YOUR SECOND CHANCE AWAITS YOU…
SIGN UP NOW! Our classes begin every January and July
This unique program is FREE and paid for by State and Federal funds.
We are now taking applications for the January 2010 program. Attendance to one of the Pre-Screenings is mandatory to be eligible for the July class.
If you are 16, 17, 18 or 19 years of age, and want to make a change in your life, this program is for you. Take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity that is free of charge. Come, and challenge yourself to reach new heights.
Download an application today! You can do this by filling out the pre-application then proceeding to the main application, which you can print off. If you do not have printing capabilities, please contact our Admissions Office.
Admissions Criteria
In order to enroll in the Virginia Challenge Youth Academy; prospective applicants must meet all of the following requirements. There are no exceptions!
16 to 19 years of age on the first day of the program.
At risk of dropping out of school; school drop out.
Test free of drugs.
No felony convictions, no pending felony charges.
Virginia Resident.
Be a willing volunteer to complete the program.
(neither be sentenced nor forced to come)
HOT OFF THE PRESSES
February 23, 2009
To: The Virginia General Assembly
From: The Virginia Commonwealth ChalleNGe Parent
Association – Dana R. Hatley, Parent
RE: SUPPORT FOR THE VIRGINIA NATIONAL
GUARD COMMONWEALTH CHALLENGE
ACADEMY
I am the parent of a GRADUATE from the VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD COMMONWEALTH CHALLENGE ACADEMY. The difference that this program makes in the lives of at-risk youth is remarkable. I can say this because I am a parent and a member of the Commonwealth ChalleNGe Parent Association. I have seen the difference in my own child and have seen and heard of the difference it has made in hundreds of other at-risk youth, some from their own mouths! Our son was not a bad kid, he was just a kid without direction or motivation in his life. He was failing every subject in school. It was a major struggle just to get a barely passing grade. He was heading down the road to a dead-end. If a change was not made soon, his life may have found a road that no child’s parent wants them to find, in the least a life unfulfilled or at worst crime.
I didn’t truly know for sure what effect this program had on my child until he left the program. This program caused him to find his motivation. He found the value he has as a person and a citizen of our United States of America! Since graduation from the Virginia National Guard Commonwealth ChalleNGe Academy he has reentered high school. His goal a High School Diploma, unbelievable! Certainly this was not his goal before the program. He is just a few months from achieving his dream, his goal. He can do it, now. He certainly wasn't’ there just a little more than a year ago when he joined the program in January of 2008. He could have been just another high school dropout. He could’ve been a much larger drain on our tax dollars, either by receiving government assistance or by sitting in prison. Instead, he is well on his way to graduating from High School and joining our military. He has pride in his country and his citizenship! What a program!
While I am sure you will see many letters received from our Parent Association, I wanted to personally tell you what this program has meant to our family. My husband and I would like to personally thank the Virginia National Guard Commonwealth ChalleNGe Academy for the change we have seen in our son’s life! He has direction and motivation. In the words of my son, Wesley Dean Hatley, Jr. – “I am proud of the opportunity I had to be a part of the Virginia National Guard Commonwealth Challenge Academy, for it has made me who I am today, and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world!”
My son was part of Class 28. The Challenge Academy is now on its Class of 30! They have helped to change the lives of nearly 3000 students since their inception. Where would these youth have been today without this program? With the dropout rate averaging 10,000 students a year, with last year totaling 10,754 dropouts (Virginia Department of Education’s 2007-2008 Dropout Statistics Report (1/12/2009)), there has never been more need for this program. I urge you to continue the funding for this program. I understand the economy is tough right now, but it will only get worse if these at-risk youth receive no help from this program and fall by the wayside. Next step government assistance, food stamps, and possibly prison. Surely, the $15,000 that this program costs for each youth is more economical than the well over $120,000 it would cost to incarcerate just one! Thank you for your continued support for out Virginia National Guard Commonwealth ChalleNGe Academy!
Sincerely,
Dana R. Hatley, Parent
Commonwealth ChalleNGe Parent Association
The correspondence address for Governor Kaine is:
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 1475
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Street address:
Office of the Governor
Patrick Henry Building, 3rd Floor
1111 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
To contact Governor Kaine using email, use the following link:
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/AboutTheGovernor/contactGovernor.cfm
Virginia Teens Can Get A Second Chance at Life
By THOMAS M. EARLY
TIMES-DISPATCH GUEST COLUMNIST
VIRGINIA BEACH: Each year, nearly 11,000 Virginia teens drop out of high school. Put another way, that's more than 60 students for each day of the typical high school calendar.
These dropouts are more likely to face poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: Typical dropouts earn $19,000 a year, compared to $28,000 for graduates. Nationally, nearly 70 percent of state prison inmates are high school dropouts.
Despite increased interest in and devotion to keeping troubled teens in school, the fact is that we are dealing with an epidemic -- on a state and national level. Statistics suggest that once at-risk teens leave the shelter of our school systems, it's not good.
