WWASPS Having Trouble in Mexico Again

Sunset Bay Academy Proud of Long and Successful History
Academy Staff is Excited about Growth of their Teen Programs

Rosarito, B.C., Mexico (PRWEB) October 14, 2009 — When Sunset Bay Academy, an at risk youth program, was founded as Oceanside Teen Center in July 2008 the academy sub-contracted the services of the Worldwide Association of Specialty Programs (WWASP) using their seminar model, marketing infrastructure, and billing services.

Sunset Bay Academy needed the support of such services since they were new in establishing a therapeutic boarding school in Rosarito, B.C., Mexico. They did not have name recognition in United States to access the Therapeutic Boarding School Industry and associated themselves with WWASP for their external services.

Sunset Bay Academy hired bilingual psychologists to implement the most important aspect of the behavioral health model. Their skills and expertise as therapists have created the greatest impact in providing a critical support system for both the students and parents working towards restoring and healing their families and counseling teens. In addition, Sunset Bay Academy’s Program Director and Medical Director live on the school grounds and are accessible 24/7. Each psychologist was carefully selected for their credentials, professional history, and most important, for their passion in working with youth and families.

Sunset Bay Academy developed its program and was very clear that it would adhere to professional ethical standards setting it apart from other international boarding schools. Given the climate of abuse that had plagued WWASP schools, Sunset Bay Academy delineated the parameters of their business relationship as a subcontractor of their existing services only.

Sunset Bay Academy would never acquiesce to “bend the rules a little”, physically discipline, or engage in unethical practices with their teens nor would it develop and design a mediocre program to appease WWASP’s appetite to increase their revenues. During this time, WWASP revealed their disturbing unethical billing practices with our parents by making it clear that they felt entitled to a larger stake in the program and expected Sunset Bay Academy to model its program as a WWASP school.

Sunset Bay Academy severed all business ties with WWASP and terminated their services in April 2009. Their immediate response was to harass all Sunset Bay Academy parents with horrifying emails, letters and phone calls scaring them into thinking that SBA was no longer operating and offered the parents free transportation to move their children to one of their schools.

This tactic caused incredible fear and turmoil among parents. It completely backfired and set the stage for greater trust and an unwavering bond to be established SBA’s parents and teens. They handled the transition with great care and ease with the amazing support of all their parents and changed their name to Sunset Bay Academy.

WWASP Experiences

The place was a shithole, I never knew what “scabies” was till i went there. I was blessed to never get that nasty shit, but i was one of few. I remember they ran out of toilet paper there for like 2 weeks, it was a bit interesting to say the least. Restaining kids was beating them in my eyes, it was more than unneeded force, Although I remember I had this one kid who was in Diligence family… kid was 17 and was one of those kids who had large family breeding on his side. He was a monster, and not meaning fat, meaning 6’4 240 lbs and in the best shape I could imagine. It tooke Luke and Jade to restrain this kid. Jade-Admin./ ex golden glove boxer, great shape for his age, and Luke-Admin. also in really good shape, both of them were monsters compared to 99% of the kids. This kid though gave them a run for their money, at seventeen. I had respect for him.

As for details, and crediting what people say… i have read around the site somewhat, its all true pretty much. Room Restriction, or R&R as we called it, was rediculous. Laying a kid on his stomach, with his legs and hands behins his back, while his chin had to lay on concrete floor for 90 % of the waking day. That was sad, then if you got restrained while you were in that position, restrained, meaning forearm to the back of your head and neck, while a oversized wieght lifting dick, puts his knee along with all his wieght into your spine. At 14, and 150 lbs its a bit scary. I got mal nutrition while I was down there. I was 16, 6’0 and 147 lbs it was gross. I was way to skinny, being a fat kid before I went there I never knew that could be a problem, hahah. But that wait was soon lost and and ribs were soon to show.

Things I have to give the program credit for, believe me very few things. The Spanish thing was a fucking pain in the ass when you first get there. Who in their right mind thinks they can take an American with no knowledge of the Spanish Language whatsoever, and give him three days to learn what he needs to? But because of that, it creates a sense of urgency to learn it so you can communicate with your friends, and the staff. I learned the whole language in like six months, read, write, and speak. I still speak it to the day, which is a good thing. One thing I had a problem with was not being able to speak English, it was very rare where we could do that. We learned their language, we spoke, shouldn’t we be able to speak both?

I fucking hated how they hung that fucking hell high impact over our heads. Bunch of fucking fascists using fear to control us. I lived my first 9 of my 18 months there petrified of a place that I had only heard about. I was never a big trouble maker, Jade taught me not to cause trouble my first day, when I mouthed off to him. But holding something over someone and scare them with it, to get them to do what you want, is fucking wrong. I learned how to understand and manipulate a system down there flawlessly. I learned how to talk my way out of anything, which is good in some ways, being that after the military I want to be a lawyer, or a lobyist.

All in all, I dont blame my parents for sending me there, they thought it was right for a angry 14 year old kid with bad grades, and beginning to smoke pot. I get that, but what i dont forgive pops for is, once I told him what the place was really like, he didn’t listen, figuered I was exagerating or making it all up. My mom knew there was no bullshit in what I was saying, and was the one who got me out of there. What I say now, parents I think have a responsibility to work it out with their children. Not send them off for someone else to do the job. I wouldnt say the place haunts me today, life has moved on, and its in the past. But when I first got out, culture shock, difficulty adjusting, nightmares, were a daily routine. I didnt know how to act, I had been so good at being fake, and appearing as the standard mold for the program that I wasn’t to sure about who I was. My friends noticed it, but I eventually came around.

Also I thought since I had a year and a half of high school taken away from me, I had a need to make up for it. I was worse after the program then before. I never ended up in jail, or anything like that, but I did drugs, got in fights, and made “non-working” decisions as those creeps used to say. I found myself and grew up in time. I just had to do it and learn on my own, I couldnt be molded into it.