HCISD launches R.E.A.L program for at-risk youth

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Hidalgo County and HCISD are the first in the Valley to incorporate the R.E.A.L program.

District Attorney Terry Palacios expressed the need for the mentorship program, with many teens struggling in Hidalgo County.

“We assume they have two good parents… we assume they go to a good environment… we assume that they have mentors… and a lot of them don’t.”

The district is collaborating with the U.S. Border Patrol and other local organizations to provide six-week mentorships to students who are at risk of delinquency or expulsion from school.

R.E.A.L is an acronym for “rewarding education attitude leadership.” HCISD Superintendent Xavier Salinas says the program believes in second chances, and that "kids are going to mess up for whatever reason they do. That’s just life. But now they’ve got some great mentors that can work with them and give them second opportunities; open up their eyes to say hey… it’s ok.”

Border Patrol Chief Gloria Chavez says she’s seen the success the R.E.A.L program has accomplished… and how big of a change she’s already seeing.

She exclaimed “They’re two different people. They develop; they mature. They’re happy; you can see the smiles on their faces, and many of them are already aspiring to pursue. Whether it’s military, whether it’s law enforcement, or whether it’s business.”

Aside from leadership lessons and community service, the students will also receive mental health education and social-emotional learning from specialists.