A Peachtree City teen is among more than 139 youth to recently graduate from the Georgia National Guard’s Youth Challenge Academy at Fort Gordon at commencement ceremonies held in Bell Auditorium in Augusta on Saturday, August 26.
 
Kevin Williams of Peachtree City is a member of class 13 of the Fort Gordon-based YCA program.
 
Georgia’s Youth Challenge is a 22- week residential youth program for teens aged 16-18 who have dropped out of school. The military-styled program provides teens with the opportunity to complete basic academic courses leading to a high school diploma or GED. The voluntary program also provides teens valuable life skills training emphasizing academic, physical fitness and personal discipline.
 
Jennifer Buck, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs was the commencement speaker.
 
The Georgia National Guard operates two Youth Challenge Academy campuses in Georgia, the original campus at Fort Stewart near Savannah, and a second campus at Fort Gordon near Augusta that opened in 2000. This is the 13th graduating class for the Fort Gordon YCA. To date more than 6,500 formerly “at risk” teens have graduated from the Youth Challenge Academy program at the two Georgia campuses.