Our History

Teen Challenge was founded in 1958 by David Wilkerson in New York City, USA.The story of his interaction with street gangs and addicts in the city is documented in the best selling book, ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’.

Residential centres that offered structured help for young people with addictions were soon opened and the organisation began to spread across the USA.

In 1968 it established its first European centre in The Hague, Holland. In 2007 there are some 450 centres in 92 countries on five continents. Worldwide there are more than 23,000 residents in its residential programmes and more information on the international work of Teen Challenge can be found on globaltc.org

In the late 1970's Teen Challenge UK was started with a couple of outreach centres. Real growth in the ministry took place in the 1980's and 1990's and today the work is established in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.