Fornits

Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
An open discussion about the troubled parent industry

I am glad that some who have a little experience with TC have come around here. That gives me a place to jump from. To answer Buzzkill's question---every TC in the country is required to follow a set of guidelines in order to maintain certification. The same curriculum and basic schedule is followed at every center. Teen Challenge centers do not act autonomously, when it comes to what methods they use regarding structure. Where they act autonomously is in fundraising, because National (world Teen Challenge) does not provide them with funding, although seed money has been known to be provided to help a center get off it's feet.

Fundraising is where I could see the legitimate complaints, particularly with SoCal TC's decision to use the fire camps.  Many staff members hated that while I was there and felt it put potentially successful students at a risk of dropping out---it was a brutal schedule on those camps. BUt we have to put this into perspective--As TC grew into a national organization expenses obviously grew as well. Some tough decisions had to be made, because of TC's religious component it never has and never will qualify for federal funding, except for non-religious activities, of which there are very few in TC. The LATC Recreation Center in Lynwood (compton) is an example of one, tho. It is simply a recreation yard like the YMCA where neighborhood kids can get off the streets for a few hours several days a week and play in a safe environment.

Anyway, funding became a problem with the growth. So different centers had to come up with different solutions, as TC had always been a free program. Some centers started charging $300 a month, very cheap compared to many programs. Some started charging a one time entry of a few  hundred dollars. Teen Challenge has an advisory board of various pastors and large donors that deal with these types of challenges. In SoCal, one of them suggested selling pancake breakfast tickets in front of stores for $1. The directors of the SoCal centers felt it was very important to remain free, because most heroin addicts who need us the most can't afford to spend money on rehab. So they adopted this program and it's been a tradeoff ever since. It morphed into chicken dinner tickets sold door to door. Unfortuantely the seven socal centers had an annual budget of over $3 million. It cost $6000 a yr to house one student. So, various other methods were suggested and tried. Riverside TC does a car wash for the Riverside auto auction. And many centers signed on to the fire camp program where they cook for the firefighters.  

Fire camp has been the worst as far as dropouts and other problems and I always felt it wasn't worth it. Trying to get funding tho has turned fundraising into a large part of the program and it is easy to see why some get discouraged. Most, however, feel that since they are there free, it is worth it to them to work a little to keep the doors open. LATC also experimented with a pressure washing service offered to local businesses and had a moderate level of success bringing in some money that way. Worth noting is that David WIlkerson the founder, vehemently opposes fundraising, prefering instead to be about God's work and letting God provide the funding on his own. Truthfully, if needed funding was available any other way, socal tc would drop fundraising. Unfortuantely, no golden goose has ever arrived ( and Bush's plan would not have been the goose either, because of TC's strong religious integration) so decisions have been made. Free with fundraising, or charge without? Teen Challenge doesn't deal with middle class and rich people primarily. Their base are the street thugs, hardcore needle users, prostitutes and crackheads. How many of those people would have to be turned away if they charged. Like I said a tough decision. Regarding a couple other questions, I'll just make a different response.

Fire, we've seen all of this before with other abusive programs. What you view as proof of success only furthers Teen Challenges image as a abusive facility.

Do some research on the other programs listed here and you'll get the idea.

What I view as success is completing the program and living a successful, sober life. Succeesful is subjective as some will seek financial success, some will seek fulfillment in other ways. Succeesful means being able to live your life as you wanted but couldn't because of drugs.

Teen Challenge is in no way an abusive program. Karly makes the absurd claim that it is because of a daily schedule that includes prayer and devotional times, as well as church. Oh the horror of it all! Have there been bad staffmembers at some facilities? Of course and as soon as TC sees that, they get rid of them. The vast majority of staff and interns at TC are dedicated, caring and loving people who have a heartfelt desire to help those who are where they themselves once were. These staff memebers typically make less than $1000 a month(far less in many cases), that's how dedicated they are to helping others.

This is not Phoenix House model where students are forced to wear toilet seats or sit on a hot seat while others shout abusive garbage at them.

The truth is, I don't care about convincing the people who run this or any other site. The ones I am concerned about are those who in their search come across these places and see this. I want them to know the truth, because some of their lives may depend on it.

Karly has already shown that she has no interest in knowing how TC really works.

