Recently, I had a lengthy and deeply eye-opening phone call with another person directly impacted by the John Volken Academy. Speaking to someone who has lived through similar experiences reminded me why it’s so important for us to connect beyond the petition page.

If you are a former participant or a family member of someone who attended JVA, I invite you to reach out to me personally. This could be as simple as a quick hello, a short phone call, or an email — just enough to confirm you’re real and start a dialogue. The goal is to build trust, verify each other’s stories, and potentially work toward a coordinated, formal submission to the proper authorities.

One voice can be dismissed — multiple voices are far harder to ignore. Together, we can present a more credible, undeniable record of harm.

From my recent conversation, here are a few red-flag examples that deserve attention:

⤷“They didn’t want me to take my antidepressant medication… They pretended like they were this treatment center, but really they were just putting people to work right away.”
⤷“It was like a cult… people who wanted to leave were interrogated, but if you stayed, you were worked 12–13 hours a day, six days a week — for no pay.”
⤷“They promised him a stable role after graduation, then took it away and gave it to the founder’s son. Three months from completion, they ripped away his purpose.”
⤷“They put people on speaking bans for minor infractions… took away personal photos… and discouraged any communication outside their control.”
⤷“Medication was handed out casually by other residents, not medical staff — no privacy, no proper records.”

These are not minor issues. They point to systemic problems — a lack of professional medical and mental-health care, exploitative labor, religious bias, emotional control, and retaliation against those who spoke up.

Finally, I have tried to create opportunities for people to safely share their experiences — from r/fakehelprealharm to this private Facebook group you are welcome to request to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/johnvolkenacademy

If you’ve had experiences like these, please get in touch. You are not alone, and your story matters. The Academy was shut down in Canada for a reason, but there is more work to be done to ensure accountability — and to make sure this never happens again, anywhere.

You can message me directly through this petition page or via email (ultra.elevens0i@icloud.com), where I can share my text if you'd like to call or connect via phone (my preferred method).  

We are stronger together.

TL;DR:
The John Volken Academy’s misconduct runs far deeper than damaging people labeled as “addicts” or “mentally ill.” Many attendees arrived already broken and vulnerable, only to be exploited further. Any attempt to speak up or resist was dismissed as a “symptom” of their condition — the perfect built-in excuse for maltreatment, exclusion, and coercion.

Key patterns and red flags:

Punitive control disguised as treatment – People worked from sunup to sundown, often with nothing more than a single sandwich for the remainder of the work day for a grown man. Standing up for others or making even a minor misstep could result in weeks of punishment, delayed graduations, and prolonged stays — conveniently extending their unpaid labor.
Humiliation & retaliation – Speaking bans, confiscation of personal items, public shaming by leadership, and the founder singling out residents in front of peers.
Financial exploitation – The Academy collected government disability payouts (around $1,000 per person/month) from certain attendees — in some cases for months after they’d already left — later apologizing and calling it an “error.”
Betrayal & gaslighting – One attendee’s son built a successful business arm for the Academy through sheer effort, only to have it taken away and handed to the founder’s son (on payroll). When confronted, leadership deflected blame, shifted narratives, and maintained the public illusion of a benevolent “humanitarian” program.
Dehumanizing environment – No real counseling, medications distributed casually by non-medical staff, and critical medical or mental-health needs ignored.
Media spin & PR whitewashing – Even now, Volken appears on LinkedIn and in media cutting ribbons for new projects, with supporters portraying the shutdown as the result of “progressive liberalism” rather than systemic abuse.

Former participants and families have described him as “the ultimate gaslighter,” blaming government, addiction itself, or anything else to avoid accountability. Many found the recent Global News article to be particularly manipulative and triggering — rushing to defend him while glossing over serious allegations.  
🔗 Read the article here

This is not just about bad management — it’s about systemic exploitation of the vulnerable under the guise of recovery.

Finally, there has never been a genuine apology from John Volken. It’s clear they do not “get it” — and will never admit wrongdoing — instead blaming the government for “interfering” and branding critics as weak, “lazy” addicts with mental-health problems who simply didn’t want to work for free.

You might see the highlight reel on social media, but what you don’t hear enough about are the people who left not any better than when they arrived — maybe more psychologically damaged, disappointed, controlled, and utterly drained from relentless manual labor. And for what? What exactly was learned at the Academy?

Why do some people swear by the program? Because when you’re desperate for feedback, help, guidance, acceptance and social validation after being ostracized and isolated for misunderstood conditions like ADHD (often self-medicated with substance use), you become the perfect target for mind control and cult-like brainwashing. The more you bend over backwards to appease a self-serving, unappeasable system, the more you are drained in every aspect of your life. If you resist — and know deep down it was wrong but complied just to survive — it can lead to very dark places… the same kinds of places that led you to seek help in the first place.  

The sad truth: Many people know that when someone is truly supported in healing, they can blossom into a compassionate, contributing member of society. Here, there was no compassion that blossomed — no real sense of community. It was a cold, austere environment with other intentions.

I leave you with this final thought: Is a shutdown enough to make up for years and years of exploitation, brainwashing, and subtle cult-like control and manipulation?