Venture Academy

” I attended Venture Academy in 2017. I was at a place in my life where I needed more support and guidance than my parents, schools, or even the provincial healthcare system was able to offer. At this point in time, my generation was on the cusp of so many new issues that adults were not familiar with, let alone able to figure out how to navigate and support me through. Venture Academy provided the support that others could not so that I did not fall through the cracks. The program itself is hard. I was in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people, and rules I was not accustomed to. It took a long time to adjust, but with the support and encouragement of the lovely staff at Venture, I was able to figure out how to move on with my life, making positive strides towards self improvement and rebuilding the relationship with my family. I entered this program unsure if I would even be able to finish high school. Nearly eight years later, I am about to complete my third (and final) university degree. I’ve chosen to pursue a career in law so that I may be able to act as an advocate for others, just as my family, friends, and support staff did here. The most important things I learned at Venture were how to be strong & resilient. These are skills I use every day. “

” We are truly grateful for the positive impact Venture Academy has had on our family. From the moment we engaged with the staff, it was clear that they are not only highly skilled professionals but also deeply committed to helping troubled teens thrive. The program has brought a sense of peace and stability to our home, and we’ve seen growth in our daughter’s confidence, skills, and overall well-being. The staff at Venture Academy are nothing short of exceptional—compassionate, patient, and dedicated to providing personalized support. They go above and beyond to create a nurturing environment where our daughter felt valued, understood, and challenged to reach her full potential. The open communication and genuine care they offered has renewed our faith and restored our trust that our child was in great hands. While we’ve seen incredible progress, we understand that growth is a continual journey, and we appreciate that Venture Academy recognizes this too. We’re all a ‘work in progress’ which has helped us embrace the process and celebrate each step forward. Also, every parent needs to know about a place like this! We are excited to see where this journey takes us next. Thank you for everything!!! “

” As a parent of a teen who has been in the program for 3 months, I can honestly say the turnaround has been nothing short of miraculous. I fully attribute this to the tireless and heroic dedication and caring of Louise and the entire team at Venture Academy, Ontario. They have given our son the tools to place himself more firmly at the center of his experience and look at life with an entirely new lense. In turn we too are owning our part –this is “we” problem, not just a “he” problem–and with the ongoing assistance of Venture and their aftercare program, are creating a plan for him to return to a new family culture: one that includes respect, connection and accountability. We are not in a high income bracket, by any means, but I can truly say without hesitation, every bit invested to get our son back on track has been 100% worth it. I have no illusions that the path will be without bumps, but with Venture’s help, we are now equipped to navigate these. We have so much more hope for the future, where at times it felt like there was none. Thank you thank you THANK YOU Venture. Words cannot express our gratitude and appreciation for all you have done. “

” During the pandemic, my daughter struggled with her mental health. It got to the point that I could no longer keep her safe(severe self-harm). She was in & out of the hospital until they would no longer accept her. After falling through the cracks of our provincial system, I found Venture online. I called & was assured that they could help. I took that chance & can’t say enough about the help that they gave. Having her away was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but also the best. She’s been back home for over a year now & is thriving socially and academically. Our trust in each other has been restored, if anything our relationship is even better. Louise & the staff gave us both the support we needed. The self-work & tools she learned at Venture have given her a solid base to build her life on. I also did the work Louise recommended I do, reading & learning about how to be a better parent, doing plenty of self reflection of my own. She was there for about a year, completing the program. There was also support for us when she returned home, which was very helpful. I think having the kids stay with a family helps them put the skills they learn into practice. When my daughter wanted to change home-stays, staff listened to her, tried to help her work things out, but were happy to move her. Approaching staff with reasonable requests was never an issue for us. Venture was the best thing for my family. My daughter now has better interpersonal skills than many adults I know and is looking forward to achieving her goals for her future. I don’t think we would be in this good a place without them. “

” As I sit and read some of these negative reviews, I ask myself, “are we talking about the same place?? ” Because there is no way that can be the case. I sent my son to Venture Academy last year and I have to say that nothing of what is being described in these reviews is anything close to what our experience was. I THANK GOD everyday for this place, as it has literally changed our life. I can tell you that as a parent, knowing “your house is on fire” and you have tried everything and nothing has worked and you watch as your child continues to struggle… well, this leaves you feeling nothing short of helpless. This was us until we came across Venture Academy and took the leap of faith knowing that we had tried everything else. It was the BEST decision that we ever made. The staff there took our hand and walked us through every step of the way, starting with our first encounter with the Admission coordinator who spent hours and hours speaking with us and feeling our trepidation, provided information about the program, its process, yet never putting any pressure on us to commit. They allowed us to come and tour the campus and ask more and more questions and taking the time to really get to know us and our situation. Once we decided to take that final leap of faith and enroll our son, they met with us again and took an extensive history to fully understand our struggles and my son’s struggles. Once in the program, we received a written letter from our son weekly and also had video call weekly with him to ensure that he was doing well. In addition to that, we had regular video calls with the staff, who updated us on our son’s progress. My son spent 3 months there and since being home, has not had one single tantrum, he is so much happier, confident and now has an amazing group of friends. I don’t know if everyone has the level of success that we have had, so to that I cannot speak. I can only share our experience, and it has been AMAZING! My son has been home for 8 months now and he still speaks fondly of Venture and everyone there, from his host parent, to all of the amazing people who worked with him during his stay. I will be forever grateful to Venture and the impact they have had on our family. “