WWASP survivor interview and project

If you don't have any background on WWASP (World Wide Association for Specialty Schools and Programs) it's difficult to know where to start to explain it to you. It's an issue that has been close to me for a very long time: next summer will be ten years exactly since I came face-to-face with these schools. As a teen, I was sent to a facility in rural western Montana, called Spring Creek Lodge Academy, a school that touted a sharp-looking website claiming to "cure" troubled children through therapeutic programs and activities, in exchange for a hefty tuition and written contracts where parents agreed to keep their child in the lock-down facility until they completed the program. For me, the school was far from therapeutic, and to this day I view the eighteen months I spent in the facility as probably the most traumatic of my life. Don't get me wrong, I made friends there, life-long friends even, and over time I became accustomed to the very unorthodox structure of the school and it became a livable nightmare. But my time spent there was incredibly unhappy and readjusting to life outside of the school after I was released was almost as difficult, but it is an experience that, in retrospect, I don't think I would take back. It made me who I am today. I am a stronger and braver and far more independent individual than I would have been had this experience not been a key factor in my development and coming-of-age. That being said, I think it's time to get this episode of my life out of my head and on paper, so I can move on. Ever since I was actually there I have always wanted to record my experiences in an artistic way, but so many factors held me back. First, there was the fear that it won't do the experience of myself and so many others justice. I was afraid it would come up too melodramatic, too full of disdain or hate to do any good. I feel I have finally put enough distance between myself and the past to explore it more carefully and write about it genuinely. This is the project I have dwelled on for years and could never find the courage or energy to start, but next month, I am going to embark on writing this book. I want it to be fictionalized- there's no way I could dig deep enough into my memories to provide seamlessly accurate details and give a justified retelling of my story. Instead, I plan on drawing from my experience and those of my peers, people who were also affected by WWASP, to write a novel about a woman who had been to a school such as this what kind of psychological effects it had on her as both a child enduring the event, and an adult later in life trying to sort through it all. This novel will HOPEFULLY be written for NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) next month. It'll be a lot of work, but I need to do this so I can move on to other projects; I feel like I have let this hold me back too long. I sent out a brief interview in hopes of being able to accurately portray the wide range of feelings the survivors of WWASP schools have experienced and continue to work through. If you or anyone you know has been exposed to WWASP schools, please direct them to me, as I could use their help. This is the interview.

How long were you enrolled in the school?

Describe your intake. (How did you get to the school, what happened upon arrival, what was the process, how were you treated/how did you feel?)

What were your impressions of the school in the first few weeks? Why?

What were your impressions of the school in your last few weeks? Why? Were you pulled out, did you graduate, or take your exit plan? How do you feel this affected your attitude towards the school?

What was your attitude towards other children in the school? How did you interact with your peers? How did this change throughout the course of your stay?

Did you attend seminars? Which ones?

How did you feel about going to the seminars? Do you feel you thrived in the setting or were they difficult? What made them that way?

What are some of your strongest memories from the seminars? Did they affect you positively or negatively? Why?

Describe one or two “processes” that affected you. What was the “process”? (You can include as many/as much as you want here, I’d like as much perspective as possible about the different exercises and emotional challenges one faces in a seminar setting.)

What was your academic life like? Did you feel you were receiving an adequate education? Was this a concern of yours at the time? Has it been since leaving the school?

Describe your lifestyle as a teen before enrolling in the school.

Describe your lifestyle after leaving the school.

Describe your lifestyle now. 

How do you feel about the school in retrospect? How is this different from when you first left the school? How many years have gone by since you left the school?

What are the most negative memories you have from the school?

What are the most positive memories you have from the school?

Describe your relationship with your family/friends before the school.

Describe your relationship with your family/friends immediately after leaving the school.

Describe your relationship with your family/friends now.

Do you think about the program? How often? What do you think?

Do you talk about the program now, to your peers, loved ones, or family?

Do you stay in touch with friends from the school? How do you interact? What kind of activities do you participate in? What do you talk about?

Is there any other unique perspective you can offer about being in a school such as this and how you relate to it now, as an adult?