You'd have thought it would be impossible for anyone to help the teenagers seen on Brat Camp, but there are some people who care and know just how to handle them. No one is beyond help at Turn-About Ranch.

Turn-About Ranch (TAR) is tough, but its staff care. And few people know more than its executive director, Max Stewart, about how important a stern but supportive environment can be for young people. He was born and raised in Tropic, Utah, a small town on the edge of Bryce Canyon National Park. He learnt about outdoor life the hard way, by working for his father, a cattleman and farmer, and then served in the US Army as a Military Policeman and a Drill Sergeant.

Teenagers who visit TAR soon find out what it means to be hard but fair. Their discipline is taken hand-in-hand with their emotional wellbeing. As a Licensed Social Worker and Master of Family Therapy, Max knows that it is essential for him and his team to pay attention to the internal anguish and confusion fuelling the teenagers' anger.

An up-to-date, unique approach:

Max's team make sure TAR, now in its sixteenth year, stays up to date with all the latest methods for caring for troubled teens. 'Even though we continue to incorporate new techniques and skills to meet the problems of today's youth, there is one thing that will not change,' Max says. 'Our commitment to our students and their families to provide the best service available.'

He highlights the 'unique environment setting, our working cattle ranch and our mature, highly trained, experienced coaches and counsellors'.

A large part of an adolescent’s time will be spent at the Roundy Camp, a traditional, frontier-style environment with a log cabin, barn and chicken house. 'It is designed to take the rebellious, selfish, undisciplined, defiant or unmotivated youth and strip him or her of old defences, attitudes and facades,' explains Max. 'No free time is allotted, and each youth is directed, taught, encouraged, confronted and held accountable for his or her every action.'

The rule book:

There are draconian rules, including:

• No using tobacco, drugs or alcohol.
• No sex.
• No swearing, cursing, foul or abusive language.
• No gang signs or sign language.
• No weapons, matches.
• No make-up, hair products, jewellery or money.
• Girls' hair must be in a pony tail.
• Boys must be clean shaven.
• Wake-up time is 6.30am and various chores must be completed by 8.30am.
• Students must ask permission before doing anything.

The rules are relaxed gradually only if the teenager’s behaviour improves. If behaviour gets worse the Ranch has what it calls 'Impact', which means rules can become even stricter, enforcing a wake-up time of 6.15am, for example. As well as the hard work on the ranch, there is also normal school-study work.

Contact with parents is strictly limited, although they will usually attend a two-day counselling session at the Ranch about half way through the programme. Parents can, however, call a 24-hour telephone line to find out about their children and there is a website dedicated to letting them know what is happening.

Where did the idea come from?

So what’s the background to all this? Chris Fudge, one of Max's fellow directors, explains: 'A family, the Townsends, set it up when they were looking for a better environment that would create success with youths,' she says. 'With the family’s background in ranching they knew the ranch environment promotes strong values, such as honesty, respect, and teamwork. They knew this would be good for youths to learn and become responsible, and accountable young adults.'

And the philosophy behind these noble ideas? 'To create healthier young adults,' Chris explains. 'Our Mission Statement is: Empowering our students with traditional Christian values of honesty, openness, respect, teamwork, and accountability in order to instil a positive, responsible, cooperative attitude and to prepare them for successfully living within their family, community, school, and society.'

The motto of the Ranch is : 'If you can own it you can change it!'

The project has expanded from 24 students in 2000 to 37 students per programme in 2004 and it now deals with 130 teenagers each year. Nine of these came from the UK last year and the organisers estimate that their success rate for sorting out teenagers is approximately 80%.

www.turnaboutranch.com

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