Youth & Gangs · 2016. 7. 20. · 3"|"P"a"g"e" Youth"Development"Division"Update"onYouth"Gang"Preventionand"Intervention"Services,"2015" Oregon’Youth’Development’Council" that

Youth & Gangs Youth Development Division Update on

Youth Gang Prevention and Intervention Services

August 2015

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Youth Development Division Update on Youth Gang Prevention and Intervention Services, 2015 Oregon Youth Development Council

INTRODUCTION Far from the I-5 corridor, the frontier community of Ontario (population 11,091), in Eastern Oregon, is considered to be one of the least safe, and most dangerous communities in the state. Over a four year period (2011-2014) 463 gang-related crimes occurred in the Ontario area. 1 In Southern Oregon’s Jackson County, 16 different gangs have been identified. 2 It is estimated that there are over 120 different gangs that exist in Multnomah County alone. 3 In Portland and East Multnomah County, gang activity is on the rise. From January to July 2015, 92 gang incidents have been investigated.4

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reported in late 2014 that nearly 30% of cities, towns and rural counties reported gang problems. 5 Nationally, gang-related homicides have increased by more than 20%.6 Gangs are increasingly recruiting younger children who are engaged in criminal activity. Some data indicate that nearly half of high school students report that some students in their school consider themselves to be a member of a gang. Nearly one in five students in grades 6 through 12 reports that their school has gangs. 7

Over the course of a lifetime, a high-rate criminal offender can impose some $4.2 million to $7.2 million in costs on society.8 However, the costs are relatively low during the early years of a chronic offender’s life — totaling about $3,000 at age 10. This finding suggests

1 5 Oregon Towns More Dangerous Than Portland. Go Local PDX http://m.golocalpdx.com/news/oregons-‐most-‐violent-‐cities Ontario tops list of state’s unsafe cities. The Argus Observer. http://www.argusobserver.com/news/ontario-‐tops-‐list-‐of-‐state-‐s-‐ unsafe-‐cities/article_56838980-‐a48d-‐11e3-‐bf39-‐001a4bcf887a.html10 Most Dangerous Cities in Oregon. Home Security Shield. http://www.homesecurityshield.org/news/most-‐dangerous-‐in-‐oregon/Study Indicates Ontario is Oregon’s Least Safe City. Boise Weekly. http://www.boiseweekly.com/CityDesk/archives/2014/03/06/argus-‐observer-‐study-‐indicates-‐ontario-‐is-‐oregons-‐least-‐safe-‐city 2 Assessing our Community’s Youth Gang Problem 2014. Jackson County, Oregon. p. 30 http://jacksoncountyor.org/community-‐ justice/Juvenile-‐Services/Historical-‐Statistics?EntryId=26849&Command=Core_Download&method=attachment 3 Gang Violence Predicted to Top 2012 Levels http://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-‐news/267010-‐140970-‐gang-‐violence-‐predicted-‐to-‐ top-‐2012-‐levels 4 Multnomah County Comprehensive Gang Assessment, June 30, 2014, Chapter 3. Law Enforcement Data, pp. 47, 48 https://multco.us/file/34752/download 5 OJJDP Juvenile Justice Fact Sheet. December 2014. p.1 http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/248025.pdf 6OJJDP Juvenile Justice Fact Sheet. December 2014. p.2 http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/248025.pdf 7National Gang Center Newsletter. Gangs in School. Summer 2013. Vol. 2

http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Content/Newsletters/NGC-‐Newsletter-‐2013-‐Summer.pdf 8 Changing Course Preventing Gang Membership. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. p. 7 https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/239234.pdf

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that early prevention efforts that focus on youth in high-risk settings before problem behaviors develop can result in large cost savings to communities.

