The Other Side Academy

The Other Side Academy is a 2-year self-sustaining residential life-skills and vocational training program for women and men in long-term criminal behavior, drug addiction and homelessness. Students pay nothing to attend. We are unique in 3 ways. Peer run. We don’t rely on professionals to ‘cure’ or ‘heal’ us. We use peer accountability in a highly structured family environment. Both students and staff come from the same background. Self-funded. We’re self-sufficient, generating the revenue we need to cover all of our operational expenses. Running social enterprises is the therapeutic context and vocational training that helps students succeed after graduation. Behaviors not drugs. We’re not a drug treatment program. We’re about “whole person change.” Our goal is to help students create an entirely new identity and lifestyle for themselves. We deal with the underlying behaviors and view of self that originally led to symptoms like addiction and criminality. HOW TO APPLY COME IN PERSON Come to our campus located in Salt Lake City or in Denver. When you come, you can request an interview. No appointment is necessary. If you are accepted, you will begin your stay right then. There is no fee to attend the Other Side Academy. REQUEST AN INTERVIEW If you are incarcerated, you need to write us a letter asking for our help. We will need to know a little bit about your story and why you are wanting to change. We will go interview you in jail and if we accept you, we will provide to you a letter of acceptance that you can share with your attorney in hopes of swaying the Judge to direct you to The Other Side Academy. If you are a family member, spouse, significant other, friend, or neighbor and you know of someone who needs this level of help, know that the person you love and care about needs to be the one to ask us for help. It is important for them to ask us directly and we won’t be able to accept requests from someone in their behalf.