I’m currently directing a docuseries about the troubled teen industry. It’s a network of therapeutic schools, wilderness programs and other facilities that continuously abuse and neglect children with mental health issues. They use things like starvation and solitary confinement to maintain power over children, they manipulate desperate families into believing they’re qualified to help their children at the small price tag of $10-20k a month. I was personally in two facilities myself, when I was 14-16 years old. I was taken from my hometown at 4am by “legal kidnappers” with no idea where I was going. My mom just watched them take me, while I truly believed I was being kidnapped. I prayed on by grown men, I was cut off from my family for months, I was forced into total silence for weeks straight after making an “inappropriate” joke with my friend. These places cause life long trauma and get away with it because the states they’re primarily in, like Utah and Montana have extremely loose laws and loopholes when It comes to kids and their autonomy. This is a 1.7 billion dollar industry, where people high up in politics profit in secret. We’re working to dismantle this and save the children suffering right now.
We have so many meetings and shoots coming up, from interviews to meetings with production companies. Having access to a space will help not only legitimize us when it comes to meetings, but also help save us money when we’re filming out one on on interviews. This project Is so expensive and we’re you g and not sweating out money, so this would open doors for us to save what we do have and use it towards creating more content.
Peerspace is on a mission to bring people together. We believe it is impossible to achieve that goal unless we also fight for equality and access to resources in the communities we serve.
Having a space to gather, create, and exchange ideas is an important part of any movement. In order to magnify voices that are often quieted, Peerspace will sponsor venues for people who challenge prejudice and fight for social justice and equality.
Each quarter, we will sponsor space for three projects that are relevant to our community. These projects can range from fundraisers and educational initiatives to art exhibits and photo series.
