Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        National Guard Office of Special Victims' Counsel

    Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 North Carolina National Guard's academy supports at-risk youth By Staff Sgt. Mary Junell
                North Carolina National Guard
 RALEIGH, N.C. - On an obstacle course in the North Carolina woods at Camp Butner, young men, between the ages of 16-18, work hard to climb walls, pull themselves across ropes and low-crawl under barbed wire on Jan. 21, 2015. North Carolina National Guard Staff Sgt. Anthony Lawson, with the 732nd Forward Support Company, encourages them to push themselves and get over the walls, much like the walls they face in life. These men are cadets in the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, a community-based program whose goal is to intervene in the lives of 16-18 year old high school dropouts and instill in them the traits and skills they need to become productive citizens. Nationwide, 35 Challenge sites operate in 27 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico according to the website of the National Guard Youth Foundation. The cadets are two weeks into North Carolina's version of the program called the Tarheel Challenge Academy, a 22-week long residence program that will be followed by a yearlong mentorship program. Lawson, who in addition to assisting with the obstacle course has previously been a mentor, uses each obstacle as a metaphor for accomplishing goals in life. "It's about teaching them to look forward to the accomplishment on the other side," he said. Lawson also tells the story of the man he mentored who went from having bad grades, being disrespectful to his parent and being involved with gang activity to graduating from barber school and going on to open a retail store with a group of barbers. "He himself admitted ‘If I keep going, I'm going to die or I'm going to kill somebody,'" Lawson said. "When he finally got it right ... we had a moment where I actually came to tears, and I knew then that he would be okay." Thanks to support from the North Carolina National Guard, the Tarheel Challenge Academy will spend two days at Camp Butner taking two groups of young men and one group of young women through the obstacle course, a land navigation course and on a 5k road march. The North Carolina National Guard helps plan the two-day event twice a year and provides Soldiers as group leaders, instructors, safety officers and medical support. First Sgt. Stephen Caldwell, who serves with the 1-130th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, said he enjoys working with the Academy, and that is rewarding both for the cadets and the National Guard Soldiers and Airmen who support the event. "This program gives these kids a second chance, so they don't become a product of the system one day," said Caldwell, who has been part of all four rotations of the event the NCNG has supported at Camp Butner. This is a very rewarding program. When people hear that they have to come and support the Tarheel Challenge they might have different feelings about it, until they come out here and do a rotation with us. Then, they see how rewarding it is to help these young kids who have faced a lot of challenges in life and get to interact with them and mentor them," said Caldwell. The event also gives the Guardsmen a chance to act as good role models for the young men and women going through the Academy. "My goal is to take these kids and give them some direction in life," Caldwell said. "The direction I give them might steer them towards a military career or might steer them into a civilian career, but what I like to do is give them the motivation and guidance to finish this program. I tell every class I work with ‘Finish this program. This is your new start on life,' so they can become productive citizens one day," he said. The cadets are all in the program because they want to better themselves. For some it was strongly recommended, but they are still there of their own free will. "I'm here because I wasn't doing so good in school," said Quadir Stuckey, one of the cadets, from Sanford, North Carolina. "I started slacking off, wasn't doing the right thing, and one day it just hit me that if I kept doing the wrong thing I wasn't going to get as far in life as I wanted to." Stuckey and his aunt researched programs to help him get caught back up and they found the Tarheel Challenge Academy. "I hope to better myself, further my education, gain motivation and dedication; I want to come out wiser and stronger than I was before," said Stuckley. Stuckey said that in addition to learning discipline and teamwork strategies so far in the program, he has already overcome two challenges: dealing with others and climbing the ladder obstacle on the course. "I had to overcome a fear today. I'm terrified of heights. And, I learned to cope with other people, even though they don't want to cope back with me," said Stuckley. One of the goals of the Tarheel Challenge is to help these young people learn how to overcome life's obstacles to accomplish their goals and get back on the path to success. In that spirit, Lawson hopes that he can leave these kids believing in themselves. "It is my goal for them to accomplish their greatest feat. Nobody can be a carbon copy," Lawson said. "I don't believe that God made carbon copies. He made us all to be individuals and we all have something that is special inside of us, so my goal is to reach down and help that person realize what that special thing is and then go after it and not to quit on themselves," he said.
 SHARE
 PRINT
 
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course
 By Sgt. 1st Class Shane Smith,
  38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise
 By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry,
  Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska
 By 156th Wing
  More
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course Guard News • 3 hours ago
 38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise Guard News • 11 hours ago
 Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska Guard News • 11 hours ago
 Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 2024 (196)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil