The Youth Challenge Program is a program for at-risk youth run by the National Guard of the United States, which consists of Youth Challenge Academies (known as YCA's) in each participating state. The stated mission of the Youth Challenge Program is "to intervene in and reclaim the lives of at-risk youth to produce program graduates with the values, skills, education and self-discipline necessary to succeed as adults." This National Guard program is one of the finest examples of citizen soldiers giving back to their communities by using the skills they learned in both peacetime and combat to reach out and turn around the lives of high risk youth. The numerous success stories coming out of this program make it a vital part of the National Guard state mission. Therefore, it is imperative that the National Guard Association of the United States use its influence to continue funding and, if possible, expand the Youth Challenge Program.