I'd also like to make another comment to your statement regarding how you say that:

Quote

"Teen Challenge is largely run by former addicts"

 Please make note that Teen Challenge is also run by MANY ex-cons who did not do jail time and chose Teen Challenge instead!

Karly

I was an ex-con that worked for Teen Challenge. I did not use TC to escape jail, tho. Are you saying ex-cons can't change, Karly? I spent 3 years in state prison and another 2 in various county jails before entering TC. Teen challenge deals with the worst of the worst addicts, hardcore street addicts that have nowhere left to turn. AA and NA meetings are run by ex-cons. Many residential treatment facilities have ex-cons that hold positions.

I have been clean 13 years. Today I own my own home, am happily married and make a very good living in Orange County, California.  Honestly, I take offense to your obtuseness.

I know there are many people who rely on the internet today to research organizations they may wish to have dealings with, either by supporting or, in the case of Teen Challenge, more commonly, in  a search for help for themselves or a loved one.

I think it is very important to make all of you aware of the two most common motives people have for attacking Teen Challenge. The first is former students who dropped out of the program. One such student now runs a website claiming to expose Southern California Teen Challenge---the very center I graduated from and the very district I worked for as a student advisor for 5 years. Many dropouts do leave angry. Change is hard. And Teen Challenge sets very high standards for success.

The second and uglier motive for attacking Teen Challenge is a relatively new one. And it is politically based, driven oftentimes by left wing organizations and special interests opposed to Bush's faith-based initiative. Teen Challenge is the primary target of these people for two reasons, neither of which are Teen Challenge's fault. First---It was an incident in Texas where certain entites took it upon themselves to try to run TC out of the state. George Bush was Goverenor and stepped in to protect the program. Why? Did Bush stand alone? Absolutely not! Most texans knew Teen Challenge's reputation and exemplary record of helping addicts and found it absurd that such a great program that has done so much good could have it's doors shut because of some legal loophole.

This incident is what inspired Bush's federal faith based plan. Secualr and staterun programs are huge failures at rehabilitation, yet Teen Challenge showed much higher successes. Of course, since TC was the very basis for Bush's program ( not a RECIPIENT. TC would not qualify for funds thru this initiative!), political opponents proceeded to tear apart the initial study conducted on TC. The resulting hoopla has led to the usual nonsense and blogs and expose's--you name it. Of course, several other studies have also been conducted and repeatedly show 65-70% cure rates for graduates of the program. And, contrary to what you read here, a far higher percentage of people graduate TC than any other program I know of.

There is a third motive and that is one of anti-Christian sentiment, particularly anti-pentecostal sentiment. The reasons behind this are due completely to religious differences of belief.

Teen Challenge is largely run by former addicts. The programis based around not only introducing one to Christ, but teaching Chrisitan principles to be applied to daily life. It's not for everyone. TC does not hold people against their will. When someone says they want to leave, they are allowed to go.

Teen Challenge is overall a great program and I credit it with saving my life from over a decade of hardcore drug addiction, a life that had me shooting meth in my veins, living on the streets and in and out of state prison. I would be dead today were it not for Teen Challenge. If you or a loved one are considering TC to get help in, then please ignore the garbage you see on the very few websites attacking this organization and do what is in your best interest and call your local center.

I am a graduate of the southern California Teen Challenge and a former staff member of Los Angeles Teen Challenge. I am also a graduate of the Teen Challenge Ministry Institute. Because of Teen Challenge I have been clean for 13 years.

Surely, as with any program there are those who have complaints, but in all of my years working with TC and my experiences with other programs, Teen Challenge is by and far a much better organization than any other around.

Your website seems to make some revelation that TC is a home mission of the Assemblies of God. That's some great investigative work there.....considering that Teen Challenge has ALWAYS prided itself in being so and the AG has always prided itself in having TC as part of it's denomination. There's no great mystery there, nor is there any great mystery that it is Pentecostal based.

Teen Challenge is structured as a strict, somewhat regimented program for a reason, the same reason that most other long term programs are, hardcore drug addicts need a structured environment to help them change their lives.

I will gladly answer any questions you have about TC, as I am proud to have been a part of it. Literally 10's of thousands of others like me are out there. You apparently have a very distorted view of this great organization.