THE
BRAT CAMP PHENOMENON
For
those new to the Brat Camp phenomenon, Brat Camp is a
reality/documentary series that has recently aired to
rave reviews on ABC Family Channel in the US, Channel
4 in the UK, TV2 in New Zealand, and also in Australia.
The Brat Camp show depicts the progression of six troubled
youth through an American wilderness therapy program.
The television producers have chosen to call it a Brat
Camp.
Brat
Camp, which sounds like a show that would be filled with
reality TV's typical conflict, deceipt, and reprehensible
behaviour, has actually been lauded by those directly
involved, including the youth, their families, and the
program operators themselves as having very accurately
portrayed the events and experiences of the wilderrness
therapy program.
With
all of the interest in the Brat Camp show, there is currently
a surge of interest in wilderness therapy. This article
is designed to delineate the similarities and differences
between the televised Brat Camp model and that which is
found at CanAdventure Education.
While
we would not call ourselves a brat camp, we do offer a
service similar to that which viewers would have seen
on the Brat Camp show. We engage our campers in a powerful
personal growth experience by using wilderness adventure
as a natural and uncompromising teacher. Viewers have
commented on the calm and non-authoritarian approach of
Brat Camp staff, who never yelled at campers or applied
military-style discipline. This is an important part of
wilderness therapy and is consistent with the CanAdventure
Education approach. The wilderness itself is the teacher
in our program. Our instructors are there as guides to
help interpret the experiences and the surroundings faced
by each camper. At CanAdventure Education, youth not only
learn how to better interact with their environment and
their community, they learn about themselves. They exceed
their own preconceived limitations and discover vast new
potential that lies within them. This often becomes a
watershed experience through which struggling teens re-build
self-esteem and a positive vision for the future.
The
original Brat Camp's host wilderness therapy program,
RedCliff Ascent, employs certified counselors who work
with struggling teens during their camp exerience. These
counselors decide when a camper is ready to go home, making
the 'Brat Camp' experience open-ended and dependant on
the progress of each individual youth. At CanAdventure
Education, we structure our program based on the rich
collective experience of our management
team, instructor staff, Associate Counsellors, and Advisory
Committee, including a certified teacher, a registered
clinical counsellor, and a medical doctor. Collectively,
we hold a strong belief in the powerful personal growth
and value system development that occurs through a seamless
integration of experiential education, wilderness adventure,
personal growth, and clinical counseling. Our passion
is working with youth to deliver creative, hands-on learning
experiences that will have a lifelong impact.
CanAdventure
Education offers an opportunity for youth to embark on
a journey through which they will discover new ways of
looking at themselves, communicating with others, and
interacting with the world around them. This journey is
guided by a highly-structured curriculum of personal growth,
skill development, cultural awareness, academic study,
and therapeutic focus sessions, all wrapped into challenging
and inspiring wilderness expeditions. Our camps have defined
start and end dates, but extended stays are available
for youth who require additional time before returning
to the home environment.
The
Brat Camp show has opened many people's eyes to wilderness
therapy and a programming format that can achieve great
success with struggling teens. We respect the work of
RedCliff Ascent and their instructors, and we appreciate
the awareness that the Brat Camp show has built around
this imporant youth programming field. As a result of
the Brat Camp phenomenon, more parents will now have access
to an option that is available to help their struggling
teens.
Click
the following links to visit Brat Camp television websites:
Brat
Camp -ABC Family Channel, USA
Brat
Camp -Channel 4, UK
Brat
Camp -TV2, New Zealand
Find
out more about CanAdventure
Wilderness Adventure Programs
