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Young America Speaks. Are You Listening?
Watch this moving video of former gang members discussing how their lives were turned around by their Boys & Girls Club.
June 26: National Forum on Youth Violence Compares "Research vs. Reality" With New Survey Released
National Experts and Former Gang Members Discuss Issues of Youth Violence
ATLANTA, June 26, 2008 – Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) hosted a national forum in Atlanta and released the results of a new study on youth violence. The program was held at the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club and featured top national experts in criminal justice, law enforcement, gang intervention and community activism, along with a panel of young people who spoke about their experiences with gang involvement.
At the forum, Boys & Girls Clubs released the results of a new survey, which asked teens about violence in their communities. The findings showed that:
- 22% of youth surveyed said they know of students who regularly carry weapons
- 28% have been offered drugs at school
- More than 25% were afraid to go to school
- More than half said their school has a bullying problem
- Almost 40% see fights at school daily or weekly
Dana Peterson, assistant professor at Univ. of Albany, N.Y., listens to Yvonne Pointer (right) discuss her teenaged daughter's brutal murder. These two outspoken professionals took part in a panel discussion held in Atlanta on June 26,
2008, regarding youth violence. The panel included both adults who study youth violence and young people who formerly participated in gangs.
"The escalating level of gang violence has stretched beyond its urban roots, resulting in increased loss of life, along with taxpayer burdens to pay for incarceration and social services," said Joe Mollner, senior director of delinquency prevention for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "Boys & Girls Clubs of America is one of the few national youth organizations with a proven delinquency and gang prevention initiative."
Mollner added: "A three-year, third-party evaluation conducted by Public/Private Ventures proved BGCA’s initiatives have a direct and measurable impact on youth, including less contact with the juvenile justice system and disengagement from gang-associated behaviors and peers."
The forum’s panel of experts debated "research vs. reality" as the adults and young people each presented their own views and personal experiences with gangs. The panel included:
Adult Experts
- James Alan Fox, Ph.D., Lipman Family Professor of Criminal Justice and Professor of Law, Policy and Society at Northeastern University in Boston. He has published 16 books and numerous magazine and journal articles on multiple murder, juvenile crime, school violence, workplace violence and capital punishment.
- Detective Marco Silva, an investigator with the Gwinnett County (Ga.) Crime Suppression/Gang Unit. A former gang member, Silva speaks frequently to school-age children about the dangers of gang involvement.
- Dana Peterson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany, N.Y. She teaches and conducts research in the areas of youth violence, youth gangs and gang prevention.
- Yvonne Pointer, Cleveland-based anti-gang advocate and community activist, whose teenage daughter was abducted and murdered.
- Joe Mollner, senior director of delinquency prevention at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He’s a retired police commander with more than 27 years of law enforcement experience.
Youth Panel (for their safety, the young people are not identified by name)
- A 17-year old from Newport News, Va., with family members involved in gangs. He has served on a local police youth council and participated in an international forum sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance.
- A 22-year-old former gang member from Minneapolis. She has been awarded a college scholarship and plans to earn a degree in law enforcement.
- A 23-year-old from Ft. Worth, previously involved in gang activity. Two of her brothers were also gang members and one is now in prison.
- A 31-year-old former gang member from San Pedro, Calif. Her father was a gang member and drug abuser. Now free of gangs, she works at her local Boys & Girls Club.
Crime Statistics
Although the FBI recently reported that violent crime committed individually by young people has dropped significantly in recent years, figures also point to an increased level of violence across the nation initiated by gangs. Gang activity is notably prevalent in our largest cities. Studies in large urban areas show gang members are responsible for a large portion of all violent offenses committed during the adolescent years.
Immediately following the panel discussion, a video and document outlining next steps was posted on BGCA’s new teen Web site, www.myclubmylife.com, providing the opportunity for ongoing dialogue on the issues surrounding gangs and youth violence.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Track Record
Across 10 years with U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) funding, BGCA has provided grants and technical assistance to some 250 gang prevention and intervention sites. The cost of the organization’s Targeted Outreach Initiatives ranges from $1.7 to $2 million per year. This is considered a wise investment: the average annual cost to Clubs for one youth in a gang prevention project was $340 and $1,889 for gang intervention versus up to $75,000 to incarcerate one juvenile.
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47% of Club members come from single-parent households.
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