Program Elements: How One Local Program is Keeping Youth out of Gangs
Story by Kelli Bemelmans
Young people join gangs for many reasons. Being part of a
gang creates a feeling of family and belonging and provides peer acceptance,
increased self-esteem and self-identity, protection and more. Essentially, it
fills a void in a young person’s life. When a child’s developmental needs are
not met, his or her call for help often results in running away or drug use,
leaving him vulnerable to gang activity.
A gang is generally defined as a group of three or more
people sharing a common identity (such as a gang name), who use specific signs,
symbols or numbers, and who collectively commit crimes. Gang members in
Program Elements
Local residents are, for the most part, unaware of Program Elements,
a remarkably successful anti-gang program run by the New Hanover County Sheriff
Gang Task Force (GTF). Begun in July 2006, it is the most comprehensive such
program in
The two-year success of Program Elements is confirmed by the numbers. After six months in the program, the average at-risk youth’s school attendance improved by 95 percent; conduct improved by 86 percent; grades improved by 88 percent; and additional improvements ranged from employment to reduced probation violations.
Program youth, whose ages range from 6 to 22, are measured
on 18 different criteria categories and are evaluated at 30, 90 and 180 days in
the program. Dr. Lynne Snowden, professor of Criminal Justice at UNCW, heads
the evaluation team, as UNCW serves as the research partner for Program Elements.
Program youth names are removed and replaced by a number to ensure
confidentiality, and the research team ensures unbiased evaluations results.
The ambitious program is staffed by one sergeant, two detectives,
three case managers and Michelle Guarino, who as a Licensed Clinical Social
Worker conducts psychotherapy. Each at-risk youth receives a 12-month
individualized treatment plan, including individual, group and family therapy
free of charge. Case managers follow up one-on-one with the youth, and behavior
modification skills are put in place to increase coping, anger-management and
social skills. On Tuesday evenings, the youths can attend
Elements is divided into four prongs of service: Prevention, Intervention, Diversion and Suppression.
“The most important step is to identify any unmet needs or problems in the youth’s life and begin there. We have to heal what caused the youth to desire gang involvement as a means to cope,” Michelle Guarino says.
If a youth is already gang-involved, the team seeks to intervene with measures such as disassociation. Different steps are used with each youth, working toward the goal of breaking contact with the gang. Step one is usually spending less time in the gang neighborhood; for example, spending three nights a week instead of five in the neighborhood. This may difficult because some youth and their families may reside in known gang neighborhoods. In this case, time spent with gang-related peers is discussed and decreased. The second step involves wearing neutral clothing some days instead of wearing gang colors every day, and editing gang references from My Space pages.
“The steps are individualized to each kid,” Michelle Guarino says. “It might be broken up into 10 steps; we don’t want to overwhelm them. Like an addict, they might relapse, but they understand that Elements won’t leave them.”
Group Activities
In addition to therapy and case management, Program Elements offers group
activities to build trust, self-esteem and teamwork. The activities are fun,
exciting ways for the kids to spend their free time. The groups are sometimes
co-ed and sometimes girls-only, but they are never divided by gang. What is
most unique is the fact that every program is facilitated or co-facilitated by
Elements staff.
“Each task, project or new adventure we ask the kids to take part in, we take part in. We work alongside our program youth,” Michelle Guarino says.
In partnership with Coastal Horizons, the youth climb the low and high ropes courses, learn about different environments and, most importantly, learn about themselves. This partnership provides other activities such as kayaking, hiking, survival skills, belay training, nature discovery and camping.
“Experiential therapy is a premise of our partnership with Coastal Horizons and throughout Program Elements,” Michelle Guarino states.
These a
ctivities
are action-oriented, occur in an unfamiliar environment and use positive stress
to promote change. Program staff focuses on solutions and successful behavior.
Activities help to develop trust, rapport and increase self esteem and positive
social skills.
“Fear and unfamiliar environments become the great equalizer,” Detective
JP Guarino says. “Gang allegiances and colors fall to the wayside and group
cohesion and unity prevail.”
Program Elements also partners with local climbing gym Climb On. This partnership’s goal is to empower program youth, instill trust, learn responsibility and improve decision-making skills. The youth are taught safety, climbing strategies and belay techniques. (The ‘belayer’ protects his or her climbing partner from falling by controlling the rope using anchors and braking devices). When the program youth learn how to belay, they always belay an Elements staff member first.
“The kids’ sense of accomplishment is overwhelming,” Michelle
Guarino says. “We have trusted them and that in itself appears to mean so much
to them.” In April 2009, Program Elements youth will take their new climbing
skills to the mountains of
Program Elements has also teamed up with Coastal Therapeutic Riding Program (CTRP), where they do projects and chores, help special-needs children ride, learn tacking procedures, then get to ride the horses themselves. CTRP has also acquired additional barn animals that Program Elements kids assist in caring for.
Kim Niggel, program director at the barn, encourages the kids in projects such as fence building and painting and chores like cleaning stalls. She also teaches the Elements kids to be “side walkers” — they walk alongside a horse with a special needs rider with an adult leading the horse.
“Not one of our Elements kids has ever made fun of the special needs kids,” Michelle Guarino says. “They are respectful and courteous.”
The youths are encouraged to interact with the riders.
“The dialogue is amazing. We sometimes learn more about these kids than we did in therapy,” Michelle Guarino says.
Equine and animal therapy programs such as this foster trust, communication, self worth and problem solving, with some elements developed just for fun. Along with empowerment, equine therapy promotes personal accountability, which is a key treatment component for maintaining lasting positive change.
The Elements kids, who often show no vulnerability in their daily lives, respond warmly to the animals. Their confidence and self-esteem increase as they overcome apprehension of the animals. Some of the horses have been abused, and the kids learn that they have the ability to nurture.
“We try to take them to the next level of independence,” Niggel says. After they’re finished helping, they get to ride.
“I like riding the horses,” says Unique, a 15-year-old Elements participant. “It makes me feel free.”
Michelle Guarino proudly notes that Unique is a natural; she rides English and Western and has perfect posture.
“I feel calm coming here,” says Unique of her visit to the farm. “It makes me feel good being around the special-needs children.” Program Elements and CTRP will host their first horse show in March 2009.
The final
group program offered by Program Elements is “A Second’s Chance.” In
partnership with
Suppression and Other Measures
When the above measures fail and gangs are already entrenched, local
law enforcement officials turn to suppression measures. State legislators have
recently passed tougher gang laws, allowing some gang-related crimes to be
charged as felonies instead of misdemeanors. For example, it is a felony to
supervise a gang or recruit members, and all assets from gang activity may be
seized.
The GTF is also working to break the “no-snitch” mentality, where gang leaders intimidate younger members and the community into silence about the gang’s activities.
At the same time suppression measures are being taken, the detectives are working to establish rapport with the youths. They accompany them on some of the programs and conduct street