CHEYENNE - A state-run program that helps troubled teens get back on track is in danger of losing federal funding and possibly even closing because of a lack of enrollment, state officials said.

The 3-year-old Wyoming National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program at Camp Guernsey can serve up to 120 teens every 22 weeks. Just 19 cadets will graduate from the program's fifth class later this month.

"We're an unknown commodity," program director Joe Michaels said. "People don't know who we are. People don't know what we do."

The federal government, which provides 60 percent of the program budget, has threatened to reduce funding if enrollment numbers remain low, said Kip Crofts, counsel to Gov. Dave Freudenthal.

A reduction in federal funding could also jeopardize $1.12 million per year in state funds, which may be dependent on the federal match, officials said.

Youth ChalleNGe is a national, quasi-military program that operations at more than 30 locations in several states and serves high school dropouts, or those at risk of dropping out, between the ages of 16 and 19.

In Wyoming, the program runs for 22 weeks and operates under the auspices of the Wyoming Army National Guard at the Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center in Platte County. About 100 "cadets" have graduated from the program since the first class in 2006.

A number of factors are hurting enrollment at the Wyoming program, including a lack of sophisticated marketing, officials said.

"It's like they built a great product, but they haven't figured out how to market it yet," Crofts said.

Some people also mistake Youth ChalleNGe for a boot camp, which it is not, according to officials. While the program is military in nature, it's not punitive like a correctional boot camp, Michaels said.

"Granted, we have a rather structured environment here," Michaels said, "but it's a long way from what people would consider a boot camp."

The program also has a high dropout rate - about 30 percent - and has trouble attracting the kinds of teens who need it most, Michaels said.

High school dropouts, and those in danger of dropping out, are often resistant to volunteer for a highly regimented, highly disciplined program that requires them to rise at 5 a.m., wear their hair buzzed and answer, "Yes, sir," and, "Yes, ma'am," to their instructors.

"They go, 'Excuse me? Why would I want to do that?'" Michaels said.

Wyoming law does not specifically provide for District Court judges to sentence teen offenders into the Youth ChalleNGe program. As a result, judges have varying degrees of knowledge about it.

District Judge Dan R. Price II of Gillette said prosecutors, defense attorneys and teams of professionals assigned to juvenile cases in Wyoming called multiple disciplinary teams, or MDTs, are not asking him to divert teen offenders to the program.

He said that might be because some juvenile offenders prefer probation, fines or even time at state juvenile correctional facilities to the Youth ChalleNGe program, which requires considerable effort on their part.

"If the juveniles have an easier route, they'll take it," Price said. "They don't want anything hard, and this program is hard."

District Judge Dennis L. Sanderson in Lincoln and Uinta counties also said most lawyers and MDTs are not recommending the program as an option for juvenile offenders in his court.

"It's just probably out of sight, out of mind," said Sanderson, who has nonetheless allowed three teens to take part in the program, which he said can be a "really useful option for a lot of young people."

Enrollment problems at Youth ChalleNGe are so dire that program coordinators have agreed to allow teens from other states to attend the program - but only if their states agree to pay a share of the cost for each participant.

So far, no states have been willing to contribute the cash. South Dakota nearly sent some teens to Camp Guernsey, but the deal fell through when the state would not agree to pay a share of the cost, Michaels said.

"We would be happy to recruit from the areas around us," Michaels added, "but obviously the state match would have to come from whatever state we're recruiting from."

A number of steps are under way to recruit teens into the program and keep Youth ChalleNGe alive.

A recent program graduate, Leslie Smith of Evanston, was hired to help promote the program.

"We brought her in to connect with potential students and share her story," Michaels said. "She is a Y-generation individual and can speak with 16-, 17-, 18-year-olds individually."

State district judges will hear more about the program when they meet for their fall conference in September. Program representatives will be on hand to make a presentation, Sanderson said.

In addition, Freudenthal has asked state Attorney General Bruce Salzburg for an opinion that clarifies whether the state can continue to spend its share of the funds if a portion of the federal dollars disappear.

Michaels said the enrollment shortfall is frustrating, and he's actively searching for new ways to promote the program. Eventually, he hopes to have 300 applications for each five-month class from which he can choose the best 120 participants.

But for now, much of his energy will be focused on simply keeping the doors open.

Most program grads fin success

CHEYENNE - Holly Hartman was stuck.

At age 19, she spent most of her days at home, drinking alcohol and taking and selling illegal drugs.

"My life wasn't going anywhere," said Hartman, of Riverton. "I was just sitting around watching my life fly past me."

Then a family member suggested that she follow in her older brother's footsteps and enroll in the Wyoming National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program.

The voluntary, quasi-military program at Camp Guernsey is designed for teens ages 16-19 who are looking for a way to get back on track.

"I saw how much it had changed him," said Hartman, referring to her brother. "He had goals, and I kind of wanted my life to get back on track."

So she enrolled and became a Youth ChalleNGe cadet. Instructors taught her discipline and gave her direction that she'd never had before.

It also gave her a taste of military-style structure, which she found suited her. She plans to join the Wyoming Air National Guard after she graduates from the program later this month.

Hartman now sees herself as a role model for other young people, and for her friends back home.

"I actually want to go to college and stuff," she said.

Cadet Robert Cody Graybill of Star Valley took a different route into the Youth ChalleNGe program.

Graybill, 18, was held back in school a couple of times because of poor performance.

He said he got involved in alcohol and dabbled in drugs, activities that helped land him in front of District Judge Dennis L. Sanderson in Kemmerer.

The judge agreed to let Graybill enroll in the Youth ChalleNGe program, which he did.

After five months at Camp Guernsey, Graybill said he has developed discipline and respect.

He has also learned how to deal with peer pressure and how to cope with real work. He says he became a real student and gave up alcohol and drugs for good.

Graybill's next stop will be college. He has been accepted to Casper College, where he hopes to begin his studies of architectural engineering and fire science.

"I think Youth ChalleNGe helped me a lot," Graybill said.

Roughly 100 cadets like Hartman and Graybill have graduated the Youth ChalleNGe program since its first class in 2006.

More than 70 percent have received their high school equivalence certificates. All have raised their academic level by a minimum of two letter grades, program director Joe Michaels said.

More than 60 percent of graduates so far have joined the work force, while 14 percent have joined the military. Another 16 percent are in continuing education of some kind, and 7 percent are volunteers or homemakers.

"We try to let them know that the most important thing to them is their life, their freedom, and to give them the opportunity to improve their futures," Michaels said.

Reach capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at jared.miller@trib.com.

* Last we knew: The Wyoming National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program at Camp Guernsey helps high school dropouts get back on track.

* The latest: The program is in danger of losing federal funding and maybe even closing because of a lack of enrollment.

* What's next: Efforts are under way to increase enrollment and to determine if the program will remain eligible for state funding.]]->

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