Searching for an alternative for struggling boys in Illinois? Perhaps you will consider Heartland Boys Academy, an affordable Christian boarding school in Western Kentucky. Heartland is an alternative year-round boarding school serving boys from Illinois.

Heartland Boys Academy accepts underperforming boys from across the U.S., including from Illinois. It is an evangelical boarding school that employs adventure as a powerful therapeutic method for turning around difficult boys. We are an alternative school with a purpose to lead wayward boys to realize their specific purpose, or destiny, in Christ.

Heartland exclusively enrolls troubled or struggling boys. Parents of these boys find it constructive for their boy to spend time in a new environment here at Heartland that is away from negative influences back home in Illinois. We show love and respect to disrespectful and difficult boys who are in need of a better life perspective including a new spiritual focus in life. Our mentoring and encouragement brings about transformation where there was once only negative motivations and an impasse in the relationship with their parents.

Accredited Education for Teens from Illinois

Our commitment to a quality education is also a top priority. Heartland Boys Academy is a fully accredited high school that uses a program of independent study with tutelage. Students work through courses at their own pace, with weekly objectives established by instructors based on the student’s chosen course work. Heartland also supports students to work toward post-secondary goals by offering assistance with college testing.

Students from Illinois, who attend Heartland achieve phenomenal progress towards successful high school completion and beyond. Our partnership with Edgenuity facilitates an educational environment that spurs a desire to succeed, which gains momentum and encourages students to reach their full potential. Edgenuity is certified by COGNIA, the highest accrediting body for schools in the United States.

While the Edgenuity program is intuitive and self-paced, our own certified on-campus teachers make sure that the boys keep up their coursework. They tutor, answer any questions, and give each student plenty of encouragement. Our teachers are kept informed online how well each student is doing. Students who fail to keep up or are having difficulty with a specific topic are helped, but if they are falling behind as an act of rebellion, they may jeopardize some on-campus privileges like free time until they understand it is better to get caught up.

Heartland’s Spiritual Focus

Spiritual life is the cornerstone component of Heartland Boys Academy. We believe that ultimately Jesus Christ is the only answer for struggling teens from Illinois. We are devoted to introducing every boy to a relationship with their Maker. We help them find their spiritual gifting and purpose in Christ.

Many Illinois teenagers who attend have dismissed their spiritual heritage or have never professed belief in Christ. Heartland offers an open environment for them to renew or gain their faith as they may never have done before. Godly character surrounds every aspect of life at Heartland Boys Academy.

Where Teens from Illinois, Can Receive Leadership Training

Beyond helping capable students get back on track academically and spiritually, we offer specific leadership training to unleash the potential in each teenager. We teach teens to serve and love other people. Mission trips and community service projects give real life experience and application of the leadership principles taught at Heartland.

Reversing the Bad Attitudes with a Positive Peer Culture

Heartland recognizes that teenagers and their families in Illinois, face huge challenges from the culture. Teens are surrounded by a barrage of negative peer pressure. The Heartland plan for change is called Positive Peer Culture (PPC), which believes that teens can learn self-worth, significance, dignity, and responsibility only as they embrace the positive values of serving and caring for others.

Where Adventure Therapy is Paramount

Adventure therapy is a key therapeutic feature of Heartland. We understand that boys are more open to communicating and learning while enjoying adventure tasks, so we use those times to instill positive thinking and to improve their communication skills. It also helps improve their ability to work in synch with others.

Adventure therapy is a form of experiential therapy that uses challenging adventure activities to aid the therapeutic healing process. It is meant to contribute to character maturation. Every boy participates in our adventure program because of the valuable life skills that can be gained. We offer many kinds of adventure activities including camping, backpacking, rappelling, canoeing, swimming, hiking, hunting, and spelunking (cave exploration).

At therapeutic boarding school like Heartland, students are allowed to engage in many activities and new adventure experiences during their stay. Adventure therapy activities at Heartland are where boys learn to listen, learn regulation skills, and push themselves to accomplish challenging fun tasks. The challenges students face through our adventure programming are designed to forge a more positive identity, build character, and create a sense of accomplishment. Students do not just participate in the activity; they reach for a goal and accomplish it. This is called experiential learning.

Our staff are trained to manage the adventure program in a safe and effective way for boys from Illinois. The same team members who live with students all week, building rapport and making connections, are then able to mentor the boys during their adventure activities.

Heartland Boys Academy is a place of healing and hope for boys from Illinois. We have been privileged to see many at-risk and struggling boys transformed into hard-working, respectable young men. We help restore teens to their families; healthy, confident, and spiritually and academically on track. Call (888)300-2830 to learn more today, or fill in our online inquiry form.

To discover how our Christ-centered adventure-based therapeutic boarding school program can lead your troubled teen toward life transformation. To find out more, please contact us today.