‘The Program’ and the Importance of Telling Your Story
A documentary series of abuse and healing.
Former students of the Academy at Ivy Ridge share their stories and shine a light on the abuse they and others endured at this institution.
The Program is a compelling Netflix documentary series by Katherine Kubler, a filmmaker who was sent to the Academy at Ivy Ridge as a teenager. She and other former students bring us into their experience. They reenact the terrible practices at this facility, including isolation and physical abuse.
The children at this facility were worn down mentally and emotionally in this high-control environment. These students were systematically tortured, and their wills were broken so they would perfectly comply with the program. Separated from all contact, they were forced into obedience, doing immense, long-lasting damage.
The Program is three one-hour-long episodes that introduce us to some of the now adults who endured such horrific abuse. But the documentary doesn’t stop there. It zooms out because the Academy at Ivy Ridge wasn’t and isn’t the only facility like this to exist. In fact, the “troubled teen” industry is sprawling and has significant money and political power.
