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THE CHALLENGE PROGRAM

• Youth at Risk

• The Challenge Program

The CHALLENGE Program is a group-based curriculum designed to increase the ability of high risk youth to be successful in their families, schools and community.

Youth At Risk: Who Are They?

In the last decade, the identification of at-risk and high-risk youth has developed in an effort to detect children who may later become involved in dysfunctional behavior or victimization. A "high risk" youth:

• is identified as a child of an alcohol or substance abuser
• is a victim of physical, sexual or psychological abuse
• has dropped out of school
• is economically disadvantaged
• has committed a violent or delinquent act
• has experienced mental health problems
• has attempted suicide

While this definition makes a distinction between high-risk children and mainstream children, many professionals describe all children as "high risk" given the following research findings:

Before a 14 year-old graduates from high school there is a:

• 40% chance that s/he will be a partner in pregnancy
• 75-80% chance that s/he will have a car accident;
• 86% chance that the first 6-9 months of intercourse will be unprotected by any form of contraception, including a condom;
• 90% chance that s/he will experiment with alcohol
• 65% chance that s/he will use alcohol on a regular basis;
• 17% chance that s/he will experiment with cocaine;
• 50% chance that s/he will experiment with marijuana;
• 23% chance that s/he will experiment with stimulants. (Kansas Connection, Fall 1988)

Current research and professional literature cites a lack of basic life skills, including assertiveness, communication and coping as the most important common characteristic of abused, delinquent or dysfunctional children. Life skills curricula are being considered the single most effective response to the plethora of problems facing modern youth.

The CHALLENGE Program

The CHALLENGE Program is a curriculum designed to assist group leaders in providing adolescents and young adults with systematic life skills training which enables:

• increased self-esteem
• management of emotions
• effective communication
• independent thinking
• appropriate assertive behavior
• problem-solving
• assessment and decision-making
• identification and pursuit of goals
• taking responsibility for choices
• prevention of emotional, physical and sexual abuse
• prevention of interpersonal violence
• development of personal resources

Participants develop better self-concepts and higher self-esteem through practice of everyday techniques.

The CHALLENGE Program is conducted in small groups, 8 to 16 participants. It is appropriate for use in schools, therapeutic settings and community groups. It can be used as a freestanding curriculum or integrated with existing curriculum materials and program activities. The Program is flexible enough to be used over ten sessions or throughout a school year.

The CHALLENGE Program costs $45 and comes in a three ring binder. It is recommended that each person conducting a CHALLENGE Group have his or her own copy of the Program.

Training is available for group leaders and trainers. This 6 hour training is conducted by Dr. Sherryll Kraizer at your location.

To order the CHALLENGE Program, or to request more information, please go to the ORDER FORM

For information on a similar program for elementary age children, please go to REACH.

Copyright © 1996 -2008 Coalition for Children, Inc., Sherryll Kraizer, Ph.D.