NEW! Benchmark section on Fornits Discussion forum

link to URGENT STUFF HERE

Introduction

After attempting to get past my experiences at Benchmark Young Adult School, after attempting for several years to “move on” and “get over it”, an odd assignment for a writing class made me realize I could no longer run from the past. By a twist of fate, and caring parents who ignored Benchmark's suggestion never to take me back into the house, I was given a second chance to succeed. My parents were told “Whatever you do, should not include Michael's returning to home, wherever that may be, to live.” They were told I would be more than they could handle, that I would raise untold bedlam and manipulate them out of house and home. In retrospect, Benchmarks dire predictions of failure have proven more than a little inaccurate considering where, thanks to the opportunities my parents granted me, I now have the possibility of a future I could never have dreamed of, had I been forced to work my way off the Redlands streets like so many other of my friends. Although at one time, even I though it imposable, my parents and I learned to get along – to set aside our differences and figure out a way to coexist peacefully.

And here I am wondering “Why me? Why did I deserve this?” There were so many other kids who I knew that had far fewer problems than me coming into program, and they ended up on the streets. Kids were there for things like ADHD, or anxiety, or any of the issues listed on Benchmark's website. Those were the majority, and as a result of systematic discrediting and year-long character assassination of the kids by the Benchmark staff, parents came to believe their own children to be monsters when in reality they were nothing more than stressed out, desperate, and traumatized from all the mind-experimentation. Complaints of abuse or mistreatment, legitimate or not, were all dismissed as “manipulations” of desperate program kids, who would do anything to get out, get home, and get back to “running the show.” After a kid learns “hey, why should I bother saying anything anymore, not even my parents care,” they start to lose hope, believing their parents truly have full knowledge of what is happening when in fact they are just desperate parents, wanting the best for their kids, exploited by an industry out to make money of the failures of their kids.

Parents put their trust in the staff and it is regularly abused. While staff creates a problem to fix, postponing the theoretical graduation, parents write another check, reassured by the sweet old lady that their kid is really making great progress, but just needs “another six months”. As six month periods add up, the bad reports keep flowing in, and the cost of keeping the kid in program becomes increasingly prohibitive, parents seldom blame the program, instead turning to their son or daughter and saying “how could you keep failing us like this, we're spending all this money. These people are trying to help you.” When the kid tries to explain, if he still has the will to protest at that point, the phone is hung up, justified under the blanket excuse of “manipulation”. Parents seldom if ever bother to investigate, do research, or ask difficult questions of the staff. The kid goes away crying, eventually losing all faith in authority, parents, and self.

Benchmark staff like to claim that students can leave at any time they wish – that nothing is keeping them there. Although it is technically correct to say that Benchmark let's anybody leave at any time, by denying a student his property money and even identification, Benchmark assures that anybody who leaves will not be successful at emancipation. This was not always the policy. There was a time when students could save up their weekly money and leave with their possessions, but after student after students started to successfully “emancipate” without Benchmark, they changed this policy, whilst simultaneously claiming to have the best interests of the student's “emancipation” in mind. If kids start an embarrassing trend that might give doubt to the program's expressed purpose, the program takes measures to justify it's existence, thus protecting it's financial interests. It's simple economics, the longer kids stay in program the more money Benchmark makes. The fact of the matter is that Benchmark profits more from the prolongated failure of a student than a quick success.

You may wonder, “well what of the 'success stories?'” in which the program completion time is carefully emphasized. If you've ever spent time at a carnival you know that that any carnie can easily demonstrate that somebody “can” win in order to lure you into playing more or avoid getting arrested. You might even be allowed to win the first time, to hook you into thinking you can win more. Benchmark always makes sure there is at least one or two exceptions so they can easily deny accusations of fraud with brainwashed eye-witness students who repeating obediently on command: “I love it here, they treat us fantastically and are fair in their punishments. They've saved my life. Without them I'd be dead, insane, or in jail.” From that student's perspective, the assessment is probably correct, however it is most definitely not the norm. The student allowed to succeed, carefully cherry picked for maximum marketing impact, is often oblivious to just how easy he has it. As an “investment” the chosen student more than makes up for the lost tuition by the new batch of warm bodies the testimonial brings.

I have created this website in the hope that current and former parents and students can learn from my experiences and avoid the mistakes so many other parents have made by trusting in Benchmark's philosophy of “tough love.” I write in the hope that somehow parents and students will read this and something will “click”. I write in the hope that I will not be passed off some manipulative program kid, and that parents might consider the possibility that they made a mistake with Benchmark. Unlike Benchmark, I do not ask for your blind trust or obedience in the parenting of your own child. I merely ask that you keep an open mind and consider what I have to say. I have no illusion that this website will answer all your questions or provide solutions for all your problems. I merely hope that the information I have provided here, and linked to, will provoke some desire to do research on your own, hopefully leading to a better future than the bleak one Benchmark Young Adult School almost guarantees.

Thank you for your time and consideration I hope you will find the answers you seek, whatever they may be.

If you are a parent considering placing your kid in Benchmark, i highly recommend visiting fornits.com and asking for advice. Fornits is not associated with any program or educational consultants. It's an open forum for discussion regarding the Troubled Teen industry. Fornits is not moderated and anybody is allowed to (and does) post. Be patient and you will recieve responses from a mix of parents, ex-staff, students, trolls, educational consultants, and the odd martian. In between the junk, you will find the answer you were looking for, often which is nothing more than "Go talk to a qualified therapist."

I urge you, do not take advice from strugglingteens.com which is owned by Lon Woodbury, an educational consultant with vested interests in referring you to choice programs. His forum is heavily moderated and you would be getting only a one-sided opinion there.

URGENT STUFF:

ed-cons visiting Benchmark Young Adult School:

The following educational consultants just visited benchmark last week. I urge you to contact them, share your experiences, and offer to answer any questions they might have:

Sturtevant, Jr, Peter
202-333-3530
peter@schoolcounseling.com

Member: IECA
Maureen Brennan

murphyny@yahoo.com

11 York Avenue, Suite 1
Westerly, RI 02891
Phone: 860-830-1003
Fax: 401-315-0462