The Shawn Ryan Show #272 Elizabeth Phillips - Inside Camp Kanakuk: One of America’s Darkest Child Summer Camps
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Jan 19, 2026 
Elizabeth Phillips, founder of No More Victims and advocate for child protection, shares her harrowing journey of uncovering abuse at Kanakuk camps after her brother Trey's tragic death. She discusses her advocacy against restrictive NDAs, which silenced survivors, and her pivotal role in passing Trey's Law. Elizabeth dives deep into the camp's culture, internal responses to early warnings, and ongoing reforms aimed at protecting children. Her passion for survivor advocacy is palpable, shedding light on systemic failures and the urgent need for stricter camp regulations.
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Institutional Scale Masks Systemic Abuse
- Kanakuk is a multi-decade, multi-entity evangelical camp empire with deep institutional failure and alleged systemic abuse.
- Elizabeth Phillips shows how religious prestige, fundraising, and corporate structure insulated predators and suppressed victims.
How Civil Litigation Broke A Survivor
- Elizabeth recounts Trey’s decline after being abused and the brutal civil-litigation process that followed.
- The depositions and gaslighting in litigation precipitated Trey's psychotic breaks and eventual suicide.
The Pete Newman Cover-Up
- Pete Newman confessed to years of abuse but Kanakuk leadership repeatedly minimized incidents and only imposed weak internal 'boundaries.'
- Newman later received three life terms, yet his access and harm suggest failures across reporting, supervision, and investigation.
