Why Youth Join Gangs
Proposal
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
1
Team Members
À Aurelio Jacobo
À Sulema Lopez
À Diana Sanchez
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
2
1
Executive Summary
Diana Sanchez
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
3
Project Goal
À To collect information and data about:
– Why youth join gangs
– What we can do to decrease involvement and
violence
À To create a proposal that will address the
above
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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2
Step #1 – Create a Team Work Plan
Activities
Deliverables
Read Assignments
Assignments Read
Develop Topic Statements, Goals
and Objectives
Topic Statements, Goals and
Objectives done
Develop a Work Plan Table
Work Plan Table done
Develop a Bar Chart
Bar Chart done
Develop a Flow Chart
Flow Chart done
Develop a List of Responsibilities
List done
Completed Assignments done
Assignments turned in
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
5
Step #2 – Develop Research and Interview
Questions and Survey Questionnaire
Activities
Deliverables
Develop a list of research questions
List of research questions done
Develop a list of three different types of
organizations
List of organizations done
Develop a list of interviewing questions
List of interviewing questions done
Find three types of people to collect
information
List of people done
Review questions
Questions reviewed
Develop a list of questions for each type of
person to collect data
List of questions done
Assure that all questions for each category is
covered
All questions covered
Develop a questionnaire that can be filled
out by different people
Questionnaire done
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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3
Step #3 – Perform Interviews and
Distribute Surveys
Activities
Deliverables
Review questions
Questions ready
Develop a list of follow-up questions
List of follow-up questions ready
Make interviewee comfortable
Interviewee comfortable
Assign questions to group to ask
Questions assigned to group
Ready to ask follow-up questions
Follow-up questions asked
Take notes of each answer given for
questions
A lot of notes taken
Assign a person from the group to
make a big set of notes for each
interview
Set of notes for each interview done
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
7
Step #4 – Analyze Interviews and Surveys
Activities
Develop a list of answers
using the big set of notes
Create a Power Point slide set
to answer questions
Tally up the questionnaire
answers
Create a Power Point slide
graph for each survey answer
Spring 2004 Semester
Deliverables
All questions answered
Power Point slide set done
Answers added up
Graphs on Power Point slides
done
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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4
Step #5 – Understand the Need and the
Problem
Activities
Deliverables
Read and do worksheet
Worksheet 3.1A and
3.1A
reading done
Develop a slide set that
Slide set done
defines the need, problem
and the opportunity
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
9
Step #6 – Develop Solutions and Action Plan
Activities
Deliverables
Read Mim Carson’s Winning Grants work
book chapters 4 and 5
Chapter 4 and 5 form Winning Grants read
Read solution statement examples 1-3
Solution statements read
Read action plan examples 1 and 3
Action plan read
Fill out worksheet 4.1A chapter 4 (Winning
Grants)
Exercise 4.1A done
Fill out worksheet 5.1A chapter 5 (Winning
Grants)
Exercise 5.1A done
Look at slides and brainstorm two possible
solutions
Two possible solutions done
Define criteria that best solutions the need
Criteria’s for best solution done
Ready to work on deliverables
Deliverables done
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
10
5
Step #7 – Create a Proposal Presentation
Activities
Deliverables
Finish completing proposal
Proposal done
Gather all documents and put
into one
One document completed
Finish completing one Power
Point slide set
Power Point slide set done
Gather all information for Power One Power Point slide set
Point slide set and put into one
completed
Finish completing all papers
All papers done
Prepare for presentation
Presentation done
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
11
Responsibilities
À Diana Sanchez– Team Leader
À Diana Sanchez– The Need Statement
À Sulema Lopez – The Solution Statement
À Aurelio Jacobo – The Proposal Work Plan
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
12
6
The Need Statement
Diana Sanchez
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
13
Background
À Surveyed 131 people
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
48 % - Ex-Gang members
37 % - Current Gang members
11 % Families of gang members
99 % Latino - Gang or Ex-Gang members
88 % Male - Gang or Ex-Gang members
Most were single / not married
78 % have families with gang history
À Interviewed 6 people from:
– Santa Cruz County Probation Department
– Watsonville Police Department’s Gang unit
– Si Se Puede – Residential Drug Treatment Program
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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7
What is the need?
À Provide youth with more support in their lives
– Reach them at a young age (5th grade and above)
– Help them belong to something meaningful
– Focus their need for excitement constructively
À Decrease gang involvement
À Lower street violence and crime
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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What age do youth join gangs?
À A majority joined gangs between ages of
10-16 years old
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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8
Why youth are joining gangs (1):
Lack of Family Involvement
À Many have one parent who works
– 84% surveyed live with one parent
– 100% surveyed say parents work
À Many parents work at night
– 65% surveyed shows parents work night
shift
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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Why youth are joining gangs (2):
Other reasons
À Family members are involved in gangs
– 73% have family members involved in gangs
À Want fun and excitement
– They like the thrill of controlling their turf
– Girls, party, and drugs
À Want respect and belonging
– Friendships (deal with their loneliness)
– Being a part of something
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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9
What was it like to be in a gang?
