I'm honestly not sure how to start this post. This is something I've only spoken about with a couple people and I don't even really know where to start.
Earlier this year, thanks to many incredibly brave survivors sharing their stories, I stumbled upon the knowledge of what's referred to as the "Troubled Teen Industry" (TTI for short). I was vaguely familiar with the concept for quite a while, but it was only fairly recently that I was inspired to do my own research.
In case you're unfamiliar with it, the "Troubled Teen Industry" is a conglomerate of different organizations operating under the guise of residential therapeutic/rehabilitation centers aimed towards minors, or "problem children". Some of these organizations are also known as "wilderness therapy" programs. All of these programs thrive off of parental manipulation and rampant, horrific child abuse. I won't go into detail, but just looking up "troubled teen industry" on Wikipedia will give you an idea of just how unbelievably evil these places are.
As someone who never experienced one of these programs firsthand, it's not my place to speak with authority on what these programs are like. As someone who has done hours of research into this horrific reality somehow still being perpetuated in our nation, I do feel it is my responsibility to amplify the voices of the survivors who are persevering to shut these programs down no matter what.
One voice I want to amplify is the voice of Joe Nobody, a TTI survivor and the anonymous creator of a webcomic called "Joe Vs Elan School", which follows his experiences after being abducted into the Elan School at the age of 16.
The Elan School is one of the most infamous programs under the TTI umbrella. It was shut down in 2011 due to overwhelming accusations of abuse, but its survivors are still fighting to make their stories heard. Because history is being repeated.
The story Joe tells of his life within and after Elan is not for the faint of heart. Almost every kind of trigger warning you could think of would apply to Joe's account of his life. The atrocities committed by the Elan School and those still being committed by the TTI are unbelievable at first glance. But they are real and they deserve to be brought to light.
