Louisiana National Guard Youth Challenge Program - Gillis Long

Cadets follow a highly structured military-style schedule during the 5.5-month residential phase. Days include academic instruction with certified teachers, physical training, life skills classes, and community service activities. Students attend school, receive individual counseling, and are supervised 24 hours per day. Weekly phone calls home and letter writing maintain family connections, with a Family Day event and extended weekend home pass during the cycle.

Led by active and retired military personnel who emphasize discipline and education. The program operates as a military-style alternative education environment rather than a boot camp, focusing on self-discipline, personal accountability, and leadership development. Cadets learn followership before leadership through the eight core components: Academic Excellence, Physical Fitness, Job Skills, Service to Community, Health and Hygiene, Responsible Citizenship, Leadership/Followership, and Life Coping Skills.

Daily physical fitness is one of the eight core components. Cadets participate in military-styled physical training, running, and organized sports designed to encourage a lifelong commitment to physical wellbeing. The program emphasizes building physical strength and endurance as part of the overall transformation process.

The Gillis Long Center occupies 330 acres of a historic property along the Mississippi River south of Baton Rouge. The campus features the Gillis W. Long Conference Center with over 41,000 square feet of renovated space including 70 private rooms, classrooms, conference facilities, and a library. Historic two-story covered walkways spanning over 2 miles connect campus buildings. The site includes a 9-hole golf course and outdoor training areas. The main campus also houses the National Hansen's Disease Museum and the historic Woodlawn mansion built in the 1850s.