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PROGRAM HISTORY
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is a preventive program, authorized by Congress in the 1993 Defense Authorization Bill as a pilot program. The goal of the program was to determine whether life skills, education levels, and employment potential of youths who drop out of secondary school could be significantly improved through quasi-military assisted training. Managed by the National Guard Bureau, and under the auspices of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Reserve Affairs, agreements to conduct this program were entered into between the National Guard Bureau and the Governors and state Adjutants General.
The original agreements allowed ten selected states to identify a targeted number of diverse at-risk youth and to conduct a 17-month Youth ChalleNGe Program. The program was designed around a model identified by The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) and consisted of three phases: a two-week Pre-ChalleNGe residential phase, a 20-week ChalleNGe residential phase, and a 12-month post-residential phase. A quasi-military environment was defined for the five-month residential phase. An intervention model of eight core components was designed to improve individual skills and enhance the holistic growth of the participants. The post-residential phase was structured for long-term follow-up with individual mentors being assigned to each student.
Congress defined the eligibility standards for Youth ChalleNGe participants. All applicants must be a volunteer, 16-18 years of age, a high school drop-out, a citizen or legal resident of the states, unemployed or under-employed, drug free, not currently serving on parole or probation, and physically and mentally capable.
By 1995, fifteen states were participating in the Youth ChalleNGe Program with another 23 states on a waiting list for a program. In the FY 96 Department of Defense (DoD) Authorization Bill, it amended the law in 1998, permanently authorizing the program, and removing the limit on the number of states that can participate. Congress also limited the DoD's share of operating costs in each state to 75% in FY 98, decreasing by 5% each year to 60% in FY 2001. The 1998 and 1999 appropriations each allowed for the addition of five states programs. By 2001, the ChalleNGe program has added four additional states programs, bringing the total to 28 states and one territory participating in the program.
For additional historical information, click here.
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