Challenge Phases
Residential Phase
The two-week Acclimation Period precedes the Residential Phase and orients candidates to the Challenge program environment by allowing them to adjust to the physical, mental, and social discipline required to successfully complete the program. The focus is on teamwork, close quarter drill, code of conduct, leadership and followership, and physical fitness training. Candidates relinquish personal items, receive haircuts, and exchange their street clothes for uniforms, placing them all on a level playing field. During the Acclimation Period, staff members continually assess each candidate’s potential for success in the Residential Phase. Candidates learn to replace negative behaviors, attitudes, and skills and are introduced to daily experiences of healthy routines and a structured and disciplined environment.
At the end of the Acclimation Period motivated candidates are selected to enroll in Challenge and become cadets. Historically, the majority of the selected cadets will go on to successfully complete the Residential Phase. During the next five months of the Residential Phase, cadets are fully immersed in a military-type training environment, which emphasizes discipline, consistency, and structure. During the Residential Phase, cadets experience a schedule that focuses on developing their social, emotional, academic, and basic life skills. This is accomplished through the implementation of the Eight Core Components, the foundation of the Challenge program intervention model. Cadets complete the Residential Phase with the skills and values necessary for their successful transition and integration into adult society. Mentors, who have been nominated by the cadets, are matched with cadets midway through the Residential Phase. The mentors help support the cadets during the remainder of the Residential Phase and help them prepare to reenter community life. Mentors continue their responsibilities throughout the 12-month Post-Residential Phase.
Mentors
Challenge uses a Youth-Initiated Mentoring match; when applicants apply to the program, they identify potential mentors from their local community. Mentors are formally screened and trained prior to a ceremonial matching with their mentees. The mentors and cadets begin to develop their newly defined relationship and to discuss the cadet’s future plans during the Residential Phase, continuing through the 12 months after graduation. Once formally matched, the cadet and mentor are allowed to spend off-site time together, often performing service to the community or exploring job and school options. The mentoring relationship forms the core of a youth’s Post-Residential Challenge experience. It is within the safety of this relationship that a young person can evaluate what was learned in Challenge and apply it to real life.
Post-Residential Phase
The 12-month Post-Residential Phase begins when graduates leave the Challenge Academy and return to their communities. Graduates return to high school, pursue higher education, find a job, join the military, or volunteer at least 25 hours a week as a “placement.” The goal of this phase is for graduates to sustain and build on the gains made during the Residential Phase and to apply the new skills they have learned to their home environment. In addition, they must continue to develop and implement their life plans. The mentors, matched with cadets during the Residential Phase, play a critical role in ensuring their continued success. They help youth transition from the structured environment of the Residential Phase to self-management. The mentors also support and guide the cadets through implementation of their life plans.