In 2014, and again in the 2015-2017 biennium, the Oregon Legislature appropriated nearly one million dollars to provide communities the additional support needed to broaden the targeted, strategic prevention and intervention efforts already underway in communities around the state. Included in this report is a status update of initiatives and programs in communities that have identified significant gang activity. Early data shows the YDC Gang Prevention and Intervention initiative is working: Preliminary data on the eight sites that received funds for the 2013-2014 fiscal year suggests that nearly 70% of targeted gang-affected, gang-impacted or youth at risk of joining a gang sustained participation in mentoring, academic support, and employment training or employment, while 90% did not commit or recommit a criminal offense.

OJJDP COMPREHENSIVE GANG MODEL: A STRATEGY THAT WORKS

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Comprehensive Gang Model has been proven to reduce serious and violent crimes, decrease criminal activity and gang involvement, and increase success in educational and job opportunities. The model, used by the Youth Development Council as a collective impact structure for communities, involves five strategies for addressing gang-involved youth and their families. This model is a framework for the coordination of multiple, data-driven anti-gang strategies among agencies such as law enforcement, education, criminal justice, social services, community-based agencies, outreach programs and grassroots community groups. The five strategies are:

Community Mobilization: Involvement of local citizens, including former gang members and community groups and agencies, and the coordination of programs and staff functions within and across agencies. Opportunities Provision: The development of a variety of specific education, training, and employment programs targeting gang-involved youth. Social Intervention: Youth-serving agencies, schools, street outreach workers, grassroots groups, faith-based

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organizations, law enforcement agencies, and other criminal justice organizations reaching out and acting as links between gang-involved youth and their families, the conventional world, and needed services. Suppression: Formal and informal social control procedures, including close supervision or monitoring of gang youth by agencies of the criminal justice system and also by community-based agencies, schools, and grassroots groups. Organizational Change and Development: Development and implementation of policies and procedures that result in the most effective use of available and potential resources to better address the gang problem. The Gang Model training includes Best Practices to Address Community Gang Problems, A Guide to Assessing Community Gang Problems, and Planning for Implementation. As you will see in this report, communities in Oregon are using these materials to assess and address gang issues.

RECOMMENDATIONS

In November 2013, the YDC adopted the following recommendations regarding the establishment of a funding model to prevent and curtail youth gang violence:

• Prioritize and make funding available that directly seeks to prevent and reduce the number of gang-affected and gang-involved youth in Oregon. These youth are susceptible to risk factors contributing to low educational engagement, school suspension or truancy issues, involvement in the juvenile justice system, and criminal behavior.

• Require communities to engage and form collaborative partnerships. By requiring various community stakeholders and service providers to come together to form collaborative partnerships, a common strategy can be developed to reduce risk factors leading to youth gang involvement. The Stanford Social Innovation Review’s Collective Impact Model, one of the more successful models of collaboration, uses five key conditions that distinguish collective impact from other types of collaboration: a common agenda, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and the presence of a backbone organization. The OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model mirrors that model at the law enforcement/community level.

• Require collaborative partnership composition: Collaborative partnerships requesting

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funding must be composed of, at a minimum, local government entities (including federally recognized tribal governments) and one or more nonprofit nongovernmental organizations that have a documented history of creating and administering effective criminal prevention and intervention programs.

• Require implementation of evidence-based, research-based and practice-based approaches. Through the utilization of these practice approaches agencies can implement programming that has been proven to be successful, producing positive outcomes and the biggest return on investment.

• Require utilization of OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model strategies. The OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model is provided for free through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. It has been studied, researched, and proven to be effective in combatting and reducing the presence of gang activity throughout the United States. Technical assistance in implementation of the model is provided at no cost through the OJJDP and Gang Center. The Council, acting as the State Advisory Group for OJJDP federal funding, is eligible for specific targeted technical assistance from OJJDP and has requested that assistance for Oregon communities in their efforts to confront gang violence.

• Make targeted, focused investments in identified communities currently experiencing gang violence in order to suppress and curtail the violence and implement positive program models.

• Require the completion of a YDC Youth & Gangs Request for Applications form. STATEWIDE RESPONSE TO GANG ACTIVITY IN OREGON

In accordance with the recommendations, the YDC initially funded eight projects aimed at addressing youth gang involvement throughout Oregon in Fiscal Year 2014- 2015. This report also includes news article links on the programs funded by the YDC.

