I am a Survivor of the therapeutic wilderness program in Maine called Ironwood. They had been shutting down and I was relieved, but now I know they are just rebranding into a new organization called, “The Ridge.” This is the same way “Ironwood” started from “Turn about,” and Turn about started from “Elan.” These programs are designed to address adolescent mental health issues and addiction, including behavioral disorders, self-harm, suicidal ideation, aggression, and other serious challenges. They do not care who ends up in these places. They just want your money. I knew kids in these places sent there because they are gay, struggling with gender identity, or because their parents didn’t want them anymore. They shouldn’t have been there. These places use tactics as a reward and punishment system with food, the cold, fires, pitting residents against each other, verbal and physical abuse, and much more. The people who work at these places are just 20 year olds out of college that aren’t qualified whatsoever, wanting some experience for their careers. They don’t run background checks. We had a rapist at our camp who touched the kids and no one did anything about it. He was child rapist and no background information was done at all on him, or others, to reveal what kind of people you want working there. Kids have died at these camps, kids have starved, broken bones, or been mentally traumatized. It is time to start doing something, anything before more lives are ruined and more kids end up dead, please help us. We need alleys, we need anything. Thank you.