Against All Odds
Club Member's Journey Offers hope to Others
By Robert Gambala and Joe Mollner

The presence of gangs and their asssociated negative impacts on society have been realities in the U.S. for decades. We know gangs exist and we know the devastating effects they have on our youth, our communities and our nation, but curbing gang violence is such a complex feat as to be overwhelming.

As much as we may want to turn away from the problem, gangs remain part of our culture. In fact, according to the National Gang Threat Assessment released by the Justice Department's National Gang Intelligence Center in January of this year, there are approximately 900,000 gang members in communities across the country and another 147,000 in U.S prisons or jails. Further, the report states that gangs are responsible for approximately 80 percent of violence in our communities.

With the support of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Boys & Girls Clubs of America has been working with Clubs since the early 1990s to keep youth involved in pro-social activities and away from gangs. Our efforts fall under the umbrella name Gang Prevention through Targeted Outreach (GPTTO). Have these efforts been successful? Just ask Robert Badilla.

In 1994, the Boys & Girls Club of Ventura, Calif., became a funded GPTTO site. Robert Badilla was among the young people the Club identified as being a candidate for the new program. Fifteen years later, he is living proof of the program's – and the Club's – impact.

A Troubled Beginning

Thanks to the Club, Robert never joined a local gang or entered the juvenile justice system, even though he was faced with risk factors that easily could have pulled him into the gang life: growing up in a gang-infested neighborhood, pressures of gang recruitment from family and peers, drug activity in the community and a very low family economy.

When Robert was 5, his father was sent to prison for drug-related convictions. "Now that I think back on my childhood, I could have easily been a gang member, sold drugs or gotten into serious trouble because all these negative influences were all around me," says Robert. "It seemed like everyone was deep into the gang lifestyle. Some of the neighborhood kids were either killed themselves or murdered someone as a result of gang violence." He also remembers coming home after grade school one day to find his uncle dead from a drug overdose.

"Youth engage in delinquent activity or demonstrate delinquent behavior patterns long before they become gang-involved or join a gang," says Dr. Norm White, director of Criminal Justice Programs at St. Louis University in Missouri and a member of BGCA's Advisory Committee for Targeted Outreach Initiatives. "If risk factors are not addressed and no intervention takes place, the negative life course trajectory will continue."

The Club Steps In

The Boys & Girls Club of Ventura provided Robert with opportunities to change through GPTTO's wrap-around approach. This includes specialized initiatives based on a young person's strengths, needs and interests to combat risk factors, such as the ones Robert faced.

Robert credits his relationship with staff as the reason he kept coming back. "The Club literally saved my life and provided me with a safe place to go," he says. "I felt the staff cared about me and was always there for me during my most difficult times."

During Robert's teen years, life began to stabilize: his father returned from prison, he found positive outlets through the Club and baseball was quickly becoming his passion. Robert now had dreams: to go to college and play baseball for his school.

Unfortunately, devastation hit the family again. Robert's father unexpectedly passed away immediately after Robert's high school graduation, leaving behind Robert, two younger sisters and their mother. "The death of my dad took a toll on the family and we never fully recovered," he explains. Aspirations of college were derailed and he went straight into the workforce to meet the family's financial needs.

A couple of years went by as Robert continued to work and provide for the family. In all that time, however, he never lost sight of his goals. As the family's financial situation improved, Robert enrolled in a community college and earned his A.A. degree, which put him in a position to transfer to California State University. The Club provided a scholarship to help with college expenses and staff assisted in the financial aid process.