All of these activities are well chaperoned, and have high ratios of volunteer leaders for kids in attendance. The problems and struggles of military youth and teenagers are amplified because of their context.
Military installations are often isolated. Military teens are frequently uprooted from familiar settings and moved from one foreign country to the next with language, culture and customs they don't understand.
The intensified pace of military operations in the Middle East creates more frequent and longer parental absences from home and temporary single parent homes for the majority of military families for at least a third of each year. This program addresses that and helps provide a stable connection and continuity for these teens.