NEWS

Program helps youth move life forward

Jenn Rowell
jrowell@greatfallstribune.com
Cadet Jonathon Rabe receives an academic excellence ribbon at Youth ChalleNGe.

School just wasn't working for Jonathon Rabe.

"I always had trouble in school," he said.

He struggled in the classroom with distractions and ADHD. During his junior year, he was hanging out with a tough crowd and was skipping class.

"I was headed down a bad path," he said.

That same year, his parents asked him if he wanted to participate in the Youth ChalleNGe Academy, a 22-week program through the Montana National Guard. The program includes a 12-month post residency phase.

The program is designed for at-risk youths ages 16 to 19 and aims to place them back in high school or on the path to getting their GED, going to college, getting a job or joining the military.

Eligible students must be withdrawn or transfer from high school, be 16 to 18 when the program starts, be a U.S. citizen and Montana resident, pass a physical exam, be drug free and not be on probation or have any felony convictions.

Rabe's parents sat him down and asked if wanted to go.

"I said no, I was going to try to change," he said.

But, that didn't work out.

By his senior year, "I thought I would fail out of high school," Rabe said.

What sold him on the program was a new aspect that would allow him to earn his high school diploma rather than a GED.

The new program is HiSET Options, which runs through the school district. Schools have to sign up for the program through the Office of Public Instruction, which allows students to use their Youth ChalleNGe experience toward their diploma.

So this summer, Rabe walked with his class and received a diploma from CMR High School.

That diploma means he was able to enlist in the military, which is more difficult without a diploma.

When he found out he'd be able to graduate and enlist, he said, "I was pretty ecstatic. That was huge, I was so excited."

Rabe said he works better under structure, and that's what made the Youth ChalleNGe program work for him.

Cadet Jonathon Rabe and other cadets during Youth ChalleNGe.

His grandmother and mentor, Nancy Rabe-McCabe, said the program takes away distractions, like cellphones and computers and puts the students in uniforms.

"Everybody is on a level playing field," Rabe-McCabe said.

It also teaches life skills, she said. Sharing a dorm with 30 other guys presents its own challenges.

"You learn how to deal with people," Rabe said. "And how to keep calm in stressful situations."

During the program, cadets do community service programs in Dillon, where the academy is located.

Rabe said he enjoyed actively doing projects for people in Dillon, and Rabe-McCabe said each session typically does more than 4,000 hours of community service.

Rabe usually did well on tests, but didn't get his homework done and didn't always show up to class.

At Youth ChalleNGe, everyone had study hall at the same time and operated on the same schedule.

"With all the distractions taken out, it gives them nothing to do but their work," Rabe-McCabe said. "I think it clicked for him that this was what he needed to do."

All cadets choose a mentor during the program and Rabe said he chose his grandmother because, "My grandma has always been there for me. She's always been trying to help me make good choices."

He lived with his grandmother for a few months one summer during a stressful time.

"You get to the point of this much is not done, it's overwhelming," Rabe-McCabe said.

He was falling behind in school and without Youth ChalleNGe, would have had to do a fifth year at CMR.

"I guarantee I wouldn't have gone back for that," Rabe said.

If he'd stayed on that path, Rabe said, he'd probably still be working at Smith's, wouldn't have a diploma and would not have been able to enlist in the Navy.

Last week, he signed his enlistment papers and ships off to training this fall at Great Lakes, Ill. He's been told he'll be assigned to submarines.

He also got a job at ADF International for the summer.

He'll be working as a culinary specialist for the Navy and Rabe's dream is to go to culinary school. After a Navy career, he wants to come back to Great Falls and open his own bar and grill style restaurant.

"It's home, I like Great Falls," Rabe said. "You don't realize how much you miss home until you leave."

Rabe comes from a military family and is hoping to retire from the Navy.

"You can," Rabe-McCabe said. "There's nothing that can stop you."

But there's more than family history that inspired him to join the military.

"I want to give back to the veterans who helped us have our freedom. I want to be a part of that," he said.

Rabe would recommend the program to other students who struggle in school or want to get their life on track. He's also hoping to go back and speak to future classes of cadets about his experience.

"It's amazing for me to do to help my life move forward," he said. "But, you have to want to go, want to change."

Online

Want to learn more about Montana Youth ChalleNGe Academy? Go to youthchallenge.mt.gov.