Youth Leadership Academy pushing law, order

At 16, Michael Quick of Maplewood headed back to classes this fall with new insights into his own abilities, new inner strength and a whole lot of new friends, thanks to the Minnesota Youth Leadership Academy.

In its third year, the program -- co-founded in Minnesota by a Dakota County sheriff's commander -- unites law enforcers with metro youths for a six-day stay at Camp Ripley, a training center operated by the National Guard, in Little Falls, Minn. It's also developing a cop-to-kid mentoring program intended to follow the young men through high school.

Quick said he'd go to the camp, which is free to the teens, again if he had the chance.

It wasn't easy at first, he said, when they marched everywhere and met peace officers who had high expectations. The first day, Quick said, teens kept mostly to themselves and challenges were hard, from obstacle courses to simulated river crossings requiring teamwork.

But through training in conflict resolution, community leadership building and activities that build self-confidence, the boys came to know one another -- and the lawmen who became their role models.

"They taught us we had to encourage each other," Quick said. "Teamwork was a really huge thing at the camp. We pretty much became one giant family. It was a big bonding experience."

Quick, an ROTC cadet at North High School in North St. Paul, was already on a good path for his future when he signed up for the academy. But many of the 25 or so teens who take part in the program each year are at risk for going wayward, said Dennis Lazenberry, retired lieutenant colonel with the Minnesota State Patrol, and creator of the program in Minnesota.

"It's all about saving kids," Lazenberry said.

He recruited other founders early on, including Blair Anderson, a Dakota County sheriff's commander who runs the jail in Hastings, and Dennis Milner, a decorated Minneapolis police officer known for his work with kids.

The Minneapolis Police Department sends Milner and five other officers to the camp each July, the State Patrol sends two, and Dakota County sends Anderson.

Next summer, St. Paul Police will join the program and supply half the kids who go there, Lazenberry said.

Strong role models

From his vantage point as a jail commander, Anderson said, he sees too many adults winding up behind bars, and he's hoping to redirect young people before they get to that point.

He grew up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Detroit, "dodging bullets to get to school," Anderson said.

But he had strong, loving parents who helped him rise above bad influences. Anderson now wants to do that for others through the program, which is modeled after one in Saginaw, Mich.

"The streets have chewed up thousands and thousands of lives," he said, "and we just want to make sure that these kids are able to sidestep some of those land mines."

Lazenberry works as a civilian recruiter for the Minnesota State Patrol, promoting diversity. The youth outreach program is aimed at establishing good relations with teens of all colors, as well as with their families, friends and neighbors, he said.

"We really care about the kids," Lazenberry said. "We want to give them opportunities they haven't had before."

The cadets discuss cultural differences and peer pressure. They learn core values that the Academy promotes: respect, integrity, courage and honor. And they see men of their own race who are highly respected leaders.

"Our goal is to give the kids an understanding that they can make some choices that can help them become a success," Lazenberry said.

In 2007, the Target Corp. donated $10,000 to get the Academy going. After that first year, the State Patrol decided to fund the program. Lazenberry budgets for about $15,000 a year but hasn't needed that much.

"We pay for everything for the kids, the uniforms, everything," he said. "I even buy them shoes if they need shoes."

Some of the "cadets" have arrived in threadbare clothing, so Lazenberry has bought them the dress pants, white shirts and neck ties for the graduation ceremony that marks the end of the program.

Quick, the Maplewood teen, said he had a lot of fun at the six-day camp last July while building skills that he's now using in his schooling and in his personal life.

"Everything I learned there," he said, "is helping me out a lot."

Joy Powell • 952-882-9017