Fort Eisenhower Youth ChalleNGe Academy

I am greatful for YCA Fort Eisenhower and most of all I am thankful for the staff of YCA. My son is now 1 month post graduate and has showed so much improvement from before entering this program. God bless the staff for Taking on the responsibilities challenges and dedication to these young men and women which I know can be challenging. Thank you for being the village my family needed to get my son back on track! He even gave his life to Christ while in YCA! He is truly a testament to the success of this program!

I came here at 16 after getting kicked out of high school, thinking the world revolved around me. YCA showed me that it doesn’t. They gave me the opportunity to lead others, become more physically fit, and grow in ways I never expected. It removed distractions, allowing me to focus in class for the first time. Now, at 27, I’m a Marine recruiter. I’ve come a long way, and I owe a lot of what I have today to this place. For the youth reading this—if you need a fresh start, take the challenge and be different. For the parents reading this—YCA isn’t perfect and has its flaws. Running a school for troubled teens is no easy task, so please give the instructors and dean the space to do their job. My mom has nothing but positive things to say now that I’m older, even though there were times when things felt unorganized or broken. I won’t guarantee that this program works for everyone, but for many of us, it did. I still follow several former cadets, and most of us are better off than we would have been if we had never attended.

Graduated with HS diploma at 16 (class 20- 01). 3rd Platoon Mustangs (YOU KNOW) This was the best decision I made in my life when I started going down the wrong path. THIS PROGRAM IS DIFFICULT. It is meant to build character and discipline. There will be hard days.You will want to quit. I am grateful for the opportunity to have attended despite my diabetes. The cadre are strict, but understanding and accommodating. I would recommend it to anyone in need of a wake up call. Thanks for everything, YCA

Thank goodness for this program we need this for assistance with our children who do have respect for their parents.

This place is very unorganized and the leaders are very unprofessional. They don't care for the well-being of the children. They are not notifying parents or the military Police of the violent incidents going on. They are falsifying reports to try to cover themselves. The director wasn't aware that the kids are making shanks as she so stated. It clearly states on the incident report "Level I- Offense of a serious nature may lead to possible expulsion from the Academy, and referral to the Discipline Board." Well the report states they found a shank on one of the cadets and the cadet was still there!!! The kids are not eating properly, they pushing their trays to the side refusing to eat. The buildings are in very poor condition. Let's not mention they are understaffed, this program couldn't possibly be ran correctly with the amount of staff I counted and the number of cadets there. They are not ensuring the kids seek medical attention when requested. I have written statements, videos, pictures, and text messages to prove everything I know. FROM MY EXPERIENCE ON YESTERDAY IF YOU CURRENTLY HAVE A CHILD THERE GO GET YOUR CHILD!!!