Program Length and Evaluation
Our program is on average 10 months depending on how the student progresses and how the home support system develops. In addition there is a 3 to 6 month follow-up program.
We evaluate each student and help them progress through our level system, giving them goals to reach for and opportunities to enjoy their time here and work toward going home. When a student arrives he starts at level 1 with little trust and the responsibility to learn the expectations we have for him while he is at Victory. Moving on he works through identifying and working on identified emotional, social, mental, spiritual, and behavioral problems. Progressing further he pursues developing new biblical attitudes and behaviors. In the last two levels he is develops consistency in growth and leadership as he prepares to return home.
We evaluate each student and help them progress through our level system, giving them goals to reach for and opportunities to enjoy their time here and work toward going home. When a student arrives he starts at level 1 with little trust and the responsibility to learn the expectations we have for him while he is at Victory. Moving on he works through identifying and working on identified emotional, social, mental, spiritual, and behavioral problems. Progressing further he pursues developing new biblical attitudes and behaviors. In the last two levels he is develops consistency in growth and leadership as he prepares to return home.
Program Structure
Our privilege system is defined by levels. Students who are working with the program build levels of trust, responsibility, and freedom. Our goal is for each student to grow through levels of responsibility and accountability as he works his way through the program and ultimately back into his own home and family. In that way the environment at Victory is secure, with plenty of accountability, yet as students become more responsible and grow in integrity, they have more responsibility and the corresponding trust and freedoms. A student who arrives at a level 1, with no freedom and total accountability can later find himself at Level 5, earning freedoms in activities, work, and social media privileges. Our program is not punitive, but corrective. Victory is not a place of punishment. It is a place of love and care, structure and consistency.
Facilities
Foundationally there are four basic thinking shifts that we are pursuing for each student. First is the concept of a biblical worldview. Each staff member that will impact your son is a committed Christian, living the values of the Bible. As a student, your son will be daily challenged on what he believes and how he is applying those beliefs to his relationships and daily decisions. We lay out the competing worldviews and contrast them with the biblical worldview. We anchor it all to the Scriptures. The concept of Cause and Effect forms the basis of our behavior management component. Each student is shown the connection between his actions and the resulting effects of those actions. Our consequence system utilizes demerits and write-ups. Demerits are given for disobedience issues, unacceptable schoolwork, and attitude problems.
Self-control is a key issue as the Proverbs (25:28) say, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” One of the first things we want the boys to learn is to have the self-control to work through problems biblically. Until we see the boy grow in that, showing him the next step in growth is beyond his reach.
Responsibility is a concept that is a part of every day here at Victory. From the time a student gets out of bed there is a schedule to keep and responsibilities to complete. Each chore, homework assignment, work detail, and activity is an opportunity to cement into their minds the concept of responsibility. Until he “owns it” in his own mind, he will only be as responsible as you hold him accountable. Maturity is learning to “own it” when no-one is watching over you.
Self-control is a key issue as the Proverbs (25:28) say, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” One of the first things we want the boys to learn is to have the self-control to work through problems biblically. Until we see the boy grow in that, showing him the next step in growth is beyond his reach.
Responsibility is a concept that is a part of every day here at Victory. From the time a student gets out of bed there is a schedule to keep and responsibilities to complete. Each chore, homework assignment, work detail, and activity is an opportunity to cement into their minds the concept of responsibility. Until he “owns it” in his own mind, he will only be as responsible as you hold him accountable. Maturity is learning to “own it” when no-one is watching over you.
Success
Ultimately success is achieved when we see a young man fully commit to loving God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, and consequently loving others as he does himself(Luke 10:27). We see varying levels of success with each student. When a student can go back home and put himself under the authority of his parents and live respecting and obeying them, we feel that is great success. We also feel we see success when a student continues to struggle, but has changed the direction of his struggle. If he struggles to do right, fails, then continues to come back to doing right, that is successful progress. When a student has a greater respect for the authority of the church and its leaders we see that as a good mark of success, because he will continue to grow as he puts himself under the leadership of godly people.