Dream.
Believe.
ACHIEVE.
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program was established by Congress in 1993 to turn around the lives of young men and women between the ages of 16 and 18 who are experiencing difficulty in completing traditional high school. This is a free program open to Georgia residents.
ADMISSIONS INFO
Georgia Youth ChalleNGe Program Campus Update (July 13, 2020)
July Classes to be delayed for at least 30 days.
Due to the COVID-19 virus and safety restrictions currently in place an out of the abundance of caution, the decision has been made that the Georgia Youth ChalleNGe Program will not be starting a new class in July as scheduled at either the Fort Stewart or Fort Gordon campuses. There is a possibility that the classes at Fort Stewart and Fort Gordon will start in mid-August. If classes in 2020 doesn’t happen, our next classes will be January 2021.
It is expected that the capacity of the next few classes will be significantly reduced due to social distancing requirements. We recommend completing your application now, so that you can be prepared and considered for admission to any upcoming class.
Most importantly the GAYCP puts the health and safety of our students first. During this time, we are adjusting our campuses to meet Department of Public Health requirements to keep our students safe.
We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and will update this website and our social media platforms as the situation requires to bets inform the public on our future classes.
Why APPLY NOW to the Georgia Youth Academy Next Classes?
While a July class is no longer an option, urgency remains in getting a GAYCP application submitted. We already have enough applications to fill a majority of the available seats in the next classes. Applications submitted first will be considered for the remaining seats. Apply NOW to make sure you are in the running for the next class.
Based on the small possibility that the public health posture changes in August, there remains a slim possibility that another 2020 class could be convened. Those youth who apply NOW will be considered for those seats, should they become available!
APPLY NOW to the Georgia Youth ChalleNGe Program for a challenging and productive adventure towards becoming the successful men and women of the future.
An application does not commit a youth to attend. It is a door opener. While many families and youth are seeking ways to earn credits, those who have already applied to the GAYCP for the opportunity to earn eight credits in 5 ½ months will be the first considered for this unique and robust opportunity.
Cadet Life
I personally volunteered for the Youth Challenge Program. I watched my brother skip a year of high school because of YCA and he graduated with his diploma in class #45 so I followed behind him in class #46. The first day wasn’t a fairy tale, they call the first two weeks hell weeks. Hell it ...
I went to YCA on my 17th birthday on July 19, 2015 and graduated on Dec 19, 2015. I was kicked out of my house and had nowhere else to turn to, so I ended up at YCA to try and finish high school to have more opportunities further in life. At first, it was very hard. I had trouble opening up to ...
My name is Kameryn Lavender. I graduated YCA in Milledgeville in April of 2019 Class 5. In the beginning, it was difficult. I say it was difficult because it’s a program for DIFFICULT KIDS! You go in not knowing what to expect. Sometimes there was arguing and fighting, sometimes things ...
Thanks to Youth ChalleNGe, Sharrieff feels that he certainly dodged the bullet of incarceration. Now he is a student at Atlanta Technical College taking an Avionics Bench Technician course, and will soon be transferring to Middle Georgia State University to finish obtaining his private ...
I graduated from Fort Stewart Youth ChalleNGe Academy in June 2005. I joined the US Army in September 2005, and served 12 years before getting out this past July. If it wasn't for attending YCA, I probably wouldn't be were I'm at right now. This was definitely one of ...
Since graduating from the Milledgeville Youth ChalleNGe Academy in October 2017, Devon has been a cook at Waffle House and has steadily increased his start pay of $7.25 to $10.25 per hour. Devon also just completed his first semester at West Georgia Tech studying welding. He has found his ...
My son was failing school, relationships, mostly himself. He was on a dangerous road heading for destruction. He went to Challenge when he was 16 years old. He learned and accomplished so much. He learned self-discipline, improved his self-esteem ten-fold, graduated high school with HONORS!! He ...
I love this place. My son was going to end up dead or in jail before attending YCA. Now, he is very respectful and thinking about his future. He has done a complete turn around. I'm so thankful for this program. So happy my child could take part in something truely this special.
This is an awesome place for kids who need structure in order to get themselves together. I saw my son for the 1st time in 6 weeks yesterday and he has changed so much. Best decision.
I am a YCA graduate; the program definitely did have challenges and hard times, but I feel like the program set me straight and prepared me to be a successful person later on in life.
I'm happy that my daughter agreed to go to YCA and be away from all family and friends. We miss her, but we know she is doing her best to succeed in the program!!!
This program has done such an amazing job with my son in just 30 days! I already see a change in not only his attitude, but his will to better himself as a young man. I'm a single mom who had done all I knew to do with minimum help and I refused to allow him to fail at life. I battled with ...