STRIVING FOR A FRESH START.

• Position: Brief Article

Eckerd Youth Alternatives gives juvenile offenders a real opportunity to get their lives back on track before it is too late.

The day begins at 7 a.m. With the sun just beginning its ascent into the Carolina sky, the Catawbas, 10 boys ages 10 to 16, rise sleepily from their beds to face the warm summer morning. They tidy their four-man tents, then in pairs tend to morning chores: cleaning the; latrine box, organizing their footlockers, sweeping the dusty trails surrounding camp, preparing kindling for the evening's fire.

From here, at 8:30, they will make the quarter-mile hi mess hall for breakfast. Then it's back to their campsite to resume construction of their "chuck wagon" tent, a structure where the Catawbas, along with their two counselors, will prepare and eat six meals a week. The tent, large enough to hold a table for 12 and sturdy enough to withstand all kinds of weather, must be completed within five weeks, without the use of electric tools.

This is no ordinary summer camp, and the Catawbas are not ordinary campers. Camp E-Ku-Sumee, 600 acres in the Uwharrie National Forest near Candor, is an Eckerd Youth Alternatives wilderness camp. The Catawbas are juvenile offenders, with rap sheets that run the gamut from selling drugs to running away from home. Their offenses have landed them at E-Ku-Sumee, where they'll spend not just the summer but an entire year. This is their window for a second chance, an opportunity to redeem their pasts and stake their claim for brighter futures. The goal of this camp, as well as the entire EYA organization, is to bring about emotional healing and behavioral change in the troubled youth it serves.

The campers are aware of the stakes. Before coming to camp, says Darnell, a 14-year-old from Raleigh, "I was bad." Expelled from two schools, once for assaulting a teacher, he is working primarily on controlling his temper. With his finger, he draws a series of circles in the dirt. The center circle, he explains, represents death, surrounded by prison, training school, wilderness camp and, finally, an outer circle -- community. "You want to work your way out, not in," he says. "Before coming to camp, I was headed here." He points to the center circle. "Now I'm headed this way," he says. "It's the opposite of darts."

It's the Eckerd way. Camp E-Ku-Sumee is one of six EYA wilderness camps in North Carolina. There are 17 others, mainly on the East Coast. The other North Carolina camps are Tik-Etu, in Elizabethtown; E-Ten-Etu, in Manson; E-Toh-Kalu, in Hendersonville; E-Mun-Talee, in Lowgap; and E-Ma-Henwu, in Newport. A seventh is under construction near North Wilkesboro. Each has spots for about 60 campers and employs about 35 staff members. Camp names are derived from an Indian dialect. E-Ku-Sumee, for example, means "His Ambition."

Eckerd wilderness camps serve as an alternative to training school or juvenile detention for youths who have run afoul of the law or who have difficulty functioning properly in school or home settings. Most people would classify the Catawbas as "troublemakers," kids destined for a life of crime. Indeed, Eckerd campers generally have a history of poor academic performance and trouble accepting authority. But through structured activities and positive adult role models, Eckerd camps provide an environment where kids can sort out their issues, raise their self esteem and resolve to change for the better.

How do they wind up here? Juvenile offenders in North Carolina are screened by the state Office of Juvenile Justice. Last year, 370 youth -- male and female -- were determined to be ideal candidates for rehabilitation at an Eckerd wilderness camp. Once recommended, child and parents visit camp, where Eckerd staff give the final approval for admission. After enrollment, campers, along with their counselors and parents, devise a plan that identifies...