SOUTH CAROLINA YOUTH CHALLENGE ACADEMY “BEATING THE ODDS… ONE YOUTH AT A TIME “

Mission statement The mission of the South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Program is to form a strong partnership with youth between the ages of 16 and 18 years old in creating and maintaining a viable plan for their educational and career goals while reaffirming the skills and talents they possess.

The South Carolina National Guard currently operates the Youth ChalleNGe Program, a community based program, located on the southeastern side of Fort Jackson at the McCrady Training Center on Leesburg Road in Eastover, SC There are 33 programs in 27 states , DC and Puerto Rico. Since 1993 , over 135,00 at risk youth have graduated and turned their lives around and have gone on to be productive citizens. The number of programs and graduates continues to increase annually. South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe enhances life skills, education levels, employment potential and prospects for the future by providing opportunity for participants to obtain their GED, or return to high school. About the program

The eight core components Life Coping Skills Academic Excellence Health and Hygiene Job skills training Leadership/Followership Physical Fitness Responsible Citizenship Service to the Community

Accepting the Challenge !! The Youth Challenge is a 17 month program broken down into two phases: 22 week residential phase and a 12 month post-residential phase paired with a trained community mentor. The 22 week residential phase gives the cadets the chance to change their basic life styles

Eligibility requirements Legal U.S. resident and S.C. 16-18 years old, males and females Hgh School dropout, potential dropout , or has been expelled Unemployed or underemployed Drug Free (students are tested and retested Not a convicted felon, nor under felony indictment Physically and mentally capable of completing the program

Additional certifications and training opportunities offered Resume writing FAFSA Assistance College Campus Tours Work Keys Testing ASVAB Testing Drivers Ed Training 3 D Print Course Serve Safe Certificate

Post Challenge Fifty interested and eligible Youth ChalleNGe graduates will have the opportunity to attend Aiken Technical Community College and learn a job skill in less than six months. The Major emphasis is to help graduates learn skills, prepare them personal success, and become employed as contributing members of their communities. Tower Tech 1 Basic Welding Basic Operator in Production Computer Networking Patient Care Assistant Cadets successfully completing one of these programs can earn from 16 to 24 credit hours from Aiken Tech.