I have a quick question. Does any Nomad out there know if Baja CA Norte has a facility for troubled youth? I have read some stories of centers being
shutdown in Guadalajara and Ensenada due to mistreatment of the teens. I have a neighbor who is looking for a place to send her 15 year old daughter.
I am recommending that she keeps her kid in the US and not send her to a country where she is not familiar with the laws and business practices, but
if any of you knows of a place you would recommend. Please let me know and I will relate the information to her.
There is one that was recommended to her called Pacific Shores, but no one seems to know anything about this place near Encenada and Rosarito.
Thank you for any info you are able to provide.
Start here...........
mcfez - 5-10-2012 at 05:02 PM
Dave and Bunny Torrez 508/299-3592
TheWaveRosarito@hotmail.com
For people that are concerned about a friend or family member with addictive behavior, or for people that are concerned about their own use of
alcohol, drugs, or other possible addictions. I wish you luck.
[Edited on 5-11-2012 by mcfez]Bajafun777 - 5-11-2012 at 12:21 AM
angels4, the nuns in Mexicali have a church home setting on Calle Rio Culican in Mexicali. I had some parents years ago that wanted a really
structured envirnoment for their daughter who had gotten into drugs, fighting, skipping school, challenging her parents to fight with her, etc. Just
every parents nightmare, so long story short she was in juvenile hall for several months, sent to group home for offenders by the court in Imperial
County before getting herself in this place.
This girl was partying in Mexicali with her girlfriends but got arrested by Mexicali police and taken to the Nuns' Foster Home which has nothing to do
with DIF that I know of. The parents went down and found the place to be very clean, had indoor gym and even a swimming pool.
The Nuns made the girls cook, clean the facilities of the very large church like building. They also made and sold baby clothes, school uniforms to
kids in Mexicali and Calexico Catholic Schools, along with stuffing advertisements into newspapers. The Nuns knew that to keep them busy was to keep
them out of trouble. They also do school inside the place with Nun teachers. It is on Calle Rio Culican about 5 or 6 blocks going south fromt the
USA border fence. Have them check it out if she is totally out of control. By the way the parents of the girl paid $200 dollars a month for her care
there and did not take the girl back for 8 months. The girl had not gotten into trouble since that I ever heard about. This was some time back early
1990s, so I do not know if the Nuns still have this place operating like that now. Probably someone on the board will know. Take Care & Travel
Safe------ "No Hurry, No Worry, Just FUN" bajafun777Debra - 5-11-2012 at 12:33 AM
BajaCactus or David K. might be able to help you out, I believe there is a place near El Rosario that was of help to a troubled youth a few years
ago. Check back in the AMdurrelllrobert - 5-11-2012 at 08:55 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by angels4
I have read some stories of centers being shutdown in Guadalajara and Ensenada due to mistreatment of the teens..
U.S. State Department plans to send a letter of protest to Mexican officials over the handling last week of the closure of three schools for troubled
teenagers in Baja California, amid complaints from parents and school officials that Mexican authorities have yet to justify their actions.
More than 500 students and staff were forced to return to the United States and other countries after Mexican authorities closed the
facilities in Ensenada and Rosarito Beach. The largest school, Casa by the Sea, housed about 550 boys and girls at a former hotel overlooking the
Pacific Ocean.
Mexican authorities said they acted after unspecified complaints of physical and mental abuse at the schools, which tout themselves as behavior
modification institutions for children involved in gangs, drugs and other dangerous activities.
But no details of the alleged abuse have been provided to the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, spokeswoman Liza Davis said. She said the State Department
would send a letter citing the abrupt and disorganized manner in which officials from three Mexican agencies shut down the schools.
In some cases, parents were not allowed to see their children for several hours while Mexican officials questioned them, Davis said. At one point,
fights broke out among some of the students, she said.
"Our position is they have every right to ... inspect facilities just as in the U.S.," Davis said. "Our problem is largely with how it was done,
because it was quite chaotic."
The other schools closed were Casa la Esperanza, with 20 students, and Genesis by the Sea, with 26 students.
Mexican officials did not return calls seeking comment. A statement released earlier this week said the schools' operations were suspended because of
poor record keeping, improper licenses and poor management of prescription drugs, some of which had expired. Officials said one school had an electric
perimeter fence and another had a punishment cell.
Ken Kay, a spokesman for Casa by the Sea, denied that the facility had a punishment cell or an electric fence. And he cited a Mexican media report
earlier this week that said a Mexican health official had found no evidence of abuse.
"We are relieved that there is no substantiation to the abuse allegations," Kay said.
Schools for troubled teens have generated controversy in the past for their alternative teaching methods and, some say, excessive disciplinary
techniques. Similar facilities have been closed in Mexico, the Czech Republic and other countries.
Several parents of children who attended Casa by the Sea said the school had no record of complaints and was straightening out teenagers' lives. They
expressed concern that false accusations were marring the facility's reputation.
"I just don't want Casa to get a bad name," said Carol Rivardi, a Rancho Santa Margarita resident whose 16-year-old daughter attended the school for
one year.
"My daughter had no self-esteem; now she has values and beliefs. It has totally changed her," Rivardi said.
But some applauded the closures. "I'm rejoicing," said Roderick S. Hall, a San Diego-area clinical psychologist who said several students over the
years had reported psychological abuse at the school to him. "I think the [schools] play on parents' fears and then play on kids' fears to shape up,
and it's not constructive in the long run."Cypress - 5-11-2012 at 09:06 AM
Baja is a mecca for troubled adults.DavidE - 5-11-2012 at 09:28 AM
Can we please change our U.S. State Department?