In Southern Oregon, Jackson County was awarded $100,000 dollars to fund their Keep Encouraging Youth (KEY) Project. KEY is a partnership of community organizations offering gang prevention and intervention services serving over 100 youth at high risk of being involved in gangs. Through its partnership with Kids Unlimited, elementary aged youth and their families received structured case management services and ensured youth demonstrating high risk factors were achieving academic success. The Life Art

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program gives middle and high school youth an outlet through artistic expression, as well as learning about being an entrepreneur while building relationships with the local art business community. Spartan Boxing is a boxing gym, requiring youth to demonstrate academic progress and school attendance to be eligible to participate in gym activities. The Graffiti Removal Program is part of a restorative justice curriculum aimed at youth who have had contact with the justice system. Nearly 130 youth received services, zero youth received criminal referrals, and youth participating in Spartan Boxing and or Life Art have demonstrated growth in academics and school attendance. Troy & Lokai Wohosky http://www.kdrv.com/sports/amateur-athlete/Amateur_Athlete_Troy Lokai_Wohosky.html

In the Tribal community of Warm Springs, six active gangs have been identified on tribal lands. YDC funds of $100,000 have allowed for the hiring of a Juvenile Officer. The Juvenile Officer has been responsible for connecting and building relationships with youth and connecting them with services addressing risky behaviors, as well as coordinating activities between school, court, family, and community partners. Through the course of one 10- month grant cycle, juvenile alcohol and drug related arrests dropped by 76% and juvenile prosecutions also decreased by 13%. There were no gang enrollments reported during the grant cycle.

Northwest Family Services was awarded $52,000 aimed at serving 80 middle school youth at risk of being involved in gangs in the East Multnomah County area. It utilized an evidence-based curriculum along with case management services and a family education component ensuring parental involvement. Services targeted 20 high school youth for participation in peer court due to involvement in criminal gang related activity. These interventions are designed to help students assess risks associated with gang activity and violent behavior; enhance decision making, goal setting, and communication; improve anti- drug normative beliefs and attitudes; and reduce risky behavior. A total of 46 parents received services; 80% of youth involved in the program did not re-offend; 85% percent of youth demonstrated improvement in social competencies-- the ability to achieve personal goals in social interaction while simultaneously maintaining positive relationships with others over time and across situations.

Lane Educational Service District is using its gang prevention funds for a newly established mentoring program targeting youth demonstrating high risk factors for gang

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involvement. Relationships were developed with community partners, schools, and other community organizations to identify, match, and train youth mentors. A total of 51 youth were identified and received weekly mentoring services. Apart from one-on-one services, youth have participated in group mentoring events, and along with their families, have participated in facilitated family learning experiences. Program Takes Aim at Gangs http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/32861669-‐75/new-‐lane-‐county-‐schools-‐program-‐combats-‐recruitment-‐of-‐ young-‐kids-‐to-‐gangs.html.csp

The City of Gresham was awarded $100,000 for its gang prevention and intervention efforts. The RENEW initiative includes activities and services aimed at gang-involved or gang-impacted youth. Funds were used to implement a structured Midnight Basketball program modeled on an evidence based program from Chicago, taking place once a week on Friday nights. 9 Over 400 youth have participated in the program, 80% being gang-impacted or gang-involved. Funds also went toward the Building Successful Futures program, which has served 263 youth by offering problem-solving and coping skills through cognitive restructuring and pro-social activities. Over 90% of youth have not offended, reoffended, or received probation violations during the grant cycle. Gresham launches job program, midnight basketball for at risk-youth http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2014/10/gresham_launches_job_program_m.html

