Teen Challenge Programs for Boys

No matter how dedicated you are as a parent, there will always be times when your children rebel and try to go their own way. It’s incredibly frustrating to see the years you spent caring for and teaching your child seem to slip away in a series of events that feel like they are spinning out of control. Your teen may have fallen in with the wrong crowd, started experimenting with drugs and alcohol, engaged in other destructive behavior, or been a victim of bullying and peer pressure. There is hope, though, through Teen Challenge programs for boys that can get your teen back on track.

Rebellious teens often respond better to authority figures who are not their parents. A dedicated team of mentors, teachers, counselors, coaches, and peers can come around your teen and help guide him back into a healthy, balanced life in harmony with the rest of your family. This type of outside intervention is often the most effective way to reach your teen and catalyze genuine change.

For over 50 years, Teen Challenge programs for boys have been helping rebellious teens rediscover themselves and embrace a healthy, connected life through a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. Teen Challenge might be just what your family has been looking for.

Foundations of the Teen Challenge Programs

In 1958, David Wilkerson started Teen Challenge in New York City and set up the first Teen Challenge center in Brooklyn. The program expanded from there into Chicago and other large cities across the nation. Frank Reynolds started the first residential program in Pennsylvania in 1962, and this is the model that today’s Teen Challenge programs for boys are based on. Now, there are over 200 Teen Challenge locations in the United States and over 1,000 programs worldwide catering to boys, girls, men, and women.

Each Teen Challenge program has its own unique setting, whether it’s urban, rural, or somewhere in between. The programs are free to structure themselves as they see fit, but each of the Teen Challenge programs for boys must be built upon a few foundational elements:

• Christ-centered: All Teen Challenge programs have a specifically Christian focus. Although participants are not required to consider themselves to be Christians, they must be willing to fully participate in all of the program activities. One of the foundational elements of Teen Challenge is an acknowledgement that people are all broken, and Jesus Christ invites everyone into a restored relationship with God. A focus on Jesus is one of the keys to a genuine transformation through participation in Teen Challenge.
• Bible-based: Teen Challenge programs are rooted in the Bible as the source of practical and accessible lessons that participants can apply to their lives. The programming includes formal Bible study and teaching, in addition to encouraging boys to read and study the Bible on their own.
• Holistic approach: The body, mind, and spirit are all linked, and Teen Challenge is founded on the premise that all three must be addressed holistically to achieve true change. Programs are designed to look at each participant holistically, and to work to renew and restore the body, mind, and spirit all together.
• Variety of activities: In line with the holistic approach, Teen Challenge programs use a variety of activities and settings to achieve the goal of helping participants rediscover who they really are. These activities include school, personal mentoring, work training, sports, and individual pursuits.

Why Choose a Teen Challenge Program for Boys?

Your family can benefit from professional help. When you are struggling with a rebellious teen, it is always tempting to exhaust every resource at home before you turn to outside help. Accepting help from professionals should not make you feel like you have failed. Instead, think of it as your way of giving your son the best possible chance of finding himself and thriving during his teenage years. Teen Challenge programs have highly qualified, trained staff who have worked with hundreds of boys in similar situations to your son. Their experience is one of the best resources available to your family at this time.

Teen Challenge uses a Christ-centered approach. Many boarding schools and residential programs for rebellious teens use a structured setting with discipline, schooling, counseling, and vocational training to help get teens back on track. However, when you are looking for lasting life change that will come out in every aspect of your son’s life, a Christ-centered approach has the highest success rates. Teen Challenge programs for boys will focus on bringing your son into true relationship with Jesus that will transform every aspect of his life, both in the program and when he returns home.

Your son will thrive alongside other boys. Teens are highly influenced by their peers, and Teen Challenge is designed to bring teens together to learn from each other as they all journey toward rediscovering who they are. Teen Challenge programs for boys will remove the distraction of being around girls in school and in social circles, while putting your son in a setting where he can develop lasting friendships with other boys. As they live together, learn together, study the Bible together, play sports together, and do chores together, boys bond and help one another grow into young men.

Consider Gateway Academy for Troubled Boys: A Teen Challenge Program for Boys from Around the Nation

Gateway Academy for Troubled Boys, located in Bonifay, Florida, is one of just a dozen Teen Challenge programs for boys in the United States. Gateway Academy uses a Christ-centered approach to transform the lives of young men for the glory of God. The school includes vocational training, team sports, service opportunities, and Christian mentoring to help your son find himself and truly thrive.

Gateway Academy can help your son discover his passions and build strong Christian character during the residential program. We have open enrollment, so your son can get started right away and learn from boys who have been there for months and are well on their way to returning home transformed. Please call us at 850-547-9011 or email us at gba.admissions@teenchallenge.cc to find out more about how we can help your family.