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Overview of the Teen Challenge Program Table of Contents 2:0 What
to expect 3:0 The
Program 4:0 Student
Rules 5:0 Dismissal 7:0 Graduation
BRITISH COLUMBIA
TEEN CHALLENGE STUDENT INTRODUCTORY MANUAL Over the 46-year life
of Teen Challenge worldwide, we have learned some principles that may
appear "tough" at first. At Teen Challenge you will encounter
staff who love you and are vitally concerned about your Christian growth.
You will experience an atmosphere charged with prayer and be exposed to
some of the finest Christian teaching available. But it will be YOU who
will make the decisions. Remember...we are
more interested in the development of character than provision of your
comfort. You will be challenged to be your best. This manual will introduce
you to the Teen Challenge Residence Program. Although this ministry is
called "Teen Challenge", we have men in the program from age
19 to 45. Our prayer is that
God will do a miraculous work in your life while you are here. Many graduates
of Teen Challenge are working successfully in society and in Christian
work. This makes us happy; to be a part of what God is doing to help people
today. You need to know that no matter what you have done in the past—
God is able to change you—and start you on the road to a happy and
successful Christian life! The rules and guidelines
you will read in this manual may appear to be rather strict. However,
this is NOT a jail, institution, or government agency. We know from experience
that if you are ever going to succeed in life, you need structure and
discipline. Naturally, rules and strictness are part of what is necessary
in getting help. Therefore, remember, that the rules are set up to help
you, so you can concentrate on getting your life together with the help
of God. There may be many reasons why you came to Teen Challenge for help.
Drugs, alcohol, and bad family relations to name just a few. These are
all problems that people in Teen Challenge have gone through in life.
You might have been in rehabilitation programs before, but remember that
Teen Challenge is different because it is a "Christ-centred"
program. We believe that God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, is the answer
for every problem that you are facing—or will face in the months
to come. However, anything God does, He does as a two-way transaction.
In other words, God does His part, and you must do yours! Your part is
to be willing to accept direction from the staff, to do what you are told,
and to put 100% effort into everything you do. This means that you must
be serious about changing your life! It also involves giving up all your
street games, being open to the teachings of the Bible, and putting your
total effort into the program here. At Teen Challenge,
you will no longer be able to just "push" your problems aside.
You must confront each problem and overcome it—with help from God.
As you overcome your problems, you will be a step closer toward maturity
and complete freedom from the problems you were facing when you entered
the program. Teen Challenge BC charges a one-time non-refundable intake fee of $500. All other costs for the program come from individuals, businesses and churches that support our ministry. Teen Challenge BC does not accept any government funding.
1.2
A) ON SITE INTERVIEW B) BY MAIL OR FAX C) CURRENTLY INCARCERATED 1.3 1.4 Intake into the program
is on Tuesdays, except holidays and December. You will need to arrive
at the center by 10 a.m. Upon arrival at Teen Challenge, you will be checked
into your room and meet with a staff member to complete the necessary
entrance forms, including release forms. At Teen Challenge we provide four things: First, we provide an environment for men to personally get to know God. The Bible says in John 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." We believe that God created us to have a personal relationship with Him, a relationship that is available to us through His Son Jesus Christ, and we believe that through this relationship God is able to change men’s hearts. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." And it is through this change God makes within men’s hearts, that they are set free from their addictions and addictive lifestyle. As a matter of fact, we actually guarantee that if a man or woman sincerely allows God to work in his heart, God will change him/her and deliver him/her of his/her addictions, because God is guaranteed. Second, at Teen Challenge we provide a structured, disciplined environment. As you are well aware, most drug addicts and alcoholics live unstructured, undisciplined lives, and a person needs structure and discipline in their life in order to be a success in life. Therefore, we have a number of rules and guidelines within our program, and failure to keep these rules and guidelines may mean discipline in the form of extra work during free time and loss of privileges, or it may mean dismissal. Third, at Teen Challenge we also provide Biblical counselling for all of our students because we believe that addictions are merely symptoms of unresolved problems in one’s life. Therefore, we propose to deal with every area of a man’s life and heart, not just addictive lifestyle. As issues arise during a man’s stay at Teen Challenge, we deal with problems head on. Fourth, at Teen Challenge we provide a vocational program for the purpose of teaching good work ethic, good work attitudes, and self-esteem. We do not provide specific vocational training; however, you will be asked to do a variety of tasks, which will challenge you and help you develop new skills.
