“It’s not over.”
These three words summed up the main message of hope presented by Columbia Company Army recruiters Sgt. 1st Class Myron Adams and Sgt. Steven Lourigan on Friday while speaking to cadets at the S.C. Youth ChalleNGe Academy (YCA). The two recruiters from Pontiac Recruiting Station teamed up to visit YCA at McCrady Training Center in Columbia, S.C. to speak to the cadets about opportunities for a brighter future within the Army after graduation from the program.
YCA, a program of the S.C. Army National Guard, is a highly structured program geared toward troubled South Carolina teens ages 16 to 18 ½. The kids often come from difficult family backgrounds and tough living situations. The Academy aims to take in these teenagers with disciplinary problems and turn their lives around through lifestyle intervention, education and the exploration of job and service opportunities. The students, or cadets, learn discipline and respect throughout the 22-week program and go on to higher education, steady jobs or service in a military branch and generally better lives than were ever possible before YCA.
The Academy has three phases: A two-week Pre-ChalleNGe phase where the applicants adjust to the changes they will be making when they become cadets, a five-month Residential Phase where the cadets are enrolled in the academic and lifestyle intervention portion of the program and a one-year Post-Residential Mentorship Phase after graduation from YCA where mentors check-up on graduates and ensure that they continue to maintain the lifestyle changes made during the program.
This particular cycle of cadets was at the six-week point of the Academy’s curriculum on Friday. Adams and Lourigan spoke to the cadets about what they have to look forward to after graduation from the Academy, whether they chose to go into a service or not. “Be smart. Make good choices,” said Adams to the cadets. “We don’t care what your situation is or what brought you here. It’s about the choices you make. Life is ahead of you. You’re not stuck.”
Adams and Lourigan educated the cadets about the Army reserve and active military options and encouraged the cadets to ask questions about the Army. Cadets asked about qualifications, job selection, college education opportunities, basic training, traveling with the Army and more. “This is the first time we’ve come to speak to the cadets. We just try to talk to them; mentor them,” said Lourigan. “More than anything, we’re just trying to give them guidance and let them know life is not over,” Adams added.
Army recruiters, along with recruiters from other services, are asked to visit and speak to the cadets about service opportunities during the Residential Phase of the program.
YCA has three departments: behavior, recruiting, and academics. The behavior department is a 24 hour/7 days-a-week operation, with a full staff regulating and mentoring the cadets throughout the whole program. The recruitment department consists of recruiting cadets for the program, selection and matching of cadet mentors (mentors must be generally positive, productive and parent-approved individuals) and cadet placement after graduation which includes placement in a job or a service like the Army.
The academic department of the program is implemented during the five-month Residential Phase, where the cadets can earn high school credits and test for the GED. During this time, all distractions (television, iPods, cell phones, etc.) are taken away from the cadets, who are also separated by male/female classes. All cadets take five core classes which review what they have learned in high school and/or introduce them to high school-level general education. Drivers Education is also offered to the cadets through the academic department.
“These cadets are intelligent; it’s behavior that’s gotten in the way. They are excited about learning,” said Kathryn Withenbury, Lead Teacher of YCA. Withenbury began working for the Academy and created the education department in 2009, establishing the curriculum, implementing a full school day and hiring professional teachers. Her dedication to the program and enthusiasm for the cadets shows. “They are our future. We want them to be productive citizens and to have better lives.”
Along with the educational curriculum, cadets enjoy the on-site library. “They love reading; it replaces TV and video games,” said Withenbury. The school day is from 8:00 a.m. to 2:25 p.m. After school, cadets participate in extra-curricular activities. “We have sports, drama, color guard, sewing, community gardening, event planning – That’s something the cadets are really excited about this year; they’re planning a gala that they will be having at the end of the year which is similar to a prom for them,” said Withenbury.
During weekends, the cadets have free time that they can spend on positive activities however they like. YCA also offers group weekend activities like field trips and cookouts.
In addition to a full academic schedule, the cadets complete 40 hours of community service during the program, volunteering at local venues such as Harvest Hope, Habitat for Humanity and the Veterans Hospital.
“Our responsibility is to make sure the cadets have a place in the community. Our whole program is about making the transition to life. Graduation is not the end; it’s just the beginning,” said Withenbury. “At graduation, you can see the transformation. They are different people. We are here to make that difference and see success.”
And the success only continues after graduation.
“When a cadet graduates from the Academy, the mentors work with the graduates for a year,” explained Martha Owens, YCA Mentor Coordinator and Admissions Assistant. Owens has worked for the Academy since it opened in 1998. “This cadet/mentor relationship is overseen by a case manager. We require monthly mentor reports to track the graduate’s post-program progress. If the graduate/mentor relationship is going well, which often happens, we encourage them to continue the relationship.”
“We want to see that the program is actually working for these cadets,” added Withenbury.
YCA’s motto, ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve,’ is one that everyone involved in the program upholds, including the passionate teachers and administrators, many volunteers and visitors and especially the cadets.
“We have a saying here, ‘Once a cadet, always a cadet,’” said Withenbury. “We are family.” l
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| Lourigan and Adams speak to YCA cadets about Army opportunities |
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| YCA's mission displayed in a classroom |
For more information on SC Youth ChalleNGe Academy, visit http://www.ngycp.org/site/state/scco/.
By Chloe Rodgers, A&PA/ESS Assistant, Columbia Recruiting Battalion
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