Youth Challenge Program

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| image1 = Milledgeville Youth ChalleNGe Academy Grand Opening (32512920622).jpg

| image2 = Youth Challenge Academy cadet throws a sandbag to Georgia State Defense Force Cpl. Richard Wilson.jpg

| image3 = Youth Family Day at Ft. Youth (25742988177).jpg

| image4 = Oregon National Guard Youth Challenge Program Graduation Ceremony DVIDS499755.jpg

| footer = Top left: Cadet Darblin Cabral, from the Ft. Stewart Youth Challenge Academy Class 47 Honor Guard. Top right: A Youth Challenge Academy cadet throws a sandbag to Georgia State Defense Force Cpl. Richard Wilson. Bottom left: A student hugs her mother during the Georgia National Guard Youth Challenge Academy Family Day event. Bottom right: The Oregon National Guard Youth Challenge Program Cadet Color Guard team.

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The Youth ChalleNGe Program is a program for at-risk youth run by the National Guard of the United States (which is why the NG in ChalleNGe is either: Capitalized, Italicized, Bolded or all of the above), which consists of Youth Challenge Academies (known as YCA's) in each participating state. The stated mission of the Youth Challenge Program is "to intervene in and reclaim the lives of at-risk youth to produce program graduates with the values, skills, education and self-discipline necessary to succeed as adults." The program accepts 16- to 18-year-old male and female high school dropouts who are drug-free and not in trouble with the law. The program lasts for 17½ months. The first 5½ months are part of the quasi-military Residential Phase. The last 12 months are part of the Post-Residential Phase. Most participants will earn their GED or a high school diploma by the end of their Residential Phase.

The program is one of many programs administered by the National Guard Bureau that address leadership, life skills, and physical training.[http://www.partnersineducation.com/Content/Default.aspx?pid=9 National Guard Programs and Presentations] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508084208/http://www.partnersineducation.com/Content/Default.aspx?pid=9 |date=May 8, 2009 }}

Phases

=Acclimation phase=

The program begins with a 2-week Acclimation Phase where candidates can adjust to the physical, mental, and disciplined aspects of the program.{{Cite web | url=https://ngchallenge.org/about-us/challenge-phases/ | title=Youth Challenge Program Phases - National Guard Youth Challenge | Dream. Believe. Achieve. }} At the end of the Acclimation Phase, candidates graduate to cadets and begin the Residential Phase of the program.

=Residential phase=

The residential phase is a 22-week long phase and the main phase of the Youth Challenge Program. During the Residential Phase, Cadets will attend school, participate in physical training, learn the values of discipline and teamwork, and explore numerous career opportunities.

=Post-residential phase=

The post-residential phase is a 12-month period that focuses on placement. Cadets must secure positive placement via a job, returning to high school, enrolling in college or a trade program, enlist in the military, or volunteer at least 30 hours a week.{{Cite web | url=https://ngchallenge.org/about-us/challenge-phases/ | title=Youth Challenge Program Phases - National Guard Youth Challenge | Dream. Believe. Achieve. }} Cadets are also expected to maintain contact with their mentor and the program placement staff.

Participating states and territories

The following is a list of states who participate in the Youth Challenge Program. Some states have multiple campuses; for example, Georgia has a YCA at both Fort Stewart and Fort Eisenhower, but both fall under the same state director.

