CAMP GUERNSEY - When Kyle Alexy stepped up to his drill sergeant to accept his cadet uniform at a Monday morning ceremony here, he wasn't sure what to expect.

Alexy, along with 34 other at-risk youth, was wearing a dark blue shirt, gray sweat pants and running shoes and had just completed two weeks of intense physical training and mental readjustment.

On Monday, the 33 boys and two girls officially became cadets and started the first day of their classroom learning. Many proud parents and guardians were in the audience. But not Alexy's.

Alexy's parents are dead.

His dad died from bone disease when Alexy was 13, and he lost his mom two years later to pneumonia. One of his brothers was in prison, so he went to live with his other brother.

It's not too surprising that Alexy dropped out of school in Afton and got into trouble.

"I couldn't really get along with any of my classmates, and I always got teased a lot," the 16-year-old cadet said. He said he knew his life was going in the wrong direction when he got a couple of possession tickets.

When he heard about the National Guard's Youth ChalleNGe program, Alexy saw the chance to turn his life around.

"I came here to get my GED and to get my life going in the right direction," he said.

Two weeks into the five-month program, Alexy said he feels motivated to work for the first time in years.

"I actually feel good about myself again, and I don't sleep all day anymore," he said.

All of Alexy's classmates come from troubled backgrounds, and many have seen jail time or have been in the Wyoming Boys' School. Though still young, they've all had hard lives.

They also all recognize the opportunity this program offers to provide the structure and discipline that has been lacking in their lives.

With the start of classes Monday, Wyoming joined 25 other states that offer the Youth ChalleNGe Program, authorized by Congress in 1993. To qualify, applicants must be drug-free dropouts between 16 and 18 years of age. The Wyoming Legislature approved $1.1 million to start the program, and the federal government provided $1.7 million.

Reporting for duty

When Alexy and his classmates returned later to report for duty, he was wearing a light blue T-shirt with the Youth ChalleNGe logo, tan khakis and black boots. But he was also changing on the inside.

"Cadet Alexy reporting to duty, sir," he said to Maj. Gen. Ed Wright with a salute.

"We will do everything in our power to help these individuals succeed," Wright said. "A lot of people are watching this program. It's been proven to be effective at a national level and is the single most effective program for dropouts."

Most states with this program graduate hundreds of successful students each year, Wright said. Wyoming hopes to eventually produce 100 graduates each semester.

"This program is not purely educational and not purely military, but rather a combination of the two," he said. "This gives these at-risk kids the opportunity for a second chance."

One of the key requirements of the program is to match each cadet with an adult mentor for the first year after graduation.

"They have to have a plan for what's next in their lives," he said. "What we need most right now are mentors who care about these kids and can give them some sage advice and support."

The Youth ChalleNGe program lasts through June, with graduation on June 23.

Core components include lessons in academics, citizenship, life-coping skills, civic service, leadership and physical fitness. Students accepted into the program must be drug-free and not in any legal troubles, according to a release from the National Guard.

Students are enrolled in the program at no cost to themselves or their parents and are not obligated to perform any military service afterward.

Nationally, about 78 percent of enrollees graduate. Of those, about half go into vocational training or higher education, he said. About 30 percent return to their hometowns to work on completing their GEDs or high school diplomas, and the remaining 20 percent join the active military.

Want to learn more?

For information about the Wyoming Youth ChalleNGe Program, cadet applications or information on becoming a mentor, go online to http://www.ngycp.org/state/wy or call (307) 836-7500.

Reporter John Morgan can be reached at (307) 266-0614 or john.morgan@casperstartribune.net.