Reconnecting with a Friend in a Troubled Teen Camp: A Plea for Help

It’s a heartbreaking situation when a close friend finds themselves in a challenging environment, like a troubled teen camp. Recently, a dear friend of mine was placed in one of these notorious programs, and after two long months, they found a way to reach out to me. They managed to share a heartfelt three-page Google Doc via email, and I can’t express how grateful I was to hear from them, especially since we parted ways under difficult circumstances.

However, my joy quickly turned to frustration, as I realized I had no means to respond. The document was not directly shared with me, so my only access was through a PDF scanned by Gmail. This meant I couldn’t interact with the original Google Doc, nor did I have an active link to reply to. In an effort to connect, I attempted to share my own Google Doc, but unfortunately, I was prohibited from doing so.

To add to the challenge, my friend’s email — provided by the camp — is formatted as “[email protected],” indicating that many functionalities are likely disabled. My attempts at reaching out via direct email were futile, as my messages never went through. In a moment of desperation, I even clicked the “forgot password” option in hopes that it might trigger a notification for my friend. Sadly, this only resulted in a message stating, “contact domain admin.”

I’m genuinely concerned for my friend, who will be in this program for at least five more months. I don’t want to lose the connection we have. If anyone has suggestions on how I might send a message, even something as simple as “I’m here for you,” I would deeply appreciate your help.

I recognize this post may not fit perfectly in this forum, so if anyone can guide me to the appropriate place to seek advice, I would be truly grateful. Thank you!