Dwayne and Page Courtney
People need to know about the S.C. Youth Challenge Academy at Camp Long.
Last January our son Ken agreed to attend the S.C. Youth Challenge Academy at Camp Long. This academy is operated by the S.C. Army National Guard and is their effort to change the lives of troubled teenagers.
Ken fit that mold. Like many of today's youth, he was failing in school, had a serious attitude problem and was simply running out of control. No matter what we did to correct the issues, he resisted. If we wanted him to go right, he went left. If we said no, he would do it anyway. No amount of punishment would change his direction. Ken was bent on destruction of his own life and ours it seemed.
One day while sitting in my office, I was visited by Lt. Lee Anderson of the National Guard. Lee and I had known each other for several years when we both worked for Aiken Public Safety. Lee told me about his new job at the Youth Challenge Academy and what they were doing with troubled youth from all over the state. The academy is quasi-military. It's operated by the S.C. Army National Guard and there is no cost for the youth to attend. The program is a total of seventeen months long. However the first five months are spent at Camp Long and the kids are only allowed to come home about four weekends during that five month period of time. They not only correct behavior issues, but they educate the students as well. The remaining seventeen months of the program are the mentoring phase. When Lee left my office that day, I immediately called my wife and told her about the program. It was just what we were looking for.
Later that evening we approached Ken with the information that Lt. Anderson had provided. Ken had long talked about joining the Army or Marines when he got out of school, but it was fast becoming obvious that he was never going to graduate if he continued in the direction that he was going. He was already two years behind and this year wasn't looking good either. It was time for a change.
A deal was made. We would allow him to drop out of high school, attend the Youth Challenge Academy and complete their program. If he dropped out, he would have to go back to high school and finish or find a way to make it own his own out in the real world. While the latter was really the last thing we wanted for him, we had all just about reached the end of our rope with his attitude and behavior.
Ken and about 115 other young boys and girls started in the program this past January. The first two weeks were tough for him. In every phone call and every letter, he begged to come home. Of course our answer (as agreed before he left) was "No". He hung in there, thanks to some of the Academy Staff and Cadre. When Ken came home for the first time in March, we could see an obvious difference. He had begun to mature and his attitude was positive for the first time in years.
Ken graduated this past Saturday. He scored the second highest points of the class in academic testing. This program has changed his life forever. He is no longer that little hard headed kid that was always bucking the system. He has developed into a sharp young man, with a positive attitude, focus and a desire to succeed. It boggles the mind at how this young man has changed in just a few months. Ken has joined the U. S. Army and will be shipping off to boot camp in just a few weeks. Of course our entire family is so very proud of what Ken has accomplished and the path that he has now chosen.
This letter is not really about Ken or our difficulties with him. Instead we write this letter to inform those parents who are struggling with a teenager like Ken about the Youth Challenge Academy. Unfortunately not many people even know about its existence. It could be the answer to their prayers as well. It could be the life changing event that someone else's teenager needs in his/her life. There is absolutely no question that the staff and cadre of the Youth Challenge Academy can have a positive impact on the life of these young people. We have experienced first hand, how they are able to take young boys and girls and turn them into young men and women.
If you are the parent of a troubled teenager aged 16-18, I would encourage you to contact Lt. Teddy Call or Lt. Lee Anderson at the S.C. Youth Challenge Academy at Camp Long. Their phone number is 648-7776. You can also visit the S.C. National Guard web site and get information about the program.
Last but certainly not least, we would like to publicly say "Thank You" to all the staff and cadre of the youth challenge academy. You have had a tremendously positive impact on Ken's life and no doubt ours as well.
Sincerely,
Dwayne and Page Courtney
Wagener Rd, Aiken S.C.
Update February 2006
Ken graduated the program in Aiken S.C. last June. He left for Ft. Benning, Georgia in July for Airborne Infantry training. He has been doing better than anyone could have ever imagined and is currently stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas. He hopes to enter Ranger training in the near future.
Ken loves the Army but more importantly Ken now loves himself, his family, his God and country. We owe it all to the staff and cadre of the National Guard Youth Challenge Academy at Camp Long in Aiken, S.C. They have forever changed a young man's life.
Ken turned 18 yesterday. His experience in the Youth Challenge Academy gave him focus and direction and self-worth. It also had a tremendously profound effect on us, his parents.
We thank you all for what you are doing for these young men and women.
Dwayne & Page Courtney
