More than 650,000 teens are treated in emergency rooms annually for injuries sustained by violence among their peers. There are several causes for street violence among teens – children living in poverty stricken neighborhoods, not having enough to do, drug abuse, abusive homes, having access to guns and gangs. Research shows that juveniles share one thing in common – a troubled childhood.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) reported over 400,000 delinquency cases in 2007 with the most serious being assault on a person such as robbery, rape, homicide and other crimes involving force or threat of force against a person. In 2008 juveniles accounted for 16% of violent crimes such as burglary, robbery, arson and car theft. Statistics show that arrest of teens between the ages of 10 to 17 for violent crimes included 1,280 murders and 3,340 rapes and 56,000 aggravated assaults.
When teens are abandoned by their parents who are too involved in their careers or too busy for them, they will turn to their peers, angry communities or society to raise them. They will receive acceptance from these groups and learn confirmation of values although they may not be ethical or moral. Teens may try to prove their strength to these groups and as a result engage in violent behavior. The reality is these teens are emotionally underdeveloped, do not feel for others, have no self-control when it comes to curbing behavior and grow up filled with rage and, will more likely join a community gang.
Schools are hit the hardest by teenage violent teen crimes. To control the frequency of weapons brought to school, most schools require students to pass through a metal detector when entering and exiting the school. Students may also be required to wear school uniform to prevent students wearing gang colors or gang-related articles of clothing. Racial and ethnic tensions such as hateful names for different ethnic groups, hate mails, heated face book threads and physical violence are present in our schools today. What the troubled teen needs at this stage is special attention in a structured environment. The Teen Challenge Columbus Girl’s Academy can help your troubled teen get back on track.
Teen Challenge Columbus Girl’s Academy
The Teen Challenge Columbus Girl’s Academy operates a very structured environment where there is a balance of academics, spirituality, hard work, fun and fellowship. We have a 200 acre property with a huge lake and boating house, a swimming pool, basketball court, softball and baseball fields and a prayer trail.
We approach each teen as a beautiful creation from God who has exalted value, exalted worth and exalted dignity. We believe that through the power of the Holy Spirit, your child can learn new skills such as reconciliatory behavior to reach a compromise when they disagree and to control rage. We provide the most conducive environment for the work of the Holy Spirit to heal emotional trauma while also recognizing that God has given us skilled persons in areas of expertise to help in the healing process. Parents will also need to learn new skills to keep violence out of their homes therefore we work with our families through monthly visits and training to deal with the parent-child relationship. We encourage parents and family members to participate in family therapy as we seek to help the teenage girl to wholeness.
Our residential program is administered by qualified staff who work twenty four hours each day to promote and support the emotional well being of every student. We offer accredited classroom work where students are able to graduate with their high school diploma or have their credits transferred back to their school. The Teen Challenge Columbus Girl’s Academy has a balanced combination of academics, spirituality, athletics, therapy, social and life skills.