Research conducted in 2014 reported on the high risk recently immigrated African youth are at being affected or involved in gangs. 10 In response to this IRCO Africa House applied and was awarded $100,000 in YDC funding. Africa House implemented a mentorship program offering academic support/confidence skill building activities, positive adult and peer mentor relationships, and family engagement activities increasing parents’ knowledge and understanding of gangs and gang culture. Over 40 youth participated in the program; zero youth have received a criminal referral. Youth have built relationships with a mentor, are actively attending school, and/or pursuing a GED, and/or employed. A New Fresh Start: Immigrant Youths Stay Above Street Influences http://news.streetroots.org/2015/02/10/new- fresh-start-immigrant-youths-stay-above-street-influences

9 “Rethinking Sports-‐Based Community Crime Prevention: A Preliminary Analysis of the Relationship Between Midnight Basketball and Urban Crime Rates”, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Hartman and Depro, 2006. 10Reyes, M-‐.E. & Curry-‐Stevens, A. (2014). What risks do African youth face of gang involvement? A community needs assessment in Multnomah County. Portland, OR: Center to Advance Racial Equity, Portland State University. http://www.irco.org/FINAL%20REPORT%20-‐%20African%20Gang%20Research%20-‐%20Oct%202014.pdf

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In Southern Oregon, Kids Unlimited and On Track were awarded $75,000 to address gang activity. Kids Unlimited provided structured case management for youth at high risk of being gang involved. Case Management consisted of one on one and small group meetings, the development of a “Success Plan”, and connecting youth to needed services. OnTrack mental health and counseling services complimented case management services across Kids Unlimited afterschool programs serving 9 high poverty elementary and middle school in Medford and Eagle Point School District. OnTrack and Kids Unlimited served over a 100 youth at risk of or involved in gang activity.

Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC) was awarded $96,786 in YDC gang funding to help ensure youth are connected to education and are offered career and training opportunities. A gang outreach worker was also funded ensuring gang impacted youth are provided with needed guidance and support to safely help them transition out of the gang lifestyle. Over 500 youth at risk of gang involvement or those who are gang involved between the ages of 10 and 19 have received services connecting them to sports, arts, and after school activities. A total of 111 gang-impacted youth were involved in pre-vocational training, a work experience, or became employed.

Preliminary data on the eight sites that received funds for the 2013-2014 Fiscal Year suggests that nearly 70% of targeted youth ̶ those who were identified as gang-affected, gang-impacted, or at risk of joining a gang ̶ remained in mentoring, academic support, and employment training or were connected to jobs, while 90% did not commit or recommit a criminal offense.

OPPORTUNITY AND PRIORITY YOUTH As described by the White House Council for Community Solutions, youth ages 16-24 who are disconnected from the education system and labor market are described as Opportunity Youth. The YDC has coined the term Priority Youth for those ages 6-15 who are at risk of being disconnected from the education system and future labor market.

High student-teacher ratios, high rates of school suspensions, expulsions, juvenile court referrals, and low student educational achievement have been identified as risk factors contributing to youth becoming disengaged from the educational system and unprepared for the labor market. Youth experiencing these risk factors are more likely to form or join gangs, and engage in criminal behavior leading to contact with the juvenile

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justice system and incarceration. This school to prison pipeline disproportionally affects Latino, African-American, and Native youth in Oregon.

According to 2013-2014 Oregon Department of Education data, African-American/Black youth make up 2% of the school population, but the suspension/expulsion percentage for that group of students is 18%, with nearly 1 in 5 suspended or expelled. Latinos make up 22% of the school population, but are 26% of all suspensions and expulsions. Native American youth make up a little over 1% of the population, but their suspension/expulsion rate is 10%, with 1 in 10 being suspended or expelled. White students (64% of the student population), when compared to African- Americans/Blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans, have a lower discipline rate (58.7%). In comparison, African-Americans/Black (4.5% discipline rate to their 2.4%population), Hispanic/Latino (22% population with a 26% discipline rate), and Native American students (1.6% population with 2.7% discipline rate) all fared worse. It is clear that Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American students are disproportionally being disciplined at higher rates than their White peers. 11

In one effort to stop the early grade suspension and expulsion of students, Governor Kate Brown signed into law Senate Bill 553, which ensures that students in 5th grade or lower could be suspended only under stringent, specific circumstances. These circumstances could be intentionally causing serious physical harm to fellow students or school employees. They could also be suspended or expelled if an administrator decides their behavior is a direct threat to other students or school employees or when required by law.12

