I met a volunteer and his charge on the del Norte in 2011 and chatted with them on and off for a few daysbetween Bilbao and Laredo. Having heard of this programme some time ago, I looked at it with a sympathetic grain of salt but, after conversations with both the volunteer and the kid, I became most impressed. Clearly week after week of walking, deprived of internet and cellphone, free of peer group pressure, focussing on basic needs, and with time both to think, and not to think, has an incredibly salutary effect. The kid had used a 3-day pass to go to a relative's funeral in Belgium and, during his brief stay, had met with his old girlfriend who, he said, claimed that she could recognize the pre-walk adolescent. "Is this a good thing, or a bad thing," I asked; and he replied that it was a very good thing.
Obviously, it's not going to work for everyone, but for many troubled and/or misbehaving teenagers, I cannot think of a better way forward. I am sorry that the grants are drying up and would hope that the Belgians, among their challenges, re-evaluate their decision.