Former army major sets up military-style camp to curb rebellious teens

An ex-army Major has created a camp which uses military-style discipline to stamp out rebellion in teenagers.

Tom Elliott has questioned whether it might help solve Australia’s current issue with disaffected young people tempted by Islamic State.

Damien Patterson told 3AW Drive his school holiday program, called Veterans Helping Youth was about instilling core values in the teens aged 12 to 17.

‘Basically what we do is take the best parts of military culture in training people and bring the kids into the environment and we use that to establish a good learning environment,’ he explained.

‘Then we focus on giving these kids core values that help them with their decision making process, building their confidence and building their resilience so they can go on to a more successful adult life.’

LISTEN: Former army major explains the program on 3AW Drive