Effingham County teens are among 215 youth set to graduate for the Fort Gordon Youth Challenge program on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Bell Auditorium located in Augusta.

Graduating are Christopher J. Foley Jr. and Steven M. Mooney of Bloomingdale, and Christopher Goldwire and Garry W. London Jr. of Rincon.

Georgia's Youth Challenge is a 22- week residential youth program for teens aged 16-18 who have dropped out of school. The military-styled program provides teens with the opportunity to complete basic academic courses leading to a high school diploma or GED.  The voluntary program also provides teens valuable life skills training emphasizing academic, physical fitness and personal discipline.

The Georgia National Guard operates two Youth Challenge Academy campuses in the state, the original campus at Fort Stewart near Savannah, and a second campus at Fort Gordon near Augusta that opened in 2000.  

To date more than 8,500 formerly "at risk" teens have graduated from the Youth Challenge Academy program at the two Georgia campuses.