Youth serices at West Point: not only is West Point a premier leadership institution but it is a historical landmark that attracts three million visitors a year. This is what we know about west Point. But behind the scenes is one of the most respected and advanced youth service organizations in thee country.

Duty, Honor, Country. This is the motto of the premier leadership institution in the world. The United States Military Academy at West Point is celebrating 200 years of timeless leadership. Famous graduates like McArthur, Lee, Eisenhower, and Patton symbolize the excellence expected at West Point. Supporting youth leadership at West Point is another great organization, West Point Youth Services.

West Point Youth Services supports 824 families that currently enroll their children in its programs. Youth Services offers a multitude of programs to the youth of military personnel and Department of Defense civilian employees.

Army youth programs have four service areas that serve as the framework for program delivery. The four service areas that are used as a guide to offer all-inclusive programming are 1) Sports, fitness and health options; 2) arts, recreation and leisure activities; 3) life skills, citizenship and leadership opportunities and 4) mentoring, education and intervention support services. Baseline programs are part of the means for putting skills from the four service areas into practice. To promote consistent services for youth Army-wide, all Middle School/Teen programs offer the following baseline programs.

The Youth Sponsorship Program is congressionally mandated to facilitate the transitions youth encounter during frequent relocations. West Point offers a welcome camp to incoming youth and special functions to introduce families to Youth Services. Teen councils offer youth opportunities for a voice in planning and conducting programs, communicating with commanders and developing leadership and problem solving skills. A team of teens volunteer yearly to speak with the military commanders to voice the opinions and needs of teens on post. Community service highlights the Army's Promise Passport program that provides opportunities for youth to contribute to the well-being of their community through services that can be recognized locally. Two Boys and Girls Club youth leadership groups have developed recognition at West Point. The Keystone Club for g-12 graders and the Torch Club for youth in grades 6-8 have made significant contributions to West Point by participating in tree planting activities, Christmas Tree sales, local food drives, pet food drives, Scenic Hudson River Sweep Program, Special Olympics and MS Walk-a-thon Youth Services is dedicated to creating America's next generation of leaders executing the Prudential Youth Leadership Institute program designed to promote leadership. The lessons and exercises concentrate on community analysis, goal-setting, team building, project planning, and decision making. Opportunities for youth to become peer mentors is also available through the program Safe or Sorry (SOS). Teen facilitators take the role of heightening the awareness among their peers on tobacco, alcohol and drugs. This program is designed to reinforce values of keeping safe for a lifetime. Jim Bennett, Youth Development Coordinator, has developed a Work Force Prep curriculum that focuses on developing leadership and career building skills. Resume writing, interviewing techniques, communication, conflict resolution and computer and technical skills are a few of the classes available to youth. Youth are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and fun while the staff provides innovative ways to teach and guide.

Self directed activities provide opportunities for youth to experience a variety of leisure, social and skill building. The need for after school programming has grown significantly within the past decade. Studies show that activities provided between 3-7pm can have a great impact on choices that youth make at this time. West Point youth are fortunate to have a 15,000 square foot building with a basketball court, common/snack area, kitchen, computer lab and teen and middle school lounges offering daily structured programs. Attractive and superbly maintained, the West Point Youth Center has received the Garrison Commanders Award for Excellence on the appearance and maintenance of the facility and grounds.

Monthly themes and webbing are used to connect monthly structured activities within the youth center. Incorporated into the programming is leisure education. Youth Services staff are trained to implement programs emphasizing the importance of leisure activities but even more so for communicating to the youth the importance of making productive use of their leisure time.

Empowering Youth and Encouraging Participation

The youth center provides programming in all four service areas. Each area of programming offers the opportunity for lifetime skills to be acquired. Allowing youth to participate in programming empowers them and encourages participation in a portion of the programming so they feel ownership of that program, in turn, they will be more likely to attend and bring peers to participate in activities with them. One of the most successful annual activities that exemplifies this is the Halloweenfest. Designed as an alternative to negative behavior on Halloween night, the Halloweenfest offers a night of fun, contests, prizes, costumes, dancing and free food. Participation for this Halloween dance is in the hundreds. Recognizing youth accomplishments no matter how small is just as important as programming. Focusing on the strengths of youth is a huge part of building self esteem and will ultimately build a strong individual. This ideal is at the core of programming. Adventure programming plays a new role in youth services challenging the physical and mental stamina of youth. Whitewater rafting, rock climbing, repelling, and hiking are a few of the most requested activities from youth. West Point, located on the Hudson River possesses approximately 15,000 acres of territory with various terrain and seven lakes that accommodates a variety of high adventure activities. Leadership skills are developed outdoors in high adventure activities that foster personal growth and offers many challenges. These activities enhance team building skills.