Commonwealth ChalleNGe has tried to intervene, offering at-risk teens a second chance when there often is no place left to go.
Based at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach, Commonwealth ChalleNGe was one of 10 pilot programs of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program begun in 1994 and has since graduated nearly 3,000 students (10 to 15 percent of the most recent classes come from the Richmond/Petersburg area). Offered free to Virginia teens ages 16 to 18 -- the program is paid for through state (40 percent) and federal (60 percent) funds -- Commonwealth ChalleNGe is a statewide co-educational program featuring two components: a 22-week quasi-military phase at Camp Pendleton and a yearlong post-residential phase built on a mentoring relationship.
IT SHOULD BE noted that our program is not a "boot camp."
While at Camp Pendleton, the cadets are introduced to the military in an educational setting. Cadet studies are centered on eight components: academics, life-coping skills, work skills, citizenship, leadership, health education, physical fitness, and community service. We have state-certified teachers and a principal. We have prom. We have a student newspaper. And we contribute to the Hampton Roads community -- nearly 31,000 hours valued at nearly $160,000 from July 2005-June 2006. The cadets also have the opportunity to obtain their GED while with us, and historically, about 70 percent of cadets have succeeded in doing so.
In the post-residential phase, mentors work with the cadets on following through with their life plan -- continued education, employment, or military service. Over time, 60 percent of our graduates have entered the work force, with 20 percent continuing their education and 20 percent entering the military.
Who should apply? High school or middle school dropouts and students at risk of dropping out. Candidates must be drug-free, between the ages of 16 and 18, and currently living in Virginia. Of note, we do not accept those currently charged with or convicted of felony offenses, and candidates must enter the ChalleNGe program voluntarily.
WE WANT students who want to make a change for the better, students who realize the path they're on is heading nowhere fast.
Students such as Colonial Heights' Michael Arroyo, whose mind and body shaped up to the tune of losing 90 pounds and shaving 10 minutes off his mile time last year. And Virginia Beach's Colin Cron, a classmate of Arroyo's who scored a 3640 on the GED -- the highest in the history of the program. And Dumfries' Juan Giusti, an unmotivated teen who dropped out, enrolled in Commonwealth ChalleNGe, and now owns IT services consulting firm Advanced Global Technologies in Northern Virginia. And Woodbridge's Melissa Michael, who currently is on active duty with the United States Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
We see all kinds of teens, ranging from great students who have become apathetic with school and teens who have gotten involved with drugs or alcohol to students who are several grades behind and students who start fights and have little discipline. Boys and girls alike. The common theme: The teens have given up, and in many cases, have been given up on.
The kids we meet look in the mirror. They don't like what they see or what the future holds. It is our challenge to give them some of the tools they need to get ahead, to go somewhere, to make something of their lives. We gladly accept that order.
Thomas M. Early, Colonel USMC (Ret.), is the director of Commonwealth ChalleNGe. Contact him at (800) 796-6472 ext. 227.
ABOUT US
The Virginia Commonwealth Challenge Program is a 22 week residential program that is structured in a military style environment to promote academics, attention to detail, time management, and leadership, while promoting self esteem, confidence and pride. Founded under the direction of the Department of Defense in 1991, the National Guard Bureau developed a program to provide values, skills, education and self discipline to young people incorporated in a military model. The Virginia Challenge Academy started in 1994 at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Virginia Challenge Youth Academy
The Challenge Youth Academy opened its doors in July of 1994. In December, our first graduating class of 58 students completed the residential phase of the program and graduated. For many graduates, this was a life-long dream come true. Since then, twenty eight classes totaling over 2600 cadets have completed this rigorous program and have gone on to lead successful lives. Please visit our Success Stories page. The Academy is located in Virginia Beach just a mile away from the beachfront. The Academy is located on Camp Pendleton, the state military reservation. It is located off of Birdneck Road and is about thirty minutes away from downtown Norfolk. The weather is fairly moderate ranging from the low to mid 40's in the winter and low 90's during the summer.
Program Components
The Virginia Challenge Academy (like all Challenge Programs) is divided into three phases. The "Pre Challenge," or Hardcore phase is a two week indoctrination period to determine if the prospective cadet is prepared for the rigors of the program. The "Challenge" phase is a 20 week residential period of academics, physical fitness, counseling (both individual and group), life skills, and team building. This phase most resembles a military school. Cadets live on post in military barracks, eat in the post dining facility, and attend school on post. The third phase is the "Post Residential" phase. This is a one year mentorship period completed in the cadet's community with the guidance and assistance of a screened, trained, and matched mentor. The Virginia Youth Challenge Program operates two residential classes per year. The classes begin in January and in July.
Funding/Cost
The Virginia Challenge Academy is funded through the Federal and State governments. There is no charge to the family. Tuition, room and board, and books are provided with no cost to the family. There is a minimal clothing requirement (underwear, shoes, personal items, etc.) and a list will be given out at the Pre-screening detailing what they will need to bring. In addition, OPTIONAL costs may include, photos, class ring, yearbook, etc. These items are strictly optional.