The New Mexico State Police, in partnership with non-profit organization Brandon's Cause (www.brandonscause.com), is proud to announce its 2017 Youth Academy, to be held at the NMSP Academy in Santa Fe, New Mexico, June 18-24, 2017. The purpose of this program is to reinforce positive values including leadership, citizenship, discipline, and accountability with New Mexico youth. The Academy will also provide students with insight regarding the policing profession and seek to improve understanding and cooperation between young people and law enforcement. Our goal is to make the Youth Academy a fun and educational experience that students will remember for years to come.

The typical day will include physical fitness exercises, room and personnel inspections, and a wide array of educational activities, with plenty of hands-on application. The students will also participate in mentoring and other group events including discussions with police officers and community leaders. Instruction during the Youth Academy will consist of first aid/CPR; physical fitness and nutrition; marksmanship; impaired driving; defensive driving; rappelling; leadership and ethics; drug abuse; conflict resolution and bullying; personal defensive tactics; criminal law, investigations; and NMSP specialty team presentations (aircraft, K-9, honor guard, tactical, bomb, search & recovery, crisis negotiations, motorcycle, and crime scene teams).

The academy will be open to New Mexico high school juniors and seniors for academic year 2017-18 and is free of charge. Interested applicants must complete the application, which includes a questionnaire and letter of recommendation from a non-family member. The application process will be very competitive, and participation in the academy will reflect well on students for upcoming job or college applications. The deadline for submitting applications is May 10, 2017. Completed applications must be mailed to Youth Academy Coordinator Officer Anthony Luna at 4491 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87507 or emailed to (nmsp.youthacademy@state.nm.us). Any questions should also be directed to Officer Luna at 505-827-3368.

If anyone is interested in donating to this worthwhile endeavor, please contact a branch of the Sandia Area Federal Credit Union (www.sandia.org) and inquire about donating to the account under the name of Brandon's Cause, Inc. More information regarding donations (including a donation letter) can be found at https://brandonscause.com/nmsp-youth-academy/. For other inquiries, please contact Officer Anthony Luna at 505-827-3368.

The application and further details about the youth academy is located on the NMSP Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/notes/new-mexico-state-police/nmsp-youth-academy/10154296885226860 

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