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In November of 2020 I had the Executive Director of The Other Side Academy David Durocher on the podcast(link to that video below) as well as my friend Shaina Boe. During the show David invited both Shaina and myself up to Salt Lake City, Utah to check out the program and how they work their social enterprises along with being a nonprofit that receives no financial funding from state or government grants. The Other Side Academy is fully self supporting. The only thing they take donations for is food, and other products that help run the facility, the moving company, and the thrift stores they own and run.
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So while I was there I was able to talk to Tori, Jordan, and Nicholas who are former students at The Other Side Academy, and now serve as staff at the program. All three of them shared their stories with me and at one point I think all 4 of us there had tears. It was an honor to be able to experience real and vulnerable conversation with these three amazing examples of what is possible once you decide you are done.
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This is probably one of the cooler experiences that this podcast has made possible for me meet amazing people like David Durocher. I will leave a link to the TEDx talk that I was forwarded that David was speaking at. After I watched it twice I found David through social media and was on the phone with him that day(rest of the story is in the video below). I brought my drone with me so the beginning of this video is some of the footage that I took while I was there.
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This episode YouTube video w/drone footage:
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David Durocher TEDx Talk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vsuW...
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David Durocher podcast:
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Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddyqz2ayU9Q
Audio:
https://nowheretogobutupnow.libsyn.com/episode-83
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About The Other Side Academy:
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The Other Side Academy is a 2-year self-sustaining residential life-skills and vocational training program for women and men in long-term criminal behavior, drug addiction and homelessness. Students pay nothing to attend.
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We are unique in 3 ways.
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1. Peer run. We don’t rely on professionals to ‘cure’ or ‘heal’ us. We use peer accountability in a highly structured family environment. Both students and staff come from the same background.
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2. Self-funded. We’re self-sufficient, generating the revenue we need to cover all of our operational expenses. Running social enterprises is the therapeutic context and vocational training that helps students succeed after graduation.
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3. Behaviors not drugs. We’re not a drug treatment program. We’re about “whole person change.” Our goal is to help students create an entirely new identity and lifestyle for themselves. We deal with the underlying behaviors and view of self that originally led to symptoms like addiction and criminality.
* HOW TO APPLY *
COME IN PERSON Come to our campus located in Salt Lake City or in Denver.
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When you come, you can request an interview. No appointment is necessary. If you are accepted, you will begin your stay right then. There is no fee to attend the Other Side Academy.
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REQUEST AN INTERVIEW If you are incarcerated, you need to write us a letter asking for our help. We will need to know a little bit about your story and why you are wanting to change. We will go interview you in jail and if we accept you, we will provide to you a letter of acceptance that you can share with your attorney in hopes of swaying the Judge to direct you to The Other Side Academy.
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If you are a family member, spous --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/no-where-to-go-but-up/message
