All-Natural Child Abuse Help
Healing victims of abuse with all nature-oriented solutions
Our Mission
Our child abuse help program is designed to help victims of child abuse and bullying overcome their anger, fear, and violence by learning to forgive those who have done harm to them. Under the calming influence of nature, children will be able to relax and learn the life lessons that they need for survival. They will also shed their masks of negative emotion and show who they really are by building character and discovering that there is no need to hold onto the bad experiences of their pasts. We want to help victimized kids recover and move on, because bad kids don't have to stay bad kids. They can change, and we believe that spending time in nature is the easiest and best way to do it. These children deserve a future, too, and our foundation is trying to boost them on their way.
About the Founder
Cole Matthews used to be an incredibly angry punk delinquent from Minneapolis who almost got thrown in jail because of his severe beating of Peter Driscal. He was never a trustworthy or likable person. He was abused by his father for almost sixteen years of his life, which explained why Cole had such violent tendencies towards others. After his time on the island, however, it was apparent that he really was changed by more than a year on his own on a completely wild piece of land. Many did not believe that he actually changed and that he was simply acting, but in the end, he managed to help Peter and prove that he wasn't a bad or corrupted person after all. As a wise Tlingit elder once said, "'People change two ways- with slow persistent pressure, or with a single and sudden traumatic experience,'" (128). Cole Matthews changed with both. He was strutting around with an arrogant, prideful attitude before, thinking that, "The world was made up of suckers and fools, and today Garvey was at the top of the heap," (13) when Garvey (his parole officer) was only trying to help him. But after learning to release his anger, he humbly accepted it when he realized that he wasn't perfect or powerful. "'I'm a slow learner," he said to Garvey and Peter afterwards. "'But I'm working on it,'" (240). Other children will be able to change, too, if they experience the raw wilderness with their own eyes and ears.
Help
Cole Matthews was, to say the least, a problem child. He never listened, he was violent, he blamed the world for his problems, and he had a rude and arrogant attitude. The authorities have tried counseling sessions, juvenile detentions, therapy, and more, but none of it helped. They only made Cole angrier and angrier. The last straw was when he nearly killed Peter Driscal and caused him to be hospitalized and have permanent brain damage. He was about to be tried at court and jailed, but that was when Garvey stepped in and suggested that Cole try Circle Justice and be sent to a remote island in Alaska to think about his actions. At first, Cole treated the whole thing as a sort of a joke, thinking that, "When he reached the island, that [his innocent facade] would all come to a screeching stop. Then he would prove to the whole world that he was nobody's fool," (16). He only wanted to stay on the island to avoid going to jail. But eventually, Cole realized that this was for his own good, and he begged to stay for longer when he was about to be removed from the island. He really was helped by the time he spent interacting with nature.
Inspiration
The first major changing point for Cole was when he attacked a spirit bear and was utterly mauled in the fight. In his dying moments, he began viewing the world in a completely different way. No longer was the planet a place full of hatred and people to blame. Instead, he saw a world full of beauty and wonder. Cole began to question himself, "How much beauty had he missed in his lifetime? How much beauty had he destroyed?" (97). Having a near-death experience taught him that life really was precious, so he should treasure it. From then on, Cole continued to improve his personality and mindset. He felt sorry for what he did to Peter, and he genuinely wanted to help the smaller boy get better. This was a great difference from the Cole from before that only cared about himself. It just goes to show how much a little bit of time with nature can completely change someone.
The Effects
Cole Matthews was no longer the angry, confused delinquent that he once was. He learned that it is impossible to get rid of your anger; all you can do is look at the positive side of life, and not the part that you dislike. This was the key to being happy. He also learned the key to letting go of the past and healing; all you have to do is forgive, because when you forgive others, you forgive yourself. As Cole said, "'It doesn't do any good to stay mad... When I hurt you, I hurt myself, too. I don't think I'll ever heal from what I did to you, but I'm sorry...'" (235-237). Cole learned that you have to forgive others who have wronged you to move on, and he was able to teach Peter this, as well. Cole also became a much more trustworthy person from the things he did on the island. At one point, he had the opportunity to leave the island in a canoe, but in the end, he destroyed the canoe and made sure that he wouldn't be tempted to escape ever again.
Environmental Aspect
This child abuse help program isn't called "all-natural" for nothing. It's located on several unused islands off the coast of Alaska. The point of the program is to have the child isolated so that they can think about themselves and their actions, so each child must be placed on a different island for any improvement. Being alone and left to fend for yourself to survive in the wilderness really changes a person. Your child will learn to carve totem poles, perform different animal dances, soak in the calming pond, and carry the ancestor rock. Over time in nature, even the most hardened criminals will be able to discover their roots and reveal their true selves. No human was ever born wicked; it was their life and their horrifying experiences that changed him. If someone has had unnatural things that should have never occurred happen to him in his life, time spent in nature is the only thing that can reverse those effects.
The Island
A picture of the island that this program is located on.
Spirit Bears
Spirit bears are actually black bears with white fur. One of these bears changed Cole's life forever.
Totem Poles
Learn to carve totem poles like these.
Call to Action
Please spread the word about Circle Justice! You can send you child to participate in this program, or you can recommend us to anyone you think would benefit. Instead of throwing criminals into jail to rot and fester their anger, we can improve those individuals and our society as a whole.