Washington, May 20, 2001 - New Colorado Youth Treatment Program

ROSELAND, NJ (May 20, 2001)--Community Education Centers (CEC) has opened its newest program for the education and treatment of troubled youth. Alternative Youth Adventures (AYA) of Montrose, Colorado will work with adolescents referred by the Colorado Department of Corrections, the Division of Youth Corrections and the Division of Social Services.

The AYA program in Montrose is similar in structure to four other facilities CEC operates in South Carolina, Montana and Utah, which have proven successful in providing experiential treatment to difficult adolescent populations. AYA is a high-impact, wilderness program. The new Montrose program will initially treat 55 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18. The program will eventually expand to provide services to 77 young people.

The 60-day, back-country experience immerses adolescents in a challenging environment where they must acquire new skills, depend on each other for assistance, and learn and practice new attitudes. Groups of eleven adolescents hike into the mountains with four trained leaders. During this 60-day sojourn adolescents participate in a full educational curriculum and receive one full high school credit upon completion.

This type of experiential treatment has been proven to have a lasting, positive impact on participants. The wilderness program engages youth in activities that teach practical behavioral skills that can be used in their daily lives. The physical intensity of the program challenges resistance to change and encourages a sense of community.

The "safety-first" motto of CEC’s wilderness programs ensures the health and security of the participants and staff. All staff members are fully trained in emergency and safety procedures and remain in radio contact with the home base at all times. Health care professionals are on staff and meet daily with the wilderness group at pre-arranged times and locations.

John J. Clancy, President of Community Education Centers, stated, "CEC is pleased to add the AYA Montrose program to our five existing adolescent programs. Our thirty years of experience in developing and managing treatment programs for difficult populations has taught us the importance of reaching out to troubled adolescents before they become set in destructive behavior patterns."