TM/HA: Negative or Positive?

I am unsure how to begin this blog. Mostly due to my emotional state of personal thoughts towards the individuals who were interviewed by MSNBC concerning Teen Mania Ministries and their program called The Honor Academy (TM/HA). I am so disheartened by the one-sided biased views of MSNBC's lack of true journalism. A journalistic program should portray their views in a unbiased format. In light of being an adult and a person of character I will say this: I am sorry to hear the stories of these 5 females who protray TM/HA in a negative manipulative cultic emotional stripping point of view. I am sure they have their own views and the professional counseling they are receiving will help them overcome their own experience. However, my goal is to present a totally different view. One that is represented by most of the thousands of interns who support TM/HA. MY own opinion is these individuals took no responsibility of their own, as adults and victimized themselves in this interview as emotionally stressed individuals who were undergoing therapy to help their emotionally distressed state of mind.

I am mature enough to understand that there will be individuals with their own viewpoint of their life experiences. Therefore, I am going to give my own viewpoint of TM/HA in a positive manner which is not associated with any other opinions/views but my own. And, because I am not a journalist, I'm only going to allow positive feedback to this blog. The other blog will only allow negative perspectives and does not support the positive feedback of thousands of individuals who have gone thru this program WILLING BY THEIR CHOICE. Also, I am not acting on the personal behalf of any certain individual at TM. I am writing this of my own will and my own conviction and therefore only allowing comments of support due to the fact there are other places to hear the negative. Its about time TM/HA have some support from people who are not cultic members but every day average joe's with real life experiences.

Now that I have completed my rant in a manner which is professional, I will begin my story. The story of Tiffany LaTerra and her attendance at TM/HA for 2 full years and a few months of volunteer during the summer months. Let me also say that both of my brothers attended and are normal with no emotional scarring as well as close friends who have attended with no personal scarring. I figure since MSNBC has decided to bring a biased, and in my opinion false view of TM/HA, I will voice the other side that they lacked in portraying, along with defamation of character, which in my opinion should result in a lawsuit if not a personal apology for their lack of true journalistic documentary.

Now, my story. It was the summer of 2001 and my brother was attending the HA the year prior. My mom had really wanted me to go to the program as well saying it would help build character and leadership skills. After volunteering in the kitchen, in part to get my mom to stop nagging me, as well to complete the internship requirements for my culinary schooling, I decided I wanted to stay to go thru the HA for one year. Because I am a religious person of the Christian faith, I will say that I really felt as though this is what God wanted me to do. I decided this one night when I was in a field in TX and the sun was setting and I was praying to God asking Him what I should do. During this time I felt like my next move was to go to the HA.

What is the HA like you may ask? Well in short because this blog would be so long to talk of everything, it is a program where you personally agree to not date for a year, to pay money to attend (just like other colleges or academy's or seminars), you are placed into an area of the ministry where you work as either a caller to get people to summer camps, youth conferences, or to attend the HA, or you work in the kitchen or part of the cleaning crew or you work in the IT department or the advertising department or the design department or you work on the landscaping department. Prior to going to the HA these things are described to you and YOU as an individual DECIDE or your parents DECIDE for you if you are a minor or if your parents just decide things for you then you know what to expect as you pay to go through this program.

There are staff members who teach world religions, character, leadership, are professional psychologists and also help women who have been sexually abused and need professional counseling to heal. There is at no point in any one event or day to day events that you are demanded to perform a certain way. There are psychologists for those who have been abused in their lives and need professional help. There is at no one time someone manipulating, or brain washing individuals to think certain one-sided ways or stripping individuals of their right to freedom of speech or to have their own mind and their decisions or opinions. TM/HA has not once in my experience ever been a secret cult or done anything that has ever made me feel degraded in one particular way or another. The leaders and staff members to my knowledge and personal experience have always help interns, staff, missionaries, and campers with decorum, integrity, dignity, and a true moral conviction to help others be better leaders in a Christian God-Fearing environment.