My great uncle, an honest-to-god Montana cowboy rancher changed my 10-year old's smart-ass attitude in about 3-1/2 seconds. It started with him
picking up all 96 pounds of me up off the ground with one hand and and bringing me nose to nose for a consultation.Debra - 5-11-2012 at 01:54 PM
I think I like your uncle!Maderita - 5-11-2012 at 03:23 PM
angels4,
I agree with your advice that she "keeps her kid in the US and not send her to a country where she is not familiar with the laws and business
practices."
I'm a mental health professional, specializing in high-risk youth & families, for over 35 years. Most "troubled youth" can be managed successfully
with a combination of individual and family psychotherapy on an outpatient (in the office) once a week basis. Adolescents tend to reflect the family
problems in their behavior. The adolescent must be viewed in the context of their family situation and environment.
Typically, it is the parent(s) who must do the changing if the teen's behavior is going to improve. Shipping a child off to a residential program is
rarely a solution to anything, unless the parents are working equally hard in therapy. Many parents will blame the child for the misbehavior and
ignore responsibility for their own role. Kids didn't usually CAUSE the family problems, they simply REACT to family problems. Blame the kids doen't
help.
A common problem is that many/most teens are overindulged. What I mean by that is that their parents are giving them money, expensive electronic
devices, junk food, and permission to roam, without the teen having EARNED those privileges. Parents typically rely on very ineffective and
inconsistent punishment in failed attempts to enforce rules. The older the child gets, the more "out of control" he/she becomes. That can be
restructured with a discipline plan in which the child has responsibilities and earns privileges based on performance. Parents simply hold tough, If
the task is not done or rule not followed, then no reward. For this to work, parents must have absolute "lock & key" control over all electronics
(incl. phone), toys, money, special snacks, and wheels (incl. rides).
IMHO, kids should have more civil rights than they do. Children in many countries, incl. the USA, are thought of as the parents' property. Parents can
make almost any decision without regard for the child's best interest. I don't believe that parents should be allowed to ship a child off to a foreign
country for "rehabilitation." Those children would be denied the protection of the US Constitution and rule of law, and sequestered away from
governmental agency supervision/monitoring.
There is a big problem with kids being shipped out-of-state to avoid State governmental regulation. Even with significant government moitoring,
serious abuse and death happens in residential programs in the USA. It is horrifying to think of what can happen to kids who are sent to another
country and lack legal protection and adequate government regulation/monitoring.
Is your neighbor in southern Calif? What attempts has she made to access mental health services in the USA? Does the girl have health insurance or
Medi-Cal? Encourage her to seek professional services in the USA.
[Edited on 5-11-2012 by Maderita]BajaBlanca - 5-11-2012 at 07:15 PM
We met an American boy about 5 years ago whose parents had sent him to CREAD because he was out of control. He admitted being difficult, stealing cars
and I truly believed his life was turned around by CREAD. These kids come to our villages once amonth and ask for donations, food etc. as part of
their contribution to the program, if they are chosen by their couselors.
He said the program was working for him ... he was a real smart alec but I he came many times over a whole year and slowly but surely he changed....
I see no problem at all with sending a kid far away from old friends and bad habits. Not only that, she will learn surely learn Spanish and have
something to add to her resume.
CASA BUY THE SEA
J.P. - 5-11-2012 at 07:57 PM
My neighbor worked there as a Lay Counseler. He has since moved on. The methods they used there were unusual.
The word from him was the charges of abuse ,health violations and other's were trumped up aginst the operator because they refused to pay the
Mordida in adition th the legit fee'sangels4 - 5-14-2012 at 09:57 AM
I appreciate everyones feedback and will pass on all the info to the parents of this young lady.
I have two boys, one who is 5 and the other is 9 and God knows I work very hard with them and pray every day that I am doing a decent job with them.
So far so good, but we live in a society and with a government that doesn't let parents be parents.
I sure hope I never have to be in my neighbors shoes.
DavidE- I like your uncle too!
Maderita- Check your U2U
A Solution
bajaguy - 5-14-2012 at 06:51 PM
The United States Marine Corps.........desertcpl - 5-14-2012 at 07:23 PM
YUP
uncles can do it
I had one when I was 14,( going on 30)
he was a coal miner from Ireland, then a stone mason here in the US, I was like out of control
my parents sent me to work for him.
WOW,, that was an awakening
durrellrobert, As You Acknowledged
Gypsy Jan - 5-14-2012 at 08:55 PM
You quoted an eight-year-old LA Times story.
The schools that were closed down by the Mexican government were being run by corrupt American entrepreneurs, many of which were involved in the drug
trade themselves.
"The abrupt shipping of the American teens back to the U.S." was done to protect the children.
At that time, in certain states (I don't know if the laws have changed since then), if a juvenile was convicted of drug violations, the parents were
liable and could be sued and all the family assets seized to satisfy the damages (RICOH statutes).
In the Mexican facilities cited in the article, the children were housed in suspect, unlicensed abusive conditions strictly for the purposes of
putting them outside U.S. authority and oversight.
The people running these illegal, unlicensed Mexican facilities were mostly Americans looking to profit on misery.
CRREAD is a Mexican rehab, a licensed non-profit, run by Mexicans and strictly regulated and legitimate. They have, plus or minus, 3,000 people
undergoing rehab in forty-one locations. We have known the people running the CRREAD organization for over ten years.
My only waffle on this answer is that I don't know if they accept non-Mexican residents.
[Edited on 5-15-2012 by Gypsy Jan]Mula - 5-15-2012 at 05:25 AM
I think a lot of the CRREAD people have spent a lot of time in the USA because most of them speak near perfect English.
Most likely they were deported, brought to their senses and enrolled in CRREAD.
JMHO.woody with a view - 5-15-2012 at 06:08 AM
start early. make the brat pick his/her own switch from the crab apple tree and use it occasionally.
