CLAY NATIONAL GUARD CENTER — Nine Liberty County teens graduated from the National Guard-sponsored Youth Challenge Academy in December during commencement ceremonies in Macon.

Jimmy Beauchamp, Kam’re Britton, Kelly Brown, Soweto Brown, Devin Cowart, Myron Fleming, all from Hinesville, Melvin Green of Allenhurst, Taylor Jackson of Fort Stewart and Joseph Yanna of Midway were among 209 graduates of the Fort Stewart-based academy who successfully completed the 22-week, in-residence program for at-risk youth.

Youth Challenge helps to reclaim the lives of at-risk youth to produce successful graduates with the values, skills, education and self-discipline necessary to succeed as adults.

The program is a preventive rather than remedial program, targeting youth who are unemployed, drug-free high-school dropouts, ages 16-18.

Georgia has two Youth Challenge Academy campuses, the original at Fort Stewart and a second at Fort Gordon near Augusta. Since its first graduating class in 1993, Youth Challenge has graduated more than 10,000 students.