Looking for an alternative therapeutic boarding school for struggling boys in Joliet, Illinois? Perhaps you will look at Heartland Boys Academy, an affordable boarding school in Western Kentucky. Heartland is an adventure-based therapeutic boarding school known for its dedication to adolescent boys who have made poor choices academically, emotionally, legally, or socially.

Heartland Boys Academy accepts underperforming boys from across America, including from Joliet, Illinois. It is an evangelical boarding school that employs adventure as a powerful therapeutic tool for turning around difficult boys. We are an alternative school with a calling to lead troubled teens to realize their individual purpose, or destiny, in Christ.

Heartland exclusively enrolls troubled or struggling boys. Parents of these boys find it beneficial for their boy to spend time in a new environment here at Heartland that is detached from negative influences back home in Joliet, Illinois. We show love and respect to disrespectful and difficult boys who are in need of a new life perspective including a foundational 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 School for Teens from Joliet, Illinois

To provide a quality education is also our top priority. Heartland Boys Academy is a fully accredited high school that operates under a model of independent study with tutelage. Students work through courses at their own speed, with weekly goals set by instructors based on the student’s program of study. Heartland also encourages students to work toward post-secondary goals by offering assistance with college testing.

Students from Joliet, Illinois, who come here achieve quick progress towards successful high school completion and beyond. Our partnership with Edgenuity produces 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 America.

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 can see at a glance how well each student is doing. Students who fail to keep up or are not understanding a certain topic are helped, but if they are dragging their feet as an act of rebellion, they may lose out on some on-campus privileges like special outings until they choose 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 struggling teens from Joliet, Illinois. We are dedicated to introducing every boy to a relationship with their Maker. We lead them toward their spiritual gifting and destiny in Christ.

Many teenagers who attend have rebelled against their religious heritage or have never professed belief in Christ. Heartland offers a safe place for them to renew or gain their faith as they may never have done before. Godly character frames everything we do at Heartland Boys Academy.

Where Teens from Joliet, Illinois, Can Receive Leadership Training

Besides helping capable students get back on track academically and spiritually, we provide specific leadership training to unleash the potential in each boy. We teach teens to serve and love others. Mission trips and community service opportunities provide real life experience and application of the leadership principles learned at Heartland.

Reversing the Bad Attitudes with a Positive Peer Culture

Heartland knows that teenagers and their families in Joliet, Illinois, face enormous pressure from the culture. Boys are assaulted 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 become committed to the positive values of serving and caring for others.

Adventure Therapy is Key

Adventure therapy is an important therapeutic tool of Heartland. We find that boys are more open to talking and learning while participating in adventure activities, so we use those times to instill better thinking and to develop better communication skills. It also facilitates improvement in their ability to work cooperatively with others.

Adventure therapy is a form of experiential therapy that uses challenging adventure activities to aid the therapeutic healing process. It plays a key role in 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 a therapeutic school like Heartland, students get the opportunity to engage in various 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 overcome 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 learn how to do it themselves. This is a therapy know as experiential learning.

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

Heartland Boys Academy is a campus teeming with healing and hope for boys in Joliet, Illinois. We have seen many at-risk and struggling 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 contact us through our online inquiry form.

Please consider looking outside of Joliet, Illinois to see how our Christ-centered adventure-based therapeutic boarding school program can move your troubled teen toward life transformation. To learn more, please contact us today.