Goal-Setting to Support Cadet Success: Insights and Recommendations for the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program

Abstract

The National Guard Youth Challenge (ChalleNGe) Program is a residential, quasi-military program for youth ages 16 to 18 who are experiencing difficulty in traditional high school. Established in 1993, the program, which has 40 sites across the United States, is a community-based program that leads, trains, and mentors youth so that they may become productive citizens. The Post-Residential Action Plan (P-RAP) is a process used by ChalleNGe to assist at-risk youth with identifying placement goals for the post-residential phase and developing a plan to achieve these goals. The implementation and utility of the P-RAP process across sites has not been examined. The purpose of this project was to examine the various approaches to using P-RAP across ChalleNGe sites, draw insights from the literature on best or promising practices for goal-setting in adolescence, and provide recommendations on the use of the P-RAP in the ChalleNGe Program. This report will be of interest to ChalleNGe Program staff and to personnel providing oversight for the program, and more broadly, to practitioners, educators, and policymakers concerned with designing effective programs for at-risk youth.