During my time there, they encouraged everyone to think for themselves. To formulate their own opinions. To go through life with character and to understand that when life is not what we want, to know there is forgiveness and grace to get through difficult times. After my year at the HA I decided to stay a second year and be a Core Advisor in which I would be like the dorm "mom" and specifically I wanna say my group of girls was about 26 or so total. I helped them through day to day stuff and also talked with them if they wanted to open up about their life experiences. If I felt they needed professional counseling by a psychologist I would recommend that they receive such help because we cared for people to heal over devastating life experiences.

I will send my children to the HA when I get married and have kids of my own. I 100% support the ministry and the events that you go through. Fasting is a normal practice due to the Bible stating how we as believers should fast. During fasting I myself would have to have peanut butter and crackers because I would get very faint and when I was an intern my CA felt it wise to make sure that I was prayful in heart and not fainting because of health. I at no time felt peer pressure or was told I was less godly or not a "good" intern. As a matter of fact my 21st birthday was a fasting Thursday and my core had a birthday cake for me at midnight and sung happy birthday to me.

ESOAL - The Emotionally Stretching Opportunity of a Lifetime. ESOAL, ESOAL, ESOAL. Let me begin by giving you a true fact that MSNBC seems to have left out of their "not-so-true" documentary. ESOAL, is a choice, a choice you make to purposefully go thru hell and back to test your emotional strength, religious strength, and physical strength. And guess what?! You sign paperwork saying you are CHOOSING to put yourself through hell on purpose. And guess what else?! I DIDN'T DO IT!! I thought "my God I am a strong woman and there is no need for that red mud to be in my hair and I have no desire to go through this." So what did I do? My day to day activities. I worked, I showered, I fell asleep on a mattress and went on with my own business. Did everyone else do it or was I the only one? No not everyone did it. Some felt the same way I did that it was not necessary for us or others were just scared and didn't want to do it. Who cares what the reason was?! Either you decide to go thru it for the challenge or you don't. Also, the events that occur in ESOAL are actually direct ideas or direct events or created events from the Navy Seals. Now if our soldiers who protect our country are trained in a manner that is stretching emotionally and physically then why not give every day average teens the same choice? They choose to do so or not, unlike the Seals where that is just part of training and therefore you have to go through training. You are allowed to get out of ESOAL at any time.They watch the physical health of all and have a nurse on duty. The events are in-your-face military type training experiences and highly recommended. Just like training for a tri-athalon or some other training experience it is not easy and not designed to be easy. After all, what if our soldiers were weak and had no backbone? Where would we be as a nation? What if we caved in when trials came our way and became weak and feeble? I'll tell you what would happen, we would no longer be the leading WORLD power. So my opinion on ESOAL is if you want to do it, GO FOR IT. If you don't then GO FOR IT! Just make sure you have some backbone to stand strong during life's trials.

Now this is a very long blog so far. But I will allow future interns, parents and media members to feel free to email me. My email is Tiffersha03@yahoo.com. I will welcome all questions of the HA and all concerns. Please know the views that I express will be my own and will have nothing to do with TM's direction or HA's direction or anything/anyone else. I highly encourage the attendance of The Honor Academy and encourage young people to go somewhere where they can form their own opinions, and grow their own leadership skills. Also the HA is not and I repeat is not a place, where if you as a parent have no control over your kid that TM will magically become you the parent. It is not a place to throw your troubled children and expect them to "fix" your child. It is, however, a program where you learn leadership, character, integrity all in a God-fearing Christian based environment. You have contact with your children at all times. You can ask them, at all times, how they are and what they are doing. You can stay with them for visits on campus and experience what they go through every day and you have full freedom to do whatever you will with your child or your child has their own free will to have their own opinions and their own experiences. They are after all adults and as responsible adults we must take responsibility for our own actions and life experiences and not blame them like victims on other ministries/humans/things. Life is life and things happen and its how we overcome trials or enjoy the up's that matters. Our beliefs/decisions form our life experiences and its our sole responsibility and none others.

12/8/11 update to post : check out this video to hear other stories of HA/TM alumni. http://youtu.be/brYSQvVsNTI

Tiffany LaTerra
Summer Volunteer 2001
HA Intern 2001-2002
HA CA Intern 2002-2003