Program structure
The program is 28 days minimum. They can detained in 32 at the time.
Phases
They use a level system, where the newly arrived teenager are kept from other the other detained teenagers during the settler
phase until they break down and accept their banishment from their family and friends.
The Levels are as following:
| Level |
Program purpose |
Focus of the detained teenager |
| Settler |
Assessment |
Accept their situation |
| Pioneer |
Habits & Patterns |
Personal responsibility |
| Explorer |
Skill development & internalization |
Relationship skills |
| Tracker |
Ownership |
Eldership |
Each week consist of 5 days of hiking and camping. One days is done with ropes courses and finally a day in a cabin where
they can wash their clothes and take a shower.
Hiking days
A typical day when hiking consist of:
| Morning |
Noon |
Afternoon |
Evening |
| Wake up |
Arrive at new campsite |
Set up camp |
Camp chores |
| Personal hygiene |
Hand washing and lunch preparation |
Academic work or therapeutic assignments |
Personal Hygiene. |
| Breakfast |
Lunch |
games and possibly crafts |
Dinner preparation and clean up. |
| Pack up equipment and clean up campsite following Leave No Trace principles
|
Lunch clean-up |
Phase work |
Letter and journal writing. |
| Hike |
|
|
Group processing session |
| |
|
|
Crafts |
| |
|
|
reading or personal time |
| |
|
|
Bed |
Therapy Days
When the detained teenagers are not hiking they are put through a strict regimen of group therapy session as well as individual
sessions with counselors. These therapeutic interventions are typically on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Communication
The detained teenager is restricted from all other means of communication than letters. The parents speak with a therapist
over the phone once a week. At the end of the expedition the parents can choose to spend a day or two at the facility where
they participate in a number of exercises with the teenager before they grace the teenager back into the family.
In the news
A detained teenager - Matthew Meyers died September 19, 2004. The case number at Trinity County District Court is 19631
and it was filed on July 31, 2006 [3].
In January 2007 the program have received a warning for not testing the water quality according to regulations.
