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The El Monte Police Department has always been dedicated to youth intervention. Our most successful youth intervention program is the T.O.R.C.H Academy (Teaching Obedience Respect Courage and Honor). The academy is designed for “at risk” juveniles who are under privileged, have engaged in unwanted behavior, and are attempting to rehabilitate. The T.O.R.C.H Academy is a twelve week program, which includes but is not limited to; physical fitness, team sports, counseling, guest speakers, field trips, mentoring, and rewards. Often the participants are ordered by a Superior Court Judge to complete the Academy, so we service youth throughout the greater Los Angeles area.
Many young people today are making bad decisions, based on negative information from their peers. They rarely seek the advice of their parent(s), teachers or other responsible adults. To compound the problem, many families have no foundation for structure. This leads to a lack of parental control and the result is a young person without values or respect for authority.
The T.O.R.C.H. Academy is about choices and consequences. We give the participants necessary skills to make good choices that are based on sound judgment. Our staff teaches the participants that every choice has either a positive or negative consequence.
We instill the following qualities in each of the participants and their families: integrity, dependability, judgment, knowledge, initiative, endurance, patience, unselfishness, honesty, decisiveness, enthusiasm, loyalty, self-esteem, discipline, obedience, respect, courage, and honor.
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