À No opportunities – low paying jobs
À No job except selling drugs & stealing
À Getting into trouble
À Making enemies – being a target
À Isolation – couldn’t go to many places
À Turning to drugs to get away
À Following orders – fighting for something
À Having backup
À Respect and belonging
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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When is the need evident?
À Youth are out in the streets
À When their appearance and attitude begins
to change
À Crime rates are increasing among youth
À Parents are estranged from their children
À Violence increasing in schools and
neighborhoods
À When youth are joining gangs
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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10
Consequences of not meeting the
need.
À Increase in violence and crime
À More drug use and drug trade
À Parents disowning their kids
À Teen pregnancy
À Deterioration of our community
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
21
What do youth need to not join
gangs?
À More support in their lives
À Reach them at a young age (5th grade and
above)
À To belong to something meaningful to them
À Focus their need for excitement and
physical activity constructively
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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11
The Solution Statement
Sulema Lopez
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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Two Solutions
À Sports Program
– Focus their aggressive energy
– Belong to a team
À Wilderness Experience Workshop
– Connect with nature and themselves
– Team work
– Getting away from their normal environment
– Helping protect the environment
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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Criteria for Selecting Solution
À
À
À
À
À
À
À
À
À
À
À
À
Allows team work
Fun
Meet needs of both male and female
Number of youth served
Healthy
Channels aggression and anger
Increases group spirit/ bonding
Helps learn independence
Educational
Reinforces good communication
Allows for meditation
Increases focus
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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Criteria Matrix
Criteria:
Sports
Wilderness experience
Team work
*
***
Fun
*
**
Both male/female
**
# of youth serve
**
healthy
Spring 2004 Semester
**
*
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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Criteria Matrix
Criteria:
Sports
Wilderness experience
Channels aggression *
& anger
Increase group spirit *
/ bonding
Learn independence *
**
Educational
***
***
**
*
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
27
Criteria Matrix
Criteria:
Sports
Wilderness experience
Reinforces good
communication
*
***
Allows meditation
Increase focus
Spring 2004 Semester
**
**
**
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
28
14
Description of Wilderness
Experience Program
À A workshop that will encourage children
from ages 10-18 be part of a group and do
productive activities for the community
À After school program that meets in the
afternoons and Saturdays
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
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Goal
À To decrease the involvement of youth in gangs by
creating a Wilderness Experience Program
– Create team bonding and sense of belonging through
experiential activities
– Provide support for youth from family’s with single-parents
or parents who work at night
– Provide relationships with mentors
– Do productive activities that require a lot of energy
• For example, working in the sloughs and other surrounding wildlife
environments
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
30
15
Objectives
À Find leaders in the community that want to
address these needs
À Enroll supporters to create a work plan
À Get approval of work plan from leaders
À Execute the work plan
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
31
The Work Plan
Aurelio Jacobo
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
32
16
Objective #1 – Find leaders in the community
Activities
Deliverable
Create a list of potential leaders
List of potential leaders Summer 2005
WDBA
Create a presentation
Presentation created
Summer 2005
WDBA
Give presentation to potential
leaders
Presentations given
Summer 2005
WDBA
Determine which leader(s) will
support the program
Leaders identified
Summer 2005
WDBA
Develop agreement of
understanding
Agreement of
understanding
completed
Summer 2005
WDBA
Spring 2004 Semester
Completion
Date
Person(s)
Responsible
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
33
Objective #2 – Create a work plan
Activities
Deliverable
Completion
Date
Person(s)
Responsible
Identify supporters for the work
plan
Supporters identified
Fall 2005
Leaders
Create a list of responsibilities
List created
Fall 2005
Leaders
Develop a list of sites where
program can be located
List developed
Fall 2005
Leaders
Create a list of funders for the
program
List created
Fall 2005
Leaders
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
34
17
Objective #3 – Approval of work plan by leaders
Activities
Deliverable
Completion
Date
Person(s)
Responsible
Gather all information to create a
Power Point slide set
Information gathered
Fall 2005
Supporters
Create a Power Point presentation
for the leaders of the
program
Power Point created
Fall 2005
Supporters
Present the work plan to the
leaders
Work plan presented
Fall 2005
Supporters
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
35
Objective #4 – Execute the work plan
Activities
Deliverable
Completion
Date
Person(s)
Responsible
Locate site of future program
Site located
Summer 2005
Leaders/Supporters
Identify staff members
Staff identified
Summer 2005
Leaders/Supporters
Recruit students to join
Students recruited
Summer 2005
Leaders/Supporters
Open program to the public
program open
Summer 2005
Leaders/Supporters
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
36
18
Thank you
Spring 2004 Semester
Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy - Cabrillo College
37
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