State Representative Kate Segal

Slide	Caption	Audio Transcript
	Youth Challenge Academy in Battle Creek, Opening Day.
	Cadets jogging in formation.
	Candidate Amanda Lucas of Battle Creek prepares to enter the Pre-Challenge phase of MYCA. This phase is a two-week boot camp designed to determine which students are truly committed to the program
	Amanda says goodbye before entering MYCA.
	Cathy Yeager of Battle Creek cries as her son David Bartlett enters the academy.	Cathy Yeager My name is Cathy Yeager and our son, David Bartlett, just got approved and accepted to be a cadet so we're very excited. David made some poor choices, got hooked up with some kids that were bad influences and he's intelligent, but he's not succeeding in the public school system.
	David Bartlett hugs his mother one last time before entering the academy.
	David Bartlett was first in line among the 217 candidates invited to the academy's most recent class.
	Candidates await transport to boot camp.
	Candidates are fitted for their uniforms.
	Candidates are transported to the Fort Custer National Guard Training Center in Battle Creek to begin boot camp.
	Mark Idyle of Waterford awaits transport to the Pre-Challenge boot camp.
	Candidates run off the bus from registration and meet the cadre of sergeants for the first time.	(Drill sergeants yelling) "Yes Sir!" "Yes Sir!" "Yes Sir!" "Yes Sir!"
	Sgt. Paul Harris refers to the cadre's role as "tough love."
	St. Marie Baynard introduces herself to Michael Doyon of Holly.	"Stand up!" "Eyes forward!" "Stand up!" "Eyes forward!"
	Candidates are instructed to follow a strict agenda.
	Candidates are not allowed to bring cell phones, computers or radios to the academy.
	Samuel Cheeseman of Hastings gets his head shaved.	Sgt. Renee Gray-Evans Everybody that was here chose to be here. That tells me that they want to turn it around. And it can be turned around. It's never too late to make good choices. And I have a lot of respect for those kids for that – it just makes me feel really good.
	Candidates are formed into platoons to instill a sense of group identity.
	Marching drills during the camp teach respect, teamwork, and how to follow directions properly.
	Jason Clark, 16, of Tekonsha answers a question in English class.
	Clinton McCrea of Dexter looks up vocabulary words in reading class.
	Cadets take turns serving as squad leader.
	Cadets line up in formation.	As a teen, I struggled with a lot of the same stuff. I see myself in some of these kids and I can see some of these kids who remind me of me and I know that they have the strength to get there. I know they do. They just need to know they do, because I know a lot of them have been getting told along the way "you're nothing, you're not strong, you're never going to be anything, why are you even trying?" We turn that around here.
	Cadets line up in formation.
	Cadets start each day at 5:30 a.m. with physical training such a running.

	English instructor Eric Murray teaches vocabulary and writing lessons.
	Platoons work together daily and are responsible for daily chores.
	Social studies instructor Bill Womer helps students succeed in the classroom.
	Amanda Wiegand of Battle Creek and other cadets do push-ups for not following orders.	And it's a tough love approach that we take, but they know, they know we care for them. They know it. These kids are our future. We cannot allow them to fall through the cracks.

	Sgt. William Orr counsels a candidate.
	Amanda Lucas of Battle Creek joins her platoon for marching drills.
	Cadets marching and jogging in formation.	Cadets Chanting "Momma, Momma can't you see?" "Momma, Momma can't you see?" "What the academy has done for me." "What the academy has done for me."
	Cadets marching and jogging in formation.
	Cadet Summer Grayer of Battle Creek.
	Representative Kate Segal visits the current class at the MYCA.	State Representative Kate Segal Hello, I'm State Representative Kate Segal. The Michigan Youth Challenge Academy, which is located in my hometown of Battle Creek, has been helping Michigan children for 10 years. This fantastic program has a proven track record of changing the lives of kids all over our state for the better and it's an investment worth fighting for. Unfortunately, the academy is at risk of closing its doors for good, and that is simply something we cannot allow to happen. Please scroll down the page and sign our online petition to save the Michigan Youth Challenge Academy and please pass this information on to your friends, family members and neighbors. Ask them to visit www.savemyca.com. At the site, you can find out ways that you can support the academy and help restore important funding in the state budget for this program. Thank you in advance for your support.
	Micah Passerby of Charlotte.
	Kai Pullen of Ypsilanti.
	Amanda Lucas of Battle Creek.
	Please sign the petition below.

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State Representative Kate Segal | Michigan Youth Challenge Academy

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