How to Deal With Gang Violence

Gang violence is a widespread problem in the United States. In all major cities throughout the country, gang crimes are being committed at ever higher numbers. Though the police help to curb the violence, they cannot eliminate the problem without assistance from community members. If you are concerned about how to deal with gang violence, follow these steps to help guide you.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

1. Know that one of the places where gang violence occurs most frequently is in our schools. Helping to train our teachers about ways to respond to bullies and campus intruders is one way to begin curtailing violence before it erupts.

2. Raise community awareness. By developing community-based programs to help keep children off the streets and out of gangs, we can potentially eliminate the problem before it starts. You can raise awareness by creating after-school programs that provide kids with a safe place to have fun and learn about core issues, such as: respect, honesty and integrity.

3. Develop outreach programs with local schools to help juvenile gang members find an alternative to gang life. Creating places where kids can go that don't offer alcohol, tobacco or drugs and instead provide music, learning and snacks can go a long way.

4. Offer leadership training to kids in school to help them learn to be tolerant of differences in race, gender and ethnicity. One of the core causes of gang violence is lack of respect for people who are different.

5. Stress the importance of developing solid values to kids. It's a matter of helping steer kids toward diversity enhancement and cultural sensitivity.