One key move forward in this arena has been the adoption of the Oregon Equity Lens by all education agencies in Oregon. The Equity Lens affirms the importance of recognizing institutional and systemic barriers and discriminatory practices that have limited access for many students in Oregon. The result of creating a culture of equity will focus on the outcomes of academic proficiency, civic awareness, workplace literacy, and personal integrity. The system outcomes will focus on resource allocation, overall

11 Oregon Department of Education. Education Explorer. Discipline Incidents. All Districts. 2013-‐2014. Race & Ethnicity Group Comparison. Chart. Data Grid. http://www.ode.state.or.us/apps/Navigation/Navigation.Web/default.aspx#/Discipline

12 http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2015/04/bill_to_curb_school-‐to-‐prison.html

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investments, hiring and professional learning. The Youth Development Council believes that in today’s competitive global economy and increasingly knowledge-based job world, it is essential that our youth be engaged in learning, and receive the necessary education and training to be successful not only for the jobs of today, but also for the jobs of tomorrow. The failure to properly educate and train our youth has been deemed a crisis and has been raised as an issue of national security by the Council on Foreign Relations. By 2018, 64% of jobs in Oregon will require postsecondary training after high school8. Disconnected youth (disengaged from work or education) represent an annual taxpayer cost of $37,450 per youth.13

Youth surveys in Oregon indicate that the need for money is one of the top three reasons youth join gangs.14 Research around summer youth employment has demonstrated the role it plays in reducing violence over time for those youth involved. A Chicago study was conducted on groups of youth from low-income, high crime, neighborhoods, mostly ‘C’ average students, where 20% were previously arrested, and 20% percent were victims of crime. They were given the opportunity to participate in a summer jobs program along with receiving mentorship supports. A control group was also formed among those who did not participate in the jobs program or receive mentorship. Findings indicate that over a 16 month period, 43% of youth had fewer crime arrests compared to the control group. Most of the declines in crime arrests came later in the program, speaking to the long- lasting effects of participating in the jobs program.15

“Nothing stops a bullet like a job.” This is the belief of Homeboy Industries, arguably the largest, most successful organization serving gang-impacted youth, adults and their families in Los Angeles, California. They accomplish this by offering a diverse set of programs based around an individual’s needs. Their approach incorporates case management, mental health, parenting instruction, education, and job training for youth and adults transitioning out of the gang lifestyle. Research conducted at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs indicates 70% of trainees who completed the program stayed out

13 Belfield, C.R., Levin, H.M, Rosen, R. (2012) The Economic Value of Opportunity Youth. Retrieved from http://www.serve.gov/new-‐images/council/pdf/econ_value_opportunity_youth.pdf 14 Assessing our Community’s Youth Gang Problem 2014. Jackson County, Oregon. p. 30 http://jacksoncountyor.org/community-‐justice/Juvenile-‐Services/Historical Statistics?EntryId=26849&Command=Core_Download&method=attachment Multnomah County Comprehensive Gang Assessment, June 30, 2014 https://multco.us/file/34752/download

15 Chicago gave hundreds of high-‐risk kids a summer job. Violent Crime arrests plummeted. The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/12/08/one-‐cheap-‐way-‐to-‐curb-‐crime-‐give-‐teens-‐a-‐ summer-‐job/

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of prison and found gainful employment.16

Locally, the Boys and Girls Club of Salem, Marion and Polk Counties has implemented its nationally-recognized Training Teens for Tomorrow (T3) program. The T3 program serves youth dropouts, juvenile offenders, and gang-impacted youth by connecting them to education, job readiness, skills development, and career planning. 85% of youth involved in the program have received their high school diploma or GED upon exit, 80% were employed and/or in post-secondary education upon exit, and 94% received work experience while enrolled in the program.