West Point Youth Services accepts all military and civilian employee youth including youth with special needs. Camp Sundown, an organization that offers recreational opportunities to youth with Xeroderma Pigmentosium (XP), was able to use the youth center for sporting activities and fun from midnight until 4 a.m. These children who could not be exposed to the sunlight were afforded the same opportunities that other children are able to take advantage of every day. Inclusion is an important part of the youth services program and every effort is made to accommodate all youth.

Many of the programs offered at the youth center are a result of collaborations and affiliations with national organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of America, 4-H and the United Way. Boys and Girls Club programs such as Nike Challenges, Smart Girls, the Ultimate Journey, Fine Arts Program and Photography have been offered with success and are an integral part of the Youth Service programs. Partnering with the local 4-H club at West Point gives youth the opportunity to take advantage of the membership in a traditional and non traditional manner. Offering the 4-H based programs in the afternoon gives the older youth who have never participated in 4-H an opportunity to experience the advantages and benefits of the 4-H experience. Kulinary Kids is a 4-H program that is highly successful at the youth center. Males and females actively participate in cooking. Youth have the opportunity to take their creations to the county and state fairs. Rewards that will last a lifetime.

The computer lab offers opportunities for youth to become knowledgeable in computer technology as well provide a medium to communicate to family and friends that have relocated. West Point Youth Services is devoted to a progressive technology program offering a wide variety of basic computer classes to the very technical aspects of computer hardware, software and programming. Fifteen computers with internet access serve as valuable resources to youth in the Homework centers as well. Tutoring, homework assistance and a quiet secluded space are critical to academic success.

Participation Numbers are Staggering

The last of the baseline programming is sports. With the Academy's commitment to sports, West Point Youth Services has exploded in the growth of the youth sports program. The participation numbers are staggering. The youth sports programs run seven days a week and currently have approximately 1,400 youth participants. Wrestling, baseball, Little League, hockey, soccer, basketball, lacrosse and roller hockey dominate the nights and weekends of siblings and parents. Instructional programs such as ballet, jazz, tap, kinder-gym, tennis, judo, ice skating pre-gymnastics, dance awareness, and drama prepare children for a lifetime of leisure experiences. With a large demanding sports program it is essential to have qualified staff and volunteers. Additionally, Youth Services depends heavily on the 300 volunteers that vary in expertise from Division One coaches to parents who want to learn and enjoy the sport with their children. Dana Weiler, Sports Specialist, is an extremely energetic leader that guides the entire youth sports department throughout the year. All volunteers, whether military staff, cadets or teens, undergo extensive background checks and training to ensure the safety of the youth. Ms. Weiler instructs coaches at mandatory coaches meetings on rules, regulations and a code of ethics that parents and players sign. All coaches are certified in National Alliance for Youth Sports Association. Emphasis in sports is placed on fun. Keeping youth interested in sports because of the fun of the sport is a way to ensure that youth will create a lifetime of active healthy living. The Times Herald Record, a component of Dow Jones, featured West Point Youth Sports puts the fun back into sports for kids and educates parents on the purpose of youth sports.

An advantage to having such wonderful facilities at West Point is the availability of hosting large sporting events. In the summer of 2001, West Point Youth Services hosted and help implement the largest youth soccer tournament in the country, the 2001 American Youth Soccer Association National Games. Over 3000 participants representing some of the most talented youth soccer players throughout the country participated in this event. Over 3000 spectators also attended this successful event.

The nation is in the process of rediscovering the importance of youth development realizing that nurturing youth and providing experiences that will help them to become morally, socially, emotionally, and physically competent will assist in developing youth into successful adults. Guidance is crucial at West Point and Youth Services is fortunate to have a professional highly educated enthusiastic staff focused on providing quality programs for children. Leading Youth Services at West Point for over 20 years is Donald Hulst. Mr. Hulst recently received the Superior Civilian Service Award from the Department of the Army. Mr. Hulst is a master at identifying the strengths in his staff and encouraging the use of those strengths to foster the growth of the youth at West Point. In order for staff to maintain knowledge of current trends training is a priority. Training modules are required to ensure advancement in the level of knowledge available to enhance youth development. The momentum of education and training provides a continuum of progressive movement towards excellence maintained.

Standing at the edge of the Hudson and visualizing a panoramic view of West Point brings a sense of overwhelming pride in the excellence that it represents. Proud of its historical value and accomplishments. Proud of West Point's timeless leadership.

Julie Vanderberg, CPRP, CPSI, has been the West Point Youth Services director for just over a year coming from a background in municipal recreation. She has her BS in recreation management from Western Carolina University and is presently completing her MS at Southern Connecticut State University. Her article about the youth services program at West Point begins on page 58.