2.1 While at Teen Challenge you are committing your life into the care of people who are committed to your healing and growth. We ask for your trust. You show trust by laying down certain personal rights and freedoms. Addicts have learned certain responses that actually cater to their addictive lifestyle. All of the game playing, manipulation, and street survival techniques that have been a part of your day-to-day philosophy must be laid down. We require total honesty with yourself, with God and with the Teen Challenge staff, for a person who is open and transparent will be able to focus on his desperate need to be free of his addiction. The personal rights
and freedoms we ask you lay down include the following: - You may have only
one phone call per week in Phase One and two phone calls per week in Phase
Two. This includes incoming and out going phone calls. The people you
may communicate with during Phase One is limited to your Pastor and immediate
family only. During Phase Two, the senior staff may add other people to
your approved phone and mail list as deemed appropriate. • We here at
Teen Challenge British Columbia regard marriage as a God ordained union
of body and spirit between a man and a woman. Teen Challenge operates a two-phase Christian growth program. Applicants to the program must be willing to voluntarily commit themselves to a minimum of 12 months of training. In order to successfully graduate you must successfully complete both phases of the program. We believe that God does not do things halfway! As always ... the final choice is YOURS! PHASE 1 - INDUCTION: Induction involves
5 months of intensive training. In month one, the student is on probation.
Screening and testing, counselling (individual and group), Bible studies,
chapel services, work therapy, recreation—are all part of the basic
induction phase, in preparation for Phase 2. The purpose of phase
2 at Teen Challenge is to prepare the student for a successful return
to society, by helping him learn to face everyday stresses and problems
appropriately, and to show continued growth and stability. Each individual
will receive counselling in budgeting money, establishing personal goals,
finding new friends, establishing church fellowship, in-depth personal
counselling, and Christian Bible-based life classes. The Group Class is designed for the entire group to participate. This will be taught by one of your instructors. Homework will be assigned. You will not grow and advance in the program if you do not STUDY and FINISH your homework as set out by your instructor. Within the program,
emphasis is placed on your personal walk with God—through His Son
Jesus Christ. We help you to develop a normal spiritual life through morning
devotions, daily chapels, and prayer times, along with church on Sundays.
Your active participation in these and being open to the teaching presented,
cha pels and counselling will significantly affect your progress. At all times you are to be well groomed. Showers should be taken after any heavy exercise or rugged outdoor work. They are to be taken at the scheduled times ONLY, unless you have special staff permission. Showers must be kept to a 5-minute maximum! This will be enforced. You must be properly groomed before coming to devotions and class in the morning. (Hair combed, teeth brushed, face washed and shaven, deodorant, etc.) Teen Challenge may provide your basic toiletries for you. It is important that you keep yourself clean and smelling good. Remember, we work in very close relationship to one another! CLASSES, CHAPEL, AND
MEALS: WORK TIME: AFTER SUPPER, SUNDAY
AFTERNOON AND SCHEDULED FREE TIME CHURCH: Dress slacks, dress shirts, and dress shoes are required. AM- Shirt and tie, PM- Class dress. OTHER ACTIVITIES: Dress code will be announced by staff. GENERAL DRESS CODE:
3.3 All music shall be monitored by staff and specific approval will be granted by the Program Co-ordinator. Any tape we allow to remain in the possession of a student must be labelled and initialled by Senior Staff who are so authorized. You must have prior approval to bring any musical instrument to Teen Challenge. 3.5 When you arrive you will be assigned a counsellor, which may change from time to time. During Phase One you will meet with your counsellor approximately once per week. During Phase Two you will meet with your counsellor as necessary. Problems or questions should be directed to the staff on duty. We also encourage you to discuss your problems with your counsellor regularly. They are available to answer a variety of your questions or problems. At various phases in the program you may apply for visits and passes off the Teen Challenge property. Starting in Phase Two you may have a pass every other month. Passes range from 6 hours off the property to 72 hours for those who have been in the program for several months. Special considerations are sometimes taken for students who are married. Visits are held the first Saturday of each month from 12 – 6 pm. The Counselling Department and Program Director have the final say on your requests. These privileges are dependent upon what phase you are in, and your general progress and attitude in the program. After completing your second week in the program, a "Phone Sheet" will be prepared for you. The Senior Staff on duty will check the sheet BEFORE you are allowed to make your call. All phone calls must be made during evening free time and will be limited to 15 minutes maximum. This applies to incoming and outgoing home calls. For long distance calls, you must call COLLECT to the party you are calling or use a calling card. The hours for calling are Monday to Friday, 6-7p.m. and Saturday and Sunday only with staff permission. Long Distance and/or directory assistance calls (#411) are absolutely NOT to be billed to Teen Challenge. Legal and professional calls, which must be made in daytime hours, will be permitted by advance arrangement with the Senior Staff. No calls to girls other than direct relatives will be permitted. When your call is completed, the staff member will sign your sheet to indicate you have taken your call. ALL non-emergency
appointments (i.e. Lawyers, Probation/Parole officer, etc) are made through
the Student Services Co-ordinator. Occasionally the Probation/Parole officer
