National Guard outlines six‑week Youth Challenge summer pilot for Dexter middle‑schoolers

Major General Aguilar, who identified himself as the Adjutant General and secretary for homeland security and emergency management for New Mexico, told the Dexter Consolidated Schools board on April 20 that the National Guard will pilot a six‑week Youth Challenge "summer challenge" program for middle school students in Dexter.

Aguilar described the program as a mix of academic remediation, life skills and leadership training, daily physical fitness and an adventure component that will include supervised activities such as rock climbing, repelling and mountain biking. He said the pilot will run five days a week, with roughly six hours of instruction on site (plus transportation time), and that the Guard will provide breakfasts and lunches for participants. "We created the summer challenge program," Aguilar said, adding the pilot has its roots in a state literacy appropriation and additional legislative funding to the Department of Military Affairs.

The New Mexico Military Institute and Eastern New Mexico University are named partners; Aguilar said the district can expect buses to depart in the morning and return in the afternoon and that the program begins the first week of June and runs into the second week of July. For Dexter specifically he said the initial allocation is about 15 slots and that program leaders hope to scale the effort over time: "The 15 isn't enough for Dexter," he said.

Aguilar noted ongoing follow‑up after the six weeks is part of the plan: Guardsmen who work with students may return periodically during the school year for mentoring and school engagement activities. He described the program's intent as reducing summer learning loss while building resiliency and school engagement that translates into improved attendance and fewer disciplinary incidents; citing early pilot outcomes in Albuquerque, he said organizers have seen substantial attendance and discipline improvements and literacy gains.

Board members asked several logistical questions about heat‑sensitive scheduling, transportation, use of local trails and facilities, and how the Guard would staff activities in smaller communities. Aguilar responded that the Guard is training staff and purchasing equipment (including about 60 mountain bikes and trailers) and will certify Guardsmen to run the outdoor courses safely.

Aguilar said the program does not require district funding in its current pilot phase: it is supported through state literacy funds and legislative appropriations routed to the Department of Military Affairs, with the district's role focused on partnership and facilities access. The board did not take a formal vote on the presentation but thanked Aguilar and district staff for advancing local participation in the pilot.

Next steps: Aguilar and district staff will continue to finalize logistics, including participant selection and transportation plans, and to explore legislative options for expanding slots if the pilot demonstrates demand.