March 7, 2008
ChalleNGing our Young People to Take Hold of Their Futures
By: Senator Jay Rockefeller
For some young people, getting ahead in life can be tough. But whatever the reasons are for the troubles they’ve encountered, all of our at-risk youths deserve the opportunity to take their futures into their own hands – to reclaim their lives, to prepare for their careers, and to make a difference for themselves and their communities. Since the early 1990s, that’s exactly what the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program has offered them.
Just recently, Major General Allen Tackett, the Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard, was honored in Washington for his instrumental work in helping to create this national program -- which gives at-risk youths the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and gain real-life work experience through military-assisted residential training.
After this 22-week program is complete, the young people are assigned individual mentors for a one-year follow up program to help them continue the progress they’ve made for themselves.
As a result of General Tackett’s vision and dedication, West Virginia became one of the very first states to implement this truly groundbreaking program by launching the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy in Kingwood.
It’s no secret in West Virginia that the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy has a stellar and impressive track record of helping young people turn their lives around. Year after year, young West Virginians are being trained and mentored in an environment that is necessarily disciplined – but also caring.
These young cadets can be seen around Preston County organizing car washes, picking up litter, volunteering in nursing homes, and even stocking the Cheat River with trout. But they can also be found in the classroom – learning the life and leadership skills that are essential to their futures.
Through all of these activities, the cadets are learning to give back to their communities, they’re gaining personal strength and self respect, and they’re discovering who they really are – and all that they can accomplish.
It was a real honor for me to help thank General Tackett on a national stage, together with the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Trisha Yearwood, for all he’s done for at-risk youths in West Virginia and all across the country. Program graduates have gone on to do truly great things for not only themselves, but also for others. We thank General Tackett and ChalleNGe Program staff for that, but these young people also have themselves to thank.
They are, after all, the ones who seized hold of their futures, and turned their lives around.
The Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy and similar programs in 29 states across our country are giving more young people everyday that same opportunity – the opportunity to gain confidence in themselves, and to finally dream big for their futures. That’s why I’m tremendously grateful to General Tackett for his vision and leadership in this program, which has made a life-changing difference for literally thousands of young West Virginians.
If you’d like more information on the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy, visit www.wvchallenge.org or call 1-800-529-7700; or if you’d like more information on the national program and all that it offers across the country, please visit www.ngycp.org.