Teen Wilderness Camps

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Teen wilderness camps are special camps where parents send their troubled teens when they feel like there are no other options for their children. These camps are in the middle of nowhere, and the kids are forced to hike for hours, sleep in tents, and go without proper sanitation for weeks, or sometimes even months. Teen wilderness camps have come under fire many times for injuries and even deaths that have occurred which has raised questions on whether or not these types of programs should be a legal option.
Promoters of teen wilderness camps bring up many good positives for these types of places. Teens at these camps are always under the supervision of trained and qualified counselors. Weekly therapy sessions are held where the campers can get one on one time with a therapist. These teens are also taken away for the environment they were previously in and placed hundreds of miles away from drugs, alcohol, and their friends who may have been a bad influence. However, I believe that the promoters of these camps should look more closely at all of the negatives.
Teen wilderness camps are tough on their campers, and on many occasions they are too tough. On a hike at Summit Quest Camp in Utah a camper named Michelle was complaining of not feeling well and her counselors accused her of faking it and that it was all in her head (Investigative Reports). Because of the counselors negligence Michelle collapsed and died(Investigative Reports). Her mother sent her at Summit Quest full expecting to be able to see her daughter in just a few weeks, but because of the harshness of the camp she will never be able to see her daughter again.
Unfortunately, the tragic story of Michelle is not the only blemish on the reputation on wilderness ca...

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...ame time are giving very little supplies to its campers.
A minority of people believe that with proper regulation and intervention from authorities that these camps could work for troubled teens. While this may help some of the problems, it does not affect the harsh conditions the teens are in. These kids will still be forced to hike for miles a day under the hot sun and have no access to running water or proper sanitation.
While these teen wilderness camps may look like a great solution to a parent who believes they have run out of options, it is not. Sending your teen to one of these camps could leave them with physical and emotional scars, and possibly even death. There are many other options parents can look into, but no matter how troubled a teen is a wilderness camp should never be an option, because it is like sending your child on a possibly death wish.

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