"Before we found the Idaho Youth Ranch, we were lost. We didn’t know what to do. They gave me back my relationship with my son and that’s a debt I could never repay."
Idaho Youth Ranch Mom
Could this be your kid?
Jacob
Jacob is only 14 but already thinks the rules don't apply to him. He's defiant, disruptive and aggressive. The only way he knows how to cope is to oppose everyone around him. He rebels at school, failing most of his classes. At home, he doesn't listen to his parents, who are desperate to get help and feel as though they've exhausted all their options, and now don't know where to turn.
For Madison, the abuse began when she was a child. For years she believed that she was bad and had no value-- even after the abuse stopped. At 15, she began acting out and became promiscuous. She started cutting herself hoping that the pain on the outside, would distract her from the pain on the inside.
At 13, she’s already seen more violence at home than most of us see on TV. She’s lonely, hurt, scared and has had to grow up too fast. She numbs her pain by rebelling and sneaking out. She’s sexting and getting involved with older guys, ultimately being used and exploited for her body.
He’s 15, hangs out in his room, living in virtual worlds; isolated, depressed, in a downward spiral of despair. He’s withdrawn from his family, avoids school as much as he can get away with and doesn’t know how to fit in or be sociable in the real world. He ignores his parents, his chores and his homework. He’s starting to believe maybe the world would be better off without him.
Hannah grew up in a household with an abusive father who regularly beat her mom. Until recently, Hannah had only witnessed the violence and the emotional scars began to form. At 16, Hannah ran away from home. When the cops found her sleeping on a park bench, they brought her back home. As soon as the police left, that was the first time her father hit her.
We meet children and families where they are and stick with them as long as it takes. We provide ongoing access to IYR services, educational and peer support, and workforce readiness to help end the cycle of abuse, poverty and unemployment.