Mark Hobbins Collaborates with Brat Camp 04 to Publicize Message of Troubled Teens

With over 20 years experience working with young people, Mark Hobbins knows a thing or two about out-of-control teenagers. As Senior Vice President of Aspen Education Group, the world’s largest and most comprehensive network of therapeutic schools and programs for troubled youth and their families, he witnesses first hand the devastating consequences of weight disorders, drug abuse, alcoholism and violence – issues alarming prevalent among America’s youth.

Mark Hobbins brings his experience to bear by consulting on a number of popular television programs, including the Brat Camp series which originated in the UK in 2004. The series follows a group of wayward teens as they leave the comfort of home behind for the wild unknown at Turn-About Ranch, one of Aspen Education Group’s 30 schools and programs that specialize in helping struggling teens. Viewers follow the teens at this working cow and horse ranch as they learn how to care for farm animals, grow their own food and participate in all aspects of daily life on the ranch. The goal of the program is to help them "get back to basics" and understand the relationship between their actions and consequences.

“The Brat Camp series has helped shed light on some very real problems facing teens and their families,” says Hobbins. “Viewers have a window into the daily struggles and victories as they happen. They’re able to see that these kids aren’t “brats,” they’re actually really courageous people who face their problems head on - and ultimately overcome them.”

In addition to his role at Aspen, Mark Hobbins serves on the Board of Directors for the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council and the National Association of Therapeutic Wilderness Camps. Mark also serves on the national colleague panel for the Council on Accreditation. He has written and lectured extensively on the challenges of maintaining a healthy family and raising teens in today’s society. Hobbins and his wife Diane are the proud parents of seven children.