASP Programs. 14 months in Carolina Springs Academy, and another 6 months in Dundee Ranch in Costa Rica. During this time, I had the chance to meet teenagers from other programs, and hear accounts from places such as Tranquility Bay, High Impact, and Casa by the Sea. I was 15 when I first woke up in the middle of the night to be escorted to Carolina Springs. It was a retired cop that told me I was going with him whether he like it or not, and I was going to a "boarding school". I remember being thrown on the bed and handcuffed behind my back when I told the man to leave my room. I was put in a van and driven there, handcuffed the entire way. This was not a boarding school. First thing I saw when I got out of the vehicle was a kid named "Sam" who was being carried sideways (like a suitcase) out to "Observational Placement". They took my shoe strings immediately, because I could run, or kill myself, according to them. Soon after, I was issued a standard green uniform, (sweat pants and tshirt). My shoes were taken away completely and I was given sandals because it was harder to run away with them. I can recall so many instances of people trying to kill themselves there that it was unbelievable. We received "corrections" if during our "reading time" we were caught looking away from the page of our book, even for a glance. It was considered "off task". At no point in time during the day were you allowed to speak, unless given permission by a staff, after raising your hand. If you saw something funny, god forbid you laugh. That was considered "breaking silence". You had to watch these corny emotional growth videos that were so corny/boring it was ridiculous, and if you looked away from the screen, you received a correction for being "off task". New rules were made up every day it seemed. You had to line up and march everywhere you went, and if you didn't look directly at the back of the persons head in front of you, you were "off task". If you received a category 2 violation (such as speaking without permission, or laughing out loud, etc....) you went to worksheets, where you had to write a 3,000 word essay in 2 1/2 hours for every category 2 violation and higher. If you didn't finish in 2 1/2 hours, your work ripped up and you started over. Voicing opinions was "highly encouraged" in our once a day group sessions, according to the familiy representatives. Of course, that's only if your opinion was something they liked. If they didn't, you could very easily be sent to observation placement. It was like "Do what we want, when we want, think how we want, and we're not going to take your shit, child". The program also claimed to be non-religious, but that was bullshit. I saw people not make levels for no apparent reason, except the fact that they weren't Christian. So not only do you have to think the way they want socially, but also religiously. Otherwise, they can't do direct harm to you (for not being Christian), but they can make you stay there until they can influence you. Religious fanaticism ran deep in the program, almost every single staff member they hired were religious extremists. I couldn't believe this. When you talked back to a staff member, you were beaten. They called it restraining, but I vividly remember coming out of observational placement after having joints twisted, knees stuck into my back, and rug burns all over my face from them thrusting my face into the carpet. It was supposed to get better after you made a higher level, but that's when it got worse. They use the fact that you want to leave and can't afford not to against you. They make it near impossible for you to accomplish this the higher up you get, and put on so much stress you want to kill yourself more at level 5 than you did at level 1. The program uses a unique scare tactic to force the children into policing each other up. If you see someone doing something, and you don't tell on them immediately, you end up with their same punishment when they are caught. You're taught that since you smoked a cigarette, you were on your way to dying. Also, weird ass rules, like you couldn't get caught looking at a girl, or it was a category two violation. Just weird shit. It was complete brain washing. Then there were seminars. You were treated like dogs. Yelled at if the "facilitator" of the seminar didn't think you were "being real". Carolina Springs was pure hell. I left there at level 5 to transfer to Dundee Ranch. That was one of the best times of my life. Probably because if you were above level four they didn't watch you, and the staff were new, and weren't brainwashed yet. Not to mention I was 17 and having a secret affair with one of the costan rican staff members, that was pretty cool. But most of the staff soon got fired because they voiced their opinions that some of the programs ideologies were bullshit. They fired my girlfriend because she told the girls that she felt there was nothing wrong with having sex as long as it was a monogonous relationship, and it didn't necessarily have to be marriage. I thought the whole ideology of the program was fascist. Anyways, now I'm rambling. I have a lot more horror stories, etc.... but too much to recall at one point without rambling."
The evidence are everywhere. All you have to do is open your eyes, and look.
