- Aspen Achievement Academy
Aspen Achievement Academy is a
wilderness therapy program for adolescents, based inLoa, Utah .It is operated as a part of
Aspen Education Group .According to the program's promotional materials, Aspen Achievement Academy enrolls adolescent males and females, ages 13-17, with a history of moderate to severe emotional and behavioral problems, such as low self-esteem, academic underachievement,
substance abuse , and family conflict. The program has a flexible length of stay, with a minimum of 35 days. Some parents use the services of ateen escort company to transport their children to the site.The program's website state that the program is
JCAHO certified and licensed as an "Outdoor Treatment Program" by theState of Utah Department of Human Services . It maintains memberships in theNational Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs and theOutdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council .In news media and popular culture
Aspen Achievement Academy has been a subject of several media reports and works of popular culture:
*The 1999 book "Shouting at the Sky: Troubled Teens and the Promise of the Wild" by
Gary Ferguson , ISBN 0-312-20008-0 recounts the author's experiences and observations during several months he spent in the wilderness with teens at Aspen Achievement Academy.
*The third season of the UKTV series Brat Camp was shot at Aspen Achievement Academy.
*In January 1996, six teenagers ran away from an Aspen group. They were found by law enforcement officials and returned to the program, but the incident raised concerns that future escapees might assault tourists, hikers or recreationists on the public lands that Aspen used. Afterward, theBureau of Land Management , which manages these lands, was reported to be have conducted a review to determine whether to renew or terminate Aspen's access permit.Christopher Smith, [http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=1912 Tough love proves too tough] "High Country News", June 10, 1996
*In April 2007 a 16-year-old male student died after hanging himself with a shoelace. [https://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_7166739 Four recent Utah deaths in treatment programs] , By Kirsten Stewart, "The Salt Lake Tribune",October 13 ,2007 References
External links
Aspen Education Group
* [http://www.aspenacademy.com/ Aspen Achievement Academy program homepage]
* [http://www.aspeneducation.com/ Aspen Education Group corporate homepage]Watch organizations
* [http://www.isaccorp.org/ International Survivor Action Committee]
* [http://www.cafety.org/ Community Alliance for the Fair and Ethical Treatment of Youth]
* [http://www.caica.org/ Colation Against Institutionalized Child Abuse]
* [http://www.paulareeves.com/ Paula Reeves - activist]
* [http://www.nospank.net/boot.htm Project Nospank's page about institutions]
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