WASHINGTON - As a former trial court judge, Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt knows the trouble that kids can get into.
In his new position as director of the Air National Guard, he is even more familiar with the results that the National Guard's Youth ChalleNGe Program has had with troubled teens.
"I saw increasing dropouts and I saw increasing reliance upon drugs and alcohol, and I saw productivity contributions to our community beginning to go down the drain and I got extremely interested in the program," he said.
Established in 1993, Youth ChalleNGe is the second largest mentoring program in the nation behind Job Corps. Programs are available in 27 states and Puerto Rico, and efforts are underway to make it a national program available in all 50 states, ChalleNGe officials said.
The program's mission is to help at-risk youth aged 16-18, who have dropped out or been expelled from school. It includes a five-month residential program and 12-month mentoring program in which participants learn life skills, gain real-life work experience, receive on-the-job training, participate in community service and have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) degree.
"And if you ask the cadets, they'll probably say there is a little bit of physical education and training there and a little bit of discipline in there too; something that may have been missing from their lives," said Wyatt.
Proponents say that the cost of the program pales in comparison to the cost of not addressing the epidemic of high school dropouts.
"It costs $17,000 to graduate one child from the Youth ChalleNGe program, as compared to $50,000 to incarcerate that same youth," said Wyatt. "To date, the program has saved an estimated $109 million in juvenile corrections expenses and welfare programs and added revenue through employment taxes and community service hours.
"Based on these results, our nation can no longer afford to turn our backs on our young people if we are to remain competitive in this global economy," he added.
To date, 92,850 young people completed the program, of which 99 percent went on to earn a degree or join the workforce. The program is expected to reach the 100,000 mark this year.
"The effects of this program and the extraordinary results of this program is what's pushing us to share this good news about something that works so well," said Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.
An audience of more than 50 listened to Wyatt as well as elected officials, celebrities and Youth ChalleNGe cadets, who shared their experiences with the program.
"As a return investment, there is no better investment than in the young people you are seeing in this room today," said Wyatt.