“Opportunity” is what our disengaged youth represent. Throughout the country community leaders, health providers, business owners, educators, policy makers, and citizens are working together to ensure our Opportunity Youth (16-24 years old) are not discarded and sent down the pipeline of gang membership and eventual incarceration. The following page highlights current evidence-based and outcome-based initiatives in Oregon –some recently launched, others longtime programs – aimed at helping Opportunity Youth and Priority Youth (younger youth at risk of becoming disconnected from education and labor market) receive the necessary resources needed to re-engage in education and training to prepare them for a successful transition to become positive and productive members of the community and not fall victim to gangs.

CONTINUING TO FUND YOUTH SUCCESS For the 2015-2017 biennium, eight sites have been awarded funding to serve youth at risk of joining gangs or those impacted by gangs. All of the selected programs offer a component or combination of services that include case management, mentoring, academic preparation, and job readiness activities.

In Ontario, Oregon, the Boys and Girls Club of the Western Treasure Valley will receive$100,000 in funding for its Targeted Anti-Gang Strategy (TAGS). The TAGS program offers personal, academic, and career goal development. This is done through one-on-one adult mentorship and support. The program will also provide grade school to middle school and middle school to high school transition support for youth and

16 Homeboy Industries 2013 Annual Report. p. 5 http://www.homeboyindustries.org/frequently-‐asked-‐questions/annual-‐report-‐hb/

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parents. Academic support will be provided through tutoring, study skills training and instruction. Youth will participate in service learning and leadership skill building. TAGS previously targeted 30 middle school youth over a 24 week period. All of the youth participants received 40 hours of mentorship and participated in 24 hours of community service, and all avoided involvement with the juvenile justice system. YDC funding will aid TAGS by expanding the number of youth being served from 30 to 50.

Jackson County Juvenile Services received $51,854 from the YDC to support its KEY programs. The KEY program components, discussed earlier in this report, consist of academic case management, youth prevention activities, and restorative justice practices. In the 2013-2014 inaugural funding cycle, the KEY program served 128 at risk and gang impacted youth. 90% of participants met or exceeded Math and Reading standards, 94% did not have a criminal referral, 93% of employed or seeking employment youth retained their job or were employed during the grant cycle. The new biennial funding will strengthen components of the KEY program. Responses to Gang Violence: Spartan Boxing and K.E.Y. http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/thinkoutloud/segment/responses-to-gang-violence-spartan- boxing-key/

In Oregon’s capital, gang activity is also taking place. Mano a Mano Family Center was awarded $100,000 in the 2015-2017 biennium to address gang activity in Salem. It will do this through its Jovenes Unidos (Youth United) project by strengthening protective factors among first generation and second generation immigrant Latino youth, ages 10- 17 at high risk of being involved or impacted by gangs. The project will use culturally- specific programs aimed at youth and their parents. The activities consist of group mentoring, leadership development, tutoring, service learning, parenting classes, and case management for parents and youths.

Northwest Family Services was awarded $100,000 to serve at least 40 youth at high risk of gang involvement who are not engaged in school or work in East Multnomah County. They will do this by continuing to offer Peer Court, a diversion program serving youth with legal offenses involving possession of marijuana and alcohol, theft, truancy, and criminal mischief. Case management will also be offered for mental health, drug and alcohol, education support and referral; GED preparation, and job readiness through their Career Fit Program; and evidence-based life skills/support groups focused on anger

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management, decision making, and interpersonal skills. Portland Opportunities Industrial Center/Rosemary Anderson High reapplied for YDC funding and was awarded $100,000 for intervention services aimed at gang- impacted and gang-involved youth. Funding will go towards a gang outreach worker connecting and building relationships and offering support to gang involved youth trying to leave the gang lifestyle. The outreach worker will provide youths and their families with resources for alternative education programs, tutoring, mentoring, counseling, and career services. The outreach worker also intervenes by responding to incidents of gang violence by working with youth and families to prevent retaliatory attacks. Last year over 250 gang-impacted youth participated in educational or vocational services and were retained throughout the school year.

