Teen Challenge opens boys ranch in Alliance

Teen Challenge is opening up a Boys Ranch in Alliance.

Teen Challenge was founded in 1961, and the network currently consists of 250 centers in the U.S. and over 1,000 worldwide. Teen Challenge Adventure Ranch is a Christian therapeutic boarding school that assists troubled boys get a new start in life with its faith based program.

Teen Challenge has a goal to help boys with behavioral problems as well drug and alcohol addictions.

The overall goal of Teen Challenge is to help the boys that come to them reenter society as productive citizens who are free from addiction.

Teen Challenge of the Midlands opened in 1972 in Omaha, and is in charge of operating centers in Iowa and Nebraska. The program accepts men and women age 18 or older. However, the boys ranch in Alliance is a center specifically for juveniles.

The program lasts 12 months. The first seven months are spent in a training center in Colfax, Iowa. Once students of the program pass the first seven months, they enter the re-entry phase of the program. This phase takes place over the remaining five months. During the last five months, the students of the program are assisted with job placement. They are also set up with a local church so that they might continue on in the faith-based part of their rehabilitation. The adolescent program lasts 15 months and takes place at the boys ranch.

Teen Challenge also provides information for families of those suffering from addiction and hold meetings that can be attended.

The program provides direction in career and educational goals and in some instances even provides training that can be used to make an individual more appealing in the job market.

The new executive director of the Adolescent Boy’s Center in Alliance is Dan Meinert. Meinert is very excited to have the opportunity to work with Teen Challenge.

“The privilege of being a part of Teen Challenge team is truly a dream come true. The opportunity to work with young men and their families as they face the challenges of drug and chemical addictions is, for me, the ideal way to serve my lord and savior Jesus Christ. Making a difference in their lives, and giving a sense of hope is a priceless opportunity,” Meinert said.

Teen Challenge is a program to help young men and women battle addiction, and this is accomplished through a Christian faith-based program. Teen Challenge also has a success rate of 70 percent. That means 70 percent of participants successfully complete the program and remain sober.

Any person looking for more information regarding Teen Challenge of the Midlands can contact Dan Meinert via email at [email protected].