Trying to find an nonprofit therapeutic boarding school for struggling boys in Normal, Illinois? 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 gotten off track academically, emotionally, legally, or socially.

Heartland Boys Academy accepts troubled boys from across America, including from Normal, Illinois. It is a faith-based boarding school that employs adventure as a powerful therapeutic method for turning around negatively motivated boys. We are an early intervention school with a purpose to lead troubled teens to fulfill 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 separate from negative influences back home in Normal, Illinois. We display love and respect to disrespectful and difficult boys who are in need of a better life perspective including a new spiritual belief system. Our mentoring and encouragement is meant to bring about transformation where there was once only ungodly motivations and failed family relationships.

Accredited Education for Teens from Normal, Illinois

Our commitment to a quality education is also a top priority. Heartland Boys Academy is a fully accredited private school that employs a program of independent study with personalized instruction. Students complete courses at their own pace, with weekly goals set by teaching staff based on the student’s program of study. Heartland also encourages students to prepare for post-secondary goals by offering assistance with college testing.

Students from Normal, Illinois, who come here achieve phenomenal progress towards successful high school completion and beyond. Our partnership with Edgenuity facilitates an educational atmosphere that builds a desire to succeed, which gains momentum and encourages students to do their best. 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 on-campus teachers make sure that our students reach goals with 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 having difficulty with a certain topic are helped, but if they are failing 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 teenagers from Normal, Illinois. We are devoted to introducing every student to a relationship with their Maker. We lead them toward their spiritual gifting and destiny in Christ.

Many teens who attend have rebelled against their religious heritage or have never professed belief in Christ. Heartland offers an open environment for them to renew or gain their faith, perhaps for the first time. Godly character surrounds everything we do at Heartland Boys Academy.

Where Teens from Normal, Illinois, Can Gain Leadership Training

Besides helping capable students learn to apply themselves academically and spiritually, we present specific leadership training to unlock the potential in each child. We teach teens to serve and love other people. Mission trips and community service opportunities provide real life experience and application of the leadership principles demonstrated at Heartland.

Changing the Bad Attitudes with a Positive Peer Culture

Heartland recognizes that teenagers and their parents in Normal, Illinois, face enormous pressure from the culture. Boys are surrounded by a barrage of negative peer pressure. The Heartland plan for change is called Positive Peer Culture (PPC), which asserts that teens can learn self-worth, significance, dignity, and responsibility only as they devote themselves to the positive values of serving and caring for others.

Adventure Therapy is Key

Adventure therapy is a primary therapeutic feature of Heartland. We find that boys are more open to communicating and learning while enjoying adventure tasks, so we use those times to instill better thinking and to develop better communication skills. It also facilitates improvement in 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 student 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 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 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. The same guides 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 Normal, Illinois. We have seen hundreds of at-risk and struggling teens transformed into hard-working, respectable adults. 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 think about looking outside of Normal, Illinois to learn how our Christ-centered adventure-based therapeutic boarding school program can move your struggling boy toward life transformation. To learn more, please call or inquire online today.