In 2013, of Gresham’s seven homicides, six of them involved a gang-involved suspect or victim. In 2014, the East Metro Gang Enforcement Team seized 82 weapons, and made 233 felony arrests of gang members. The City of Gresham reapplied for Youth & Gang funding and was awarded $100,000 to continue its efforts to serve gang-involved and gang-impacted youth. They will continue with their research-based Friday Night Basketball program connecting at-risk youth with adult community role models and structured, safe, family- friendly, activities. Funding will also support the Youth Education and Employment Program targeting low-income, gang-impacted youth by providing them with job skills and employment opportunities. Last year the program helped 32 youth achieve their employment and education goals. The Youth Mindfulness Program will be offered to high risk or gang-impacted youth, helping them address their emotional, mental, and physical health. Research on mindfulness programs has shown these classes improve a student’s ability to pay attention, learn self-control, participate in class, reduce hyperactive behavior and ADHD symptoms, depression, and inattentiveness17 The City of Gresham program will also fund two gang outreach workers to help and support youth trying to leave the gang lifestyle. NBA Great Kevin Johnson scores points with youngsters http://www.pamplinmedia.com/pt/12-sports/259323-131048-nba-great-kevin-johnson-scores- points-with-youngsters

17 Research Round-‐Up: Mindfulness in Schools. October 2013. Emily Campbell. http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/research_round_up_school_based_mindfulness_programs

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Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization’s Africa House reapplied for funding aimed at preventing recently immigrated youth from being involved in gangs. It was awarded $200,000 (in two separate awards) to serve one group of youth in Multnomah and a different group of youth in Washington County. They will continue offering culturally-based mentoring programs to immigrant youth at risk of being involved in gangs. They are also committed to educating the greater immigrant community by offering sessions to educate newly arrived immigrant parents about gangs, as many parents are unaware of what gangs are. Last year, 54 of 55 youth did not receive a criminal referral, 53 actively engaged in school, job training, GED preparation, employment, or were enrolled in a post-secondary education. None of the youth they served were suspended or expelled. During this new funding cycle, they aim to quadruple the number of immigrant youth being served.

CONCLUSION

Risk factors impacting the lives of youth leading to poor educational outcomes, low job skills, and increased criminal activity can be mitigated. Communities that have effectively collaborated with partners, leveraged resources, and pursued and tracked common outcomes to meet common goals have demonstrated the ability to keep youth engaged in school and ready to enter post-secondary education or training, preparing them for living wage jobs. Committed communities working together toward a common agenda can prevent our youth from falling into an abyss of neglect, despair, and failure.

By utilizing and demonstrating the use the Comprehensive Gang Model approach, communities have worked with law enforcement and community partners to identify and target youth most susceptible to risk factors leading to gang involvement. The collection and sharing of common data across partners has shown who is involved in gang-related activity and the history of the gangs including how many there are, what gender, age group, and ethnicity, whether or not the youth is learning disabled, having poor grades, and family dynamics. The data gathered describes the types of crimes the individuals are committing, when and where the crimes are taking place, and factors contributing to reasons why the criminal activity is happening, such as the lack of community youth activities. Communities submit their applications to the Youth Development Council which includes a program summary and outline of their proposed program models as part of the OJJDP model approach.

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The Oregon Legislature has appropriated nearly one million dollars in the 2015-2017 biennium to empower communities to respond to gangs and gang violence and to successfully divert those who are on the precipice of gang involvement. By making targeted investments in proven intervention and prevention programs, Oregon communities can set these youth on a path of school engagement, career success and civic engagement rather than a life of criminal activity and incarceration.

For more information on this report, please contact:

Abraham Magaña, Prevention/Intervention Specialist at Abraham.Magañ[email protected] or phone: 503-378-5176 Brenda Brooks, Deputy Director at [email protected] Iris Bell, Executive Director at [email protected]

Documents

Youth & Gangs · 2016. 7. 20. · 3"|"P"a"g"e" Youth"Development"Division"Update"onYouth"Gang"Preventionand"Intervention"Services,"2015" Oregon’Youth’Development’Council" that