Looking for an nonprofit therapeutic boarding school for troubled boys in Des Moines, Iowa? Perhaps you will consider Heartland Boys Academy, a low-cost boarding school in Western Kentucky. Heartland is an alternative therapeutic boarding school known for its commitment to adolescent boys who have made poor choices academically, emotionally, legally, or socially.

Heartland Boys Academy accepts troubled boys from across the U.S., including from Des Moines, Iowa. It is a faith-based boarding school that employs adventure as a powerful therapeutic method for turning around difficult boys. We are an early intervention school with a purpose to lead struggling boys to achieve their individual purpose, or destiny, in Christ.

Heartland exclusively enrolls troubled or struggling boys. Parents of these boys find it advantageous for their boy to experience a new environment here at Heartland that is away from negative influences back home in Des Moines, Iowa. We show love and respect to disrespectful and difficult boys who are in need of a new life perspective including a foundational spiritual belief system. Our mentoring and encouragement brings about transformation where there was once only negative motivations and failed family relationships.

Accredited School for Boys from Des Moines, Iowa

To provide a quality education is also our top priority. Heartland Boys Academy is a fully accredited private school that employs a model of independent study with tutelage. Students complete courses at their own pace, with weekly objectives established by tutors based on the student’s chosen course work. Heartland also encourages students to work toward post-secondary goals by offering assistance with college testing.

Students from Des Moines, Iowa, who attend Heartland achieve phenomenal progress towards successful high school completion and beyond. Our partnership with Edgenuity produces an educational environment that spurs motivation to succeed, which gains momentum and helps 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 our students keep up their coursework. They tutor, answer any questions, and give each student plenty of encouragement. Our teachers can see at a glance how well each student is progressing. Students who fail to keep up 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 aspect of Heartland Boys Academy. We believe that ultimately Jesus Christ is the only answer for struggling teens from Des Moines, Iowa. We are dedicated to introducing every student to a relationship with their Maker. We help them find their spiritual gifting and destiny in Christ.

Many teens who enroll have rebelled against their spiritual heritage or have never professed belief in Christ. Heartland offers a safe place for them to take ownership of their faith, perhaps for the first time. Godly character surrounds everything we do at Heartland Boys Academy.

Where Boys from Des Moines, Iowa, Can Receive Leadership Training

Beyond helping capable students learn to apply themselves academically and spiritually, we present specific leadership training to unleash the potential in each student. We teach teens to serve and love each other. Mission trips and community service events give real life experience and application of the leadership principles taught at Heartland.

Replacing the Bad Attitudes with a Positive Peer Culture

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

Adventure Therapy is Paramount

Adventure therapy is a key therapeutic feature of Heartland. We find that boys are more open to discussion and learning while participating in adventure activities, 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 transformation. It is meant to contribute to character development. Every student is a part of our adventure program because of the important values that can be gained. 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 are allowed to engage in numerous activities and new adventure experiences during their stay. 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 reach for a goal and accomplish it. This is called experiential learning.

Our team are trained to facilitate 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 the boys during their adventure activities.

Heartland Boys Academy is a campus teeming with healing and hope for boys in Des Moines, Iowa. We have seen hundreds of at-risk and struggling teens transformed into hard-working, respectable young men. We help restore boys 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 Des Moines, Iowa to see how our Christ-centered adventure-based therapeutic boarding school program can move your troubled teen toward life transformation. To find out more, please contact us today.