PARENTS struggling with misbehaving kids have an expensive new weapon in their fight against delinquency — an intensive military-style boot camp designed to bring problem children to heel.
Developed in Queensland and piloted in WA for the first time earlier this month, the Veterans 4 Youth holiday camp is run entirely by former defence force personnel.
It uses army training techniques to set strict boundaries and instil discipline in kids more accustomed to running amok.
Veterans 4 Youth bills itself as potentially the “most important investment you ever make in (your child’s) personal development” — and investment is the right word, with the 10-day camps coming in at a touch under $5500 ($4500 for early bird bookings).
Designed for cretins and class clowns rather than criminals, the rap sheets of the 16 kids that took part in the inaugural WA camp would be familiar reading to exasperated parents and teachers across the state.
School suspensions, bullying, aggressive behaviour, swearing and dabbling in cigarettes, alcohol and even pot make appearances, but on the whole the misadventures are more reminiscent of teenage angst than thuggery — personified by one boy shipped off to camp after racking up a $6000 debt on his parents’ credit card because in his mind, they “owed him” that money.
No matter how tough the kids think they are when stepping off the bus on day one, Veterans 4 Youth general manager Malcolm Perry knows it is only a matter of time before they fall into line.
“We’ve had kids who tried to punch instructors, threaten instructors and even run away, who at the end when they graduate are given the instructors hugs,” he said.
“Some of these are 17-year-old guys who are in tears when they’re reunited with mum and dad, so it is a big change for them.”
The Sunday Times visited the camp, run out of the Manjedal Activity Centre one hour south of Perth, on day three — near the end of the “breakdown phase.”
Like all days, it began with the sound of Reveille at 6am.
That is followed by a PT session and shower — “poor hygiene” is a common complaint from parents and camp participants are taught how to bathe on day one — before the kids tidy their sleeping quarters and get beds ready for inspection.
Like every meal over the course of the 10 days, breakfast is a plain but nutritious affair devoid of sugar — even condiments like tomato sauce are off limits.
The rest of the day is devoted to military marching drill, menial tasks like ironing uniforms and polishing boots and classroom-style lectures on the “moral compass”, and themes such as integrity, self-disciple and self-awareness.
Tasks done well are occasionally rewarded with a swim in the nearby dam but the same body of water, with the addition of logs held overhead and imposing senior instructor Mick Geurts, doubles as punishment.
Mr Geurts, a 17-year veteran who served on three back-to-back tours of Afghanistan, said individual transgressions always resulted in punishment for the group but instructors were mindful of limits.
“There is a massive difference between training soldiers and training kids and you can’t just push them to where they break,” he said. “We do push them to the limit and where they know they are struggling, but we always make sure the kids feel like they have achieved what they need to.
“It is important that you keep throwing positive reinforcement into their minds daily.”
The relentless routine begins easing after day three and in the second half of the camp kids take part in a range of activities designed to boost self-esteem and teamwork such as raft-building, obstacle courses and a 24-hour hike and overnight camp.
At the midway point of day three, one boy — at camp for “always pissing off my Dad” — told The Sunday Times he was planning to be a lot more respectful in future.
“It’s important to behave in a way that is socially acceptable and how your parents would expect,” he said.
More than 500 children aged between nine and 17 have completed Veterans 4 Youth camps run in Queensland in the past two years and though about 5 per cent fail to graduate, Mr Perry said the changes in attitude and behaviour was usually night and day.
“The one that sticks in my mind was an 11-year-old boy in the care of child services and living in a hotel because foster families wouldn’t have him,” he said.
“He had a record for stealing cars and going armed in public threatening violence – usually we don’t take kids with criminal records but because of his age we decided to take him. He passed the program and within three months he had been fostered, was back in school and hasn’t had any interaction with the police since.”
Veterans 4 Youth is planning to return to Perth for a new camp in either July or September 2018.