The U.S. Department of Justice issued the Camp Director’s Guide: Preventing Sexual Exploitation of Children in 1988 and many more best practices emerged in the following decades. Kanakuk only created its Child Protection Plan (“CPP”) after Pete Newman’s 2009 arrest “[r]esponding to the need for a comprehensive safety system in the administration of child abuse protocols in camping,” according to its marketing web site.

Commonly referenced in Kanakuk’s response to why they historically overlooked signs of abuse, the CPP is the pride and joy of Rick Braschler, Kanakuk’s director of risk management since 2003. A former Pizza Hut manager and insurance salesman, Braschler travels the country sharing and selling this plan to churches, schools, sports programs and other camps, based off of “first hand experience” failing to protect children. He even uses a PowerPoint with the bold title of “What Did I Learn and Create After Catching a Child Molester.”

Lee Bradberry was arrested for child sexual abuse in 2011 after the “protection plan” had already been implemented. Bradberry was not caught prior to committing his crimes, nor was Pete Newman. Despite these public failures, Kanakuk and the CPP continue to boast “340 protection elements” and being “affordable, sustainable, doable, and reasonable.”

Kanakuk has commodified its Child Protection Plan, using paid trainings and resource sharing as a revenue stream and rebranding tactic, profiting off the backs of child sex abuse victims who remain the overlooked casualties in Kanakuk’s “first-hand experience” failing to protect children. Over 500 organizations and 1,500 youth leaders have been trained to date.

Some Kanakuk-affiliated entities such as KLIFE claim to use Kanakuk’s Child Protection Plan, although others, such as Kids Across America, do not tout its use.