Question: Whatever happened to plans to relocate the National Guard’s Hawaii Youth ChalleNGe Academy’s facilities on Hawaii island?

Answer: The academy’s staff is now settling into its new home at the Keaukaha Military Reservation and is ready for its next class of cadets, with the program slated to start on July 29.

Previously, the educational program for at-risk teens was housed at the closed Kulani Correctional Facility, which was shuttered in 2009 by then-Gov. Linda Lingle because of budget concerns. The program had to move after the state decided to reopen the facility as a minimum-security prison this month.

Deputy Director retired Sgt. Maj. George Espinosa described the new $5.6 million facility in Hilo as "more positive for the staff and the cadets" because, compared to the more remote Kulani site, "it’s not so far away from everything," ranging from medical facilities to an airport.

The new campus includes four classrooms, residential units for the cadets, computer labs and office space.

In addition to the academy on Hawaii island, which was established at Kulani in 2010, the National Guard operates an academy at Barbers Point, which opened in 1994. In all, there are 34 ChalleNGe programs in 27 states and Puerto Rico.

The voluntary program is tailored for 16- to 18-year-olds who have dropped out of school. Participants endeavor to learn job skills and earn a high school diploma, GED or return to high school to graduate with peers.

Keaukaha’s program includes a 22-week residential phase that follows a two-week acclimation period. During the residential phase, cadets follow a boot-camp-style structured schedule focusing on developing life skills in eight core areas: academic excellence, life coping skills, job skills, health and hygiene, responsible citizenship, community service, leadership and physical fitness. Cadets are paired with mentors from their communities who help guide them to "self-management" after completing the program.

The Keaukaha academy typically enrolls about 100 cadets at a time, and close to 96 percent of those teens graduate from ChalleNGe, Espinosa said.

"The cadets are more confident, they are more focused in their reach in any type of employment or follow-on in academic studies. If they want to go to college, they have the option to do so," he said, adding that cadets are not required to join the military.

"Every year it’s getting better and better. We have the support of the community and local officials that continue to assist us in having funding for the facilities and being able to train and maintain the staff here to have a successful program," Espinosa said.

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This update was written by Noelle Fujii.
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