will come to the centre and visit all clients under his jurisdiction. We try to provide you with the very best meals here at Teen Challenge. Please do not criticize the cook or the meal. Be thankful for what God has given you! Keep loud talking down during mealtime. There is to be NO unedifying conversation at the table. Let your conversation be Christ-centred. Every effort will be made to serve meals on time. If you are not in the dining room within 10 minutes of the call, you will NOT be served a meal. For the evening meal, we ask you to finish your meal promptly for the cleanup crew. You are required
to eat a little of EVERYTHING that is being served up and what you take
YOU MUST EAT. Throwing food out will result in discipline. We expect you
to express your ‘thanks’ to the cook at every meal. This will
help you develop a grateful attitude for everything you are given. If
you wish to fast or skip a meal you MUST have prior permission. The Program
Co-ordinator must approve, in advance, FASTING or skipping a meal. 3.11 Recreation is scheduled for every Monday and Tuesday mornings and is mandatory for all students for the purpose of weekly exercise. You will be expected to fully participate in all activities organized by the staff for that time period. For the purpose of developing discipline and structure in your life, Teen Challenge has rules, which we expect you to follow. Failure to follow our rules will result in a written behaviour report. Being put on total
discipline, which is usually given in increments of weeks, means you are
given work assignments during your free time Monday through Saturday,
and a suspension of certain privileges. Privileges denied include: Please know that there are two sides to love -- affection and discipline. The main purpose of discipline is for you to learn. This means it is an opportunity for you to get alone with God, and allow Him to change those things, which have caused you to be on discipline in the first place. This is one of the main purposes of the program. Don’t be discouraged if you are put on discipline. Many previous students were on discipline at one time or another. The key was that they learned from their mistakes, and continued to grow in the program! You can too! Some of the basic
rules we ask you follow include: GENERAL RULES:
If a death occurs in the immediate family of a student who is enrolled in the Teen Challenge British Columbia program, arrangements will be made by the Student Life Co-ordinator for the student to attend the wake and or funeral. The Student will be accompanied by a Teen Challenge Staff member. In regards to Emergencies, each situation will be assessed on an individual basis. The Program Director and Counsellor have the final authority in the decision making regarding each individual situation. Student Life Co-ordinator
will distribute mail and parcels. It is the responsibility of the staff
to give you your mail. Your outgoing mail must be given UNSEALED to the
Student Life Co-ordinator. "Sneaking" mail out of the building
(through visitors, or by any means) is a direct violation of this rule,
and will result in discipline or dismissal. All mail will be inspected
(for your own good) and must be initialled by a Staff member prior to
being forwarded to the office to be mailed. Therefore, please leave outgoing
mail unsealed UNTIL staff has inspected and initialled it for mailing.
If you do not have the proper clothing for church (see Dress Code), please see a staff member in advance for assistance. Once at a church you are to follow the Team Leader’s instructions. If no special instructions are given, you are to go straight to the first four (4) rows, side section of the sanctuary for morning worship. If you need to use the men’s room go BEFORE the service with your assigned partner. While in church, pay attention to what the Pastor is saying! Always take notes, and do not talk or chew gum during the service. You are expected to have your Bible, notepaper and pen with you. REMEMBER, there is to be NO TALKING TO GIRLS WHATSOEVER and this applies wherever you go. When girls approach you, explain to them that you cannot talk, and move on. Also, you are NOT allowed to give your name or exchange your name and address with anyone you meet—including girls—while out of the Centre at any time. After the services you are to follow the instructions of the Team Leader. We expect you to be a good example to those around you and for the reputation of the organization. Students who do not
meet our basic expectations in their particular phase may be required
to do a repeat month, which means graduation will take longer than 12
months. Activities, actions, and/or infractions that may result in a student
being retained: Activities, actions,
and/or infractions that may result in the dismissal of a student:
• Any of the
above list if judged to be sufficiently severe. When a student chooses
to leave the program before graduation, he may apply to re-enter after
their waiting period has expired. The student will be required to come
in for an interview again, and will restart the program again at the beginning
of Phase One. It is at the discretion of the Program Director as to how
long they will have to wait to re-enter the program, and whether or not
the student will be permitted to return. After completing training at Teen Challenge, a student is eligible to graduate based on the recommendation of the staff and whether the student has met all the necessary requirements. Requirements For Graduation
Certificate If you do decide to leave, please sit down and talk to a counsellor about why you wish to leave. We won’t try to force you to stay; however, it is important for us to know why! If at some time you want to leave the program, we will not stop you from leaving -- so please do not sneak out! Also, do not continually say, “I’m leaving", or something similar. This could put the thought in someone else’s mind, and YOU would be responsible for that person leaving the program. If you are dismissed (which is very rare) or leave by your own decision, you should make arrangements to take all your personal property with you. We cannot store your belongings for you. If you leave the program for any reason without notifying a staff member, all your personal belongings left behind will be placed in the "Blessings Room" for other guys who come to the Centre. You will be given a ride into town with the next outgoing vehicle or given a ride to the highway. YOU ARE NOT TO WALK UP THE ROAD! ADDRESS: TEEN CHALLENGE BC 4166 ECKERT STREET PHONE: 604.823.0133 or Toll Free 1.866.866.0701
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