Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, October 13, 2006
(UNDATED) - The Indiana National Guard is launching a new program to combat the high school dropout rate in our state.
The Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy is a voluntary 17 month course for 16 to 18-year-old dropouts. Indiana National Guard Adjutant General Martin Umbarger says the program provides at-risk teens with much-needed direction. Recruits earn their GED's after spending five months at Camp Atterbury and also undergoing a twelve month mentoring phase.
The $14-thousand per student cost is covered entirely by state and federal funding. It's a price that some state leaders are willing to pay to battle what they consider our state's greatest epidemic. The first recruitment class will begin work in July. 24 states and territories already offer similar National Guard programs.
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