Teen Boot Camps - Teen boot camp philosophy

  The philosophy of the boot camp designed for a troubled teen is one that has been evolving over time, as problems with the system itself as well as society has changed since the first teen boot camps were designed, particularly in Georgia. If one, however, would like a representative sample of the basic philosophy of teen boot camps, a description of belief statements can be used to help define it. For example, at one specific Residential Treatment Center which incorporates boot camp style order without the in your face attitude and also adding a positive peer culture approach unlike teen boot camp, called Tranquility Bay, the belief statements are: (1) We believe team work among school staff, parents and community is essential for the quality of students productivity; (2) We believe every student has the potential for academic success and learning opportunities must be provided for each student; (3) We believe respect for self, others and property enhances the quality of learning; (4) We believe there is great value in learning about cultural diversity; (5) We believe individuals should be held accountable for their choices; (6) We believe students develop self-esteem as they acquire critical thinking and become more knowledgeable in the core curriculum; (7) We believe all students should participate in meaningful learning activities that will allow them to grow academically, socially, physically and in technical skills; and (8) We believe an independent self-paced learning environment will increase student productivity and allow students to obtain the skills necessary to meet daily challenges.

  While Tranquility Bay is a residential treatment center offering long-term care (1 year or longer) for troubled teens, consisting of academic learning, peer environment, therapeutic counseling with a licensed counselor, and order it is important in selecting help for a son or daughter to look at the operational values of the options including teen boot camps, residential treatment centers like tranquility bay or specialty boarding schools.

  One cannot separate the philosophy of the boot camp and their individual goals, as they are commonly one and the same. Using information that is available on many of the information packets for such camps, the goal and philosophy can be identified using three elements: reducing crowding, reducing costs and lowering recidivism amongst teen boot camps. Other goals include working with the troubled teen to help them develop work skills, provide a safe alternative to juvenile "prison environment," enhancing deterrence, educating the teen while he or she continues with the boot camp, and breaking the will of the young teens enrolled in teen boot camps.

Aside from the traditional approach with regard to the ideological focus with respect to the boot camp, the juvenile justice system, from which the private boot camps have used as a model, the idea behind the teen boot camp environment is discipline, discipline, and discipline . Although, because of some of the reported problems voiced by both parent and teen, the traditional idea of modeling the boot camp against the roles often associated with military schools, the philosophy remains the same while the boot camp model has been altered in an effort to reduce the constant verbal abuse seen in the military boot camps.