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Program uses Idaho wilderness, therapy to help teens obsessed with technology


Project Patch is an organization in Garden Valley, aimed to help troubled teens (KBOI).{ }{p}{/p}{p}{/p}{p}{/p}
Project Patch is an organization in Garden Valley, aimed to help troubled teens (KBOI).

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There's a sense of peace you feel in Garden Valley. Listening to the sounds of nature, and smelling the fresh pine tree air.

"This is stuff you see on google images. But this is real...like I can wake up every morning and see it, it's beautiful," said Shakeena Scott, a participant at Project Patch.

Here at Project Patch, the scenery is a refreshing new start, as teens battling struggles and addictions, find a path of hope.

"That was my life. Like Snapchat and Instagram," said Scott. " I would wake up in the middle of my sleep, like if it would beam or something, and be like, who's texting me?"

Stephanie Ross, the clinical and licensing director at Project Patch says teens obsessed with their smart phones and technology is becoming more and more prevalent in their program.

"We are definitely seeing kiddos that are displaying addictive behavior to these devices..it's something we are seeing more and more of," she said.

Ross also said that it's posing a serious problem to their participants mental well-being.

"A number of them are convinced that they can't possibly live without their phone while they are here, or without checking their social media accounts daily," said Ross.

It might sound absurd, but research shows the amount of time these devices are consuming in our children's days in anything but. A study conducted by Common Sense Media found that tweens ages eight to twelve were discovered to spend six hours on average consuming media everyday.

A separate study conducted by CSM found 50 percent of teens considered themselves addicted to their phones.

Jeremiah, another participant in the program, estimates he spent around nine hours every day on social media and video games.

"I was constantly cooped up in my closet, where I would plug in my phone and play for hours on end," he said. "If I turned it on and sat down, I just couldn't get up."

He says all this time online and in front of a screen sparked negative behaviors. He says he got kicked off his soccer team, because he would play video games instead of going to practice. He says his habits even led him to steal money from his parents, so he could buy even more games.

But at Project Patch, Jeremiah says he's learned to deal with his urges. He's found better things to spend his time on, like hanging out with friends, or playing sports outside.

Ross says excessive technology is by no means the only problem teens coming to Project Patch here struggle with. The program--described as being "passionately committed to reaching out to at-risk young people to help them realize their self-worth and potential, as well as the significance of God’s love for them' on its website-- serves and treats a variety of issues for young people. These include anger, low self-image, low work ethics, trauma and defiance.

Ross says it's common for teens to hide behind a screen, to mask the pain of multiple programs. For participant Alyssa, social media was a way she could get the connection she so desperately craved.

"I thought it was the only thing I could escape with....besides drugs," she said.

Ross also says excessive technology also easily leads to other issues such as porn and talking to dangerous people online. Instead, Project Patch aims to teach responsibility while providing therapy to help set them up for a better life. They will also reward participants with outdoor experiences, to show them there's a bigger, fuller life to live.

"It was such a waste of my life," said Jeremiah commenting on his former obsession with technology. "I wasn't truly living"




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