VIDALIA — The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office will host a youth outreach program this June to show troubled adolescents the consequences of misbehavior.

The approximately 14-hour, intensive program will begin at 5:30 a.m. and last until 7 p.m. on June 12.

“We have been discussing this at the sheriff’s office for a while,” said Chief Deputy David Hedrick. “We want to better help children during their summer months.”

Hedrick said a fellow former Marine who lives and works in California ran a similar program with some success.

“We decided to adopt it to see if we can help the youth in our area,” Hedrick said.

Hedrick said he wants conversations with investigators, judges, inmates and prison chaplains to help give students a better sense of the importance of leadership and respect as well as learning the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.

Outside of hearing personal testimonies of inmates and experiencing life in a prison, participants will also attend group counseling and set goals for their future.

Hedrick said he wanted to include parents in the program, and has a mandatory parent visitation time and parent counseling session at 12:30 p.m. during the day-long session.

“Parents will also receive advice on how to better recognize the behaviors associated with the stressors that today’s youth encounter,” Hedrick said. “Ultimately, this will arm the parent with a better understanding to address those behaviors.”

Because this will be the first iteration of the program, Hedrick said he wanted to limit participants to just Concordia Parish youth ages 10 to 17, and he will only accept 20 students at this time.

If the pilot program is a success, however, Hedrick said he might continue the program throughout the year during student’s vacations and breaks from schools.

Reaching students at a young age, Hedrick said, could help deter future behavior when the youth is no longer a minor and when consequences are greater.

“There are kids in this parish who do not have a positive male or female person giving them direction in their life,” Hedrick said. “We want to step in and be there for those kids.”

Parents can sign up for students on the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office website or on their Facebook page.