Testimony from an Academy at Ivy Ridge Graduate - Anon, 2007
Ivy Ridge
I attended the Academy at Ivy Ridge (AIR) from July 2003 to April 2005. I am 20 years old now and a junior in college and I still have nightmares about this place. 2 years later, I still am dealing with what I experienced and witnessed.
Some of the problems common at the Academy at Ivy Ridge (AIR):
- many girls did not get their periods for months in the program because of the constant stress we were always under
- When girls finally did get their periods, they were made to sit in their bloody underwear the entire day because they "should have known they were going to get their period"
- Vaginal infections were widespread. We basically wore tight spandex shorts 24/7, basically keeping our genitals oxygen free (any woman can tell you that's not healthy)
- medical care was consistently denied to us
- I witnessed girls pee themselves because they were denied the bathroom
- for the entire first YEAR I was there I was not permitted to talk AT ALL. Sometimes, if one person tried to escape the ENTIRE FACILITY would be put on silence... basically meaning that anyone who uttered the smallest "excuse me" lost all of their points and levels and had to start over from the begining
- if all that was not bad enough we were often given 20 seconds in the bathroom stalls each. And trust me... after eating the food there you need more than 20 seconds
- the first shower I took there was pubic hair and semen on the walls from the boys who had showered in there 5 minutes before hand
There is so much more... I should write a book.
But basically... if it sounds too good to be true it is. There is no magic school, or medicine or even person who can make your child be the person you know they can be. AIR's techniques were very simple. They would break you down until you felt so helpless, so out of control, so much like an unwanted caged animal that you finally give in to them and do exactly as your told. Before I went to the program, I had problems, but beyond that I was a strong- willed, opinionated, get-what-she-wants young lady. They psychologically beat that out of me until I was an empty, listless follower. Like I said, I have been out for 2 years and I am just now starting to get the confidence in myself back. Confidence that what I feel matters and that I can make a difference.
PARENTS- don't let AIR beat the personality out of your children. Dont let them get rich off of ripping your children of their self worth and self esteem. It might make raising them easier, but do you really want your daughter becoming a submissive, weak woman. Imagine the type of relationships you are setting them up to be in.
LASTLY (although not even close to what I have to say)-- There is no sex education at Ivy Ridge. As a public health major, I've come to realize the importance of a strong education, especially as it relates to your personal and sexual health. I've seen the consequences of this lack of education. I know 16 Ivy Ridge girls who are either pregnant or had a baby this year. Not because they are "sluts" or "easy" but because they spent there teen years being isolated from proper sex and relationship education.
Off of that (and I know I said the last thing was the last but this is really important) as I understand it, AIR is not accredited. I had to teach myself Algebra 2. The program they used basically gave me the problem and the answer and I had to figure out what to do in between on my own. If you think that your child in going to catch up in school, think again. I was able to do it, but I was a small minority. If your child is the type of person that needs one-on-one help, or someone that is a visual learner, or even someone who just needs a teacher... this is NOT... I repeat NOT the school for them.
Sources:
http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2007/07/testimony-from-.html
_