Alaska Military Youth Academy in *Alaska{{cite web |url=https://dmva.alaska.gov/AMYA/ |title=Alaska Military Youth Academy |author= |website=dmva.alaska.gov |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Arkansas Youth Challenge in *Arkansas{{cite web |url=https://www.aryouthchallenge.com/ |title=Arkansas Youth Challenge |author= |website=www.aryouthchallenge.com |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Sunburst Youth Academy in *California{{cite web |url=https://sunburstyouthacademy.com/ |title=Sunburst Youth Academy |author= |website=www.sunburstyouthacademy.com |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy in *District of Columbia{{cite web |url=http://www.cgyca.org/ |title=Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=www.cgyca.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Florida Youth ChalleNGe Academy in *Florida{{cite web |url=https://floridayouthchallengeacademy.org/ |title=Florida Youth ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=www.floridayouthchallengeacademy.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Georgia Youth Challenge in *Georgia{{cite web |url=https://www.georgiayouthchallenge.org/ |title=Georgia Youth Challenge |author= |website=www.georgiayouthchallenge.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Hawaii Youth ChalleNGe Academy in *Hawaii{{cite web |url=https://dod.hawaii.gov/yca/ |title=State of Hawaii Youth Challenge Academy |author= |website=dod.hawaii.gov/yca |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy in *Idaho{{cite web |url=http://www.idyouthchallenge.com/ |title=Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=www.idyouthchallenge.com |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Lincoln's ChalleNGe Academy in *Illinois{{cite web |url=https://www.lincolnschallenge.org/ |title=Lincoln's Challenge Academy |author= |website=www.lincolnschallenge.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Hoosier Youth ChalleNGe Academy in *Indiana{{cite web |url=http://hoosieryouthchallenge.org/ |title=Hoosier Youth ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=hoosieryouthchallenge.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program in *Kentucky{{cite web |url=https://www.kychallenge.org/ |title=Kentucky National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program |author= |website=www.kychallenge.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Louisiana National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program in *Louisiana{{cite web |url=https://www.langycp.com/ |title=Louisiana National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program |author= |website=www.langycp.com |access-date=18 March 2018 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/shreveporttimes/obituary.aspx?n=a-m-stroud&pid=180534402&fhid=6593#sthash.kalJIGS7.dpuf|title=Ansel M. Stroud, Jr.|newspaper=The Shreveport Times|access-date=11 July 2016}}

Freestate ChalleNGe Academy in *Maryland{{cite web |url=https://freestatemil.maryland.gov/ |title=Freestate ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=freestatemil.maryland.gov |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy in *Michigan{{cite web |url=http://miycp.org/ |title=Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=miycp.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Mississippi ChalleNGe Academy in *Mississippi{{cite web |url=https://msyouthchallenge.org/ |title=Mississippi ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=msyouthchallenge.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Montana Youth ChalleNGe Academy*Montana{{cite web |url=http://www.youthchallenge.mt.gov |title=Montana Youth ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=www.youthchallenge.mt.gov |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Battle Born Youth ChalleNGe Academy in *Nevada{{cite web |url=https://nvng.nv.gov/BBYCA/ |title=Battle Born Youth ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=nvng.nv.gov/BBYCA/ |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

New Jersey Youth ChalleNGe Academy in *New Jersey{{cite web |url=https://www.nj.gov/military/challenge/index.html |title=New Jersey Youth ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=www.nj.gov/military/challenge/index.html |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

New Mexico Youth ChalleNGe Academy in *New Mexico{{cite web |url=https://www.nmyca.net/ |title=New Mexico Youth ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=www.nmyca.net |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy in*North Carolina{{cite web |url=http://nc-tcachallenge.org/national-challenge-program/ |title=Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=nc-tcachallenge.org/national-challenge-program |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Thunderbird Youth Academy in *Oklahoma{{cite web |url=http://thunderbird.org/ |title=Thunderbird Youth Academy |author= |website=thunderbird.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Oregon Youth ChalleNGe Program in *Oregon{{cite web |url=https://www.oycp.com/ |title=Oregon Youth Challenge Program |author= |website=www.oycp.com |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Puerto Rico Youth ChalleNGe Academy in *Puerto Rico{{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/puerto-rico-youth-challenge-academy-graduates-225-cadets-jeff-white |title=Puerto Rico Youth ChalleNGe Academy Graduates 225 Cadets |last=White |first=Jeff |date=3 April 2017 |website=LinkedIn |access-date=19 March 2018 }}

Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy in *Pennsylvania{{Cite web |title=Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy |url=https://www.dmva.pa.gov/KeystoneStateChallengeAcademy/Pages/default.aspx |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy}}

SC Youth ChalleNGe Academy in*South Carolina{{cite web |url=https://scyouthchallenge.com/ |title=SC Youth ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=www.scyouthchallenge.com |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Tennessee National Guard Volunteer ChalleNGe Academy in *Tennessee{{cite web |url=https://www.tn.gov/tnvolunteerchallenge |title=Tennessee National Guard Volunteer ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=www.tn.gov |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Texas ChalleNGe Academy in *Texas{{cite web |url=https://www.tn.gov/tnvolunteerchallenge |title=Texas ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=tmd.texas.gov |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Virginia National Guard Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy in*Virginia{{cite web |url=http://www.vachallenge.org/ |title=Virginia National Guard Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy |author= |website=www.vachallenge.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Washington Youth Academy in *Washington{{cite web |url=https://mil.wa.gov/youth-academy |title=Washington Youth Academy |author= |website=mil.wa.gov/youth-academy |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy in *West Virginia{{cite web |url=https://wvchallenge.org/ |title=Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=wvchallenge.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Wisconsin ChalleNGe Academy in *Wisconsin{{cite web |url=https://www.challengeacademy.org/ |title=Wisconsin ChalleNGe Academy |author= |website=www.challengeacademy.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Wyoming Cowboy Challenge Academy in *Wyoming{{cite web |url=https://wycowboychallenge.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814015824/http://wycowboychallenge.org |url-status=usurped |archive-date=August 14, 2013 |title=Wyoming Cowboy Challenge Academy |author= |website=wycowboychallenge.org |access-date=18 March 2018 }}

Related programs by the National Guard

[https://web.archive.org/web/20090505175559/http://www.partnersineducation.com/? Partners in Education]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090506044613/http://www.humveeschoolprogram.com/ HUMVEE School Program]
{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20010220180813/http://www.youcanschoolprogram.com/ YOU CAN School Program]}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090512233505/http://www.guardfitchallenge.com/ Guard Fit Challenge]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090406031641/http://www.guardhop.com/ Heritage Outreach Program]
[https://www.asvabprogram.com ASVAB Career Exploration Program]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090214194751/http://virtualarmory.com/recruiting/GED/ GED Plus Program]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090307013311/http://www.ngb-youth.com/AboutFace_index.html About Face]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090717005508/http://www.ngb-youth.com/ForwardMarch_index.html Forward March]
[http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/statelocal/appndx9.html National Guard Drug Demand Reduction Program]

Gallery

File:Grizzly Youth Academy Groundbreaking (12230079043).jpg|Officials break ground for the California National Guard's Grizzly Youth Academy program expansion work at Camp San Luis Obispo.

File:Youth Challenge Cadets Graduate in Time for Holidays National Guard Affiliated Program Gives Youth a Second Chance DVIDS352614.jpg|Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy cadets applaud at their graduation ceremony held at the high school in Knightstown, Indiana.

File:National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program 150210-Z-DZ751-014.jpg|Army Gen. Frank Grass, chief, National Guard Bureau, converses with a Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy cadet.

File:Badger Challenge cadets work on a walking trail near the Wisconsin Military Academy.jpg|Badger Challenge cadets work on a walking trail near the Wisconsin Military Academy.

File:A backpack journalist (5965286524).jpg|Youth ChalleNGe cadet Triana Daughtry of Augusta reviews her writing with "A Backpack Journalist" instructor Dillon Horne during a free-verse poetry course.

References

External links

[https://www.jointservicessupport.org/ngycp/ Official National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program Site]
[http://www.ngyf.org/ Official National Guard Youth Foundation Sites]
[https://www.sunburstyouthacademy.com/ Official Southern California Sunburst Youth ChalleNGe Academy Site]
[http://www.idyouthchallenge.com/ Official Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy Site]
[https://scyouthchallenge.com/ Official South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy Site]
[http://miycp.org/ Official Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy Site]

Category:National Guard (United States)

Category:American military youth groups

Category:Learning programs