Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Governor Lemanu P. S. Mauga is meeting with Hawaii’s Governor Josh Greene and Major General Kenneth Hara of the Department of Defense  regarding the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy.

Samoa News has received calls from families whose children have enrolled in this program, which offers courses and upon completion they are eligible to receive a High School Equivalency Diploma.

There was a recruiter on island advocating this program, however Samoa News was unable to track down that person.

According to their website, the mission of the National Guard Youth Challenge Program is to intervene in and reclaim the lives of 16-18 year old high school dropouts, producing program graduates with the values of life skills, education, and self-discipline necessary to succeed as productive citizens.

“The National Guard Youth Challenge Program is a community-based program that leads, trains and mentors 16-18 year old high school dropouts so that they may become productive citizens in America’s future.

“This program has been recognized as one of the nation’s most effective and cost efficient programs for targeting youth who are at the greatest risk for substance abuse, teen pregnancy, delinquency, and criminal activity,” according to its website.

In a statement issued yesterday, Gov. Lemanu P. S. Mauga said upon arrival in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 12, 2023, he asked to meet with Hawaii officials this week to discuss the concerns in the recruiting process and work on solutions for the students that are interested in the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy.

Gov. Lemanu said he was able to get on a call with Major General Hara on February 13, 2023 in the afternoon. Hara is the Adjutant General for the State of Hawaii, Department of Defense

“Since the American Samoa Department of Education (AS-DOE) has made contact with the parents and agreed to return the students home, Governor Lemanu honored the arrangements for the students to return and graduate from their respective high schools with a clear pathway of joining the military or look into attending college.

“In the meantime, Gov. Lemanu and Major General Hara are working together to ensure that there is a smooth process in the successful recruitment of students from American Samoa that are U.S. Nationals to participate in the youth program.

“The parents and students will be informed on any updates with Governor Lemanu and MG Hara’s efforts to work through the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy eligibility requirements.”

According to the National Guard Youth Challenge Program their main campus is located on the island of Oahu at Kapolei and their second campus is located on the island of Hawai’i at Hilo, generally serving the youth living on the neighboring islands.

The frequently asked questions on the website states that applicants must be at least 16 and no older than 18 years of age on the start date. Applicant age is determined on the day of in-processing (no exceptions are made for those applicants 15 and younger or 19 and older ).

“The program is funded by the State of Hawaii and the Federal Government. Although parents are not required to pay tuition for the program, some personal items may have to be purchased prior to and during the class cycle.

“Although the Youth Challenge Academy is ‘quasi-military’ in structure, Cadets are not obligated nor are they expected to join a military service. If a student is enrolled in our HiSET pathway they will be eligible to receive their High School Equivalency Diploma. 

“If they do successfully complete the HiSET program a student will not need to return back to high school as they would have received a diploma and are  encouraged to continue on to college.

“The academy assists with the college application process and even offers a limited number of earned scholarships, if the graduate so chooses.”