Searching for an nonprofit therapeutic boarding school for struggling boys in Blacksburg, Virginia? Perhaps you will look at Heartland Boys Academy, a low-cost Christian boarding school in Western Kentucky. Heartland is an adventure-based year-round boarding school known for its devotion to teenage boys who have made poor choices academically, emotionally, legally, or socially.

Heartland Boys Academy accepts troubled boys from across the U.S., including from Blacksburg, Virginia. It is an evangelical boarding school that uses adventure as a powerful therapeutic tool for turning around negatively motivated boys. We are an alternative school with a purpose to lead wayward boys to realize their specific purpose, or destiny, in Christ.

Heartland exclusively works with 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 Blacksburg, Virginia. We display love and respect to disrespectful and seemingly unlovable boys who are in need of a new life perspective including a foundational spiritual focus in life. Our mentoring and encouragement is meant to bring about new thinking and motivations where there was once only negative motivations and failed family relationships.

Accredited Education for Adolescents from Blacksburg, Virginia

Our commitment to a quality education is also a top priority. Heartland Boys Academy is a fully accredited private school that operates under a model of independent study with personalized instruction. Students work through courses at their own speed, with weekly objectives set by instructors based on the student’s program of study. Heartland also supports students to prepare for post-secondary goals by helping them prep for college testing.

Students from Blacksburg, Virginia, who come here achieve quick progress towards successful high school completion and beyond. Our partnership with Edgenuity facilitates an educational environment that spurs motivation to succeed, which gains momentum and encourages students to do their best. 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 classroom teachers make sure that our students 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 lag behind or are not understanding a specific topic are helped, but if they are falling behind as an act of rebellion, they may lose out on some on-campus privileges like fun times until they understand it is better to get caught up.

Heartland Spiritual Focus

Spiritual life is the foundational component of Heartland Boys Academy. We believe that ultimately Jesus Christ is the only answer for troubled youth from Blacksburg, Virginia. We are devoted to introducing every boy to a relationship with their Maker. We help them find their spiritual gifting and destiny in Christ.

Many teenagers who attend have dismissed their religious heritage or have never professed faith in Christ. Heartland offers a safe place for them to renew or gain their faith, perhaps for the first time. Godly character permeates every aspect of life at Heartland Boys Academy.

Where Adolescents from Blacksburg, Virginia, Can Gain Leadership Training

Beyond helping capable students get back on track academically and spiritually, we offer specific leadership training to unlock the potential in each student. We teach teens to serve and love others. Mission trips and community service events give real life experience and application of the leadership principles learned at Heartland.

Replacing the Negative with a Positive Peer Culture

Heartland knows that adolescents and their families in Blacksburg, Virginia, face enormous pressure from the culture. Teens are assaulted by a barrage of negative peer pressure. The Heartland plan for change is called Positive Peer Culture (PPC), which states that teens can learn self-worth, significance, dignity, and responsibility only as they devote themselves to the positive values of helping and caring for others.

Adventure Therapy is Key

Adventure therapy is an important therapeutic feature of Heartland. We understand that boys are more open to communicating and learning while participating in 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 type of experiential therapy that uses challenging adventure activities to aid the therapeutic healing process. It is meant to contribute to character maturation. Every boy takes part in our adventure program because of the important values that can be learned. We offer many kinds of adventure activities including camping, backpacking, rappelling, canoeing, swimming, hiking, hunting, and spelunking (cave exploration).

At an adventure therapy program like Heartland, students get the opportunity to engage in many activities and new adventure experiences during their time here. Adventure therapy used at Heartland are where boys learn to listen, learn regulation skills, and push themselves to accomplish challenging fun tasks. The obstacles students face through our adventure programming are meant to forge a more positive identity, build character, and create a sense of accomplishment. Students do not just participate in the activity; they learn how to do it themselves. This is called experiential learning.

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

Heartland Boys Academy is a place of healing and hope for boys in Blacksburg, Virginia. We have been privileged to see hundreds of at-risk and troubled teens 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.

Please consider looking beyond Blacksburg, Virginia to see how our Christ-centered adventure-based therapeutic boarding school program can lead your troubled teen toward life transformation. To learn more, please call or inquire online today.