"WE BELIEVE"

WE BELIEVE that change in any human being must make sense to that person. When you ask people to change, you must start where they are - not where you want them to be. You cannot force another person to change. It is learned either by repetition or conscious decision. This type of change is most often facilitated by a warm, caring adult who is willing to provide the right doses of discipline and affection - raw, unadulterated affection - in massive quantities. It is the glue that bonds staff and student, student and values.

WE BELIEVE the things that make our programs work are the same things which make good families work – warmth, structure, and everyone having a say-so and an important role.

WE BELIEVE the greatest of all evils perpetuated on those offenders in juvenile and adult institutions is the lack of meaningful work. This clearly tells them what society believes about their value. We try to teach each young person that there is no such thing as a dead-end job. We believe in meaningful work as one of the most beneficial forms of therapy.

WE BELIEVE setting goals and deferring gratification are important life skills typically underdeveloped in troubled youth. By setting up a series of short and long-term rewards which require achievement and make sense, we teach youth that nothing worthwhile is achieved without hard work. In the real world, performance precedes rewards.

WE BELIEVE that what we do is much more important than what we say to kids. We make every effort to hire and train staff who will be positive role models for the kids we serve. We encourage an atmosphere which is informal yet structured, chaotic but controlled, in effect, a warm, friendly, disciplined atmosphere typical of good families.

WE BELIEVE self image can be likened to a continuous audio tape that cannot be erased. When a child has been told repeatedly by words and actions that he or she is bad, the youth will likely fulfill what he/she believes is his/her role in society We know our job is to find youth doing something right and to put as many positive comments on the tape as possible. Anyone can find our students doing lots of things wrong. Our staff members catch our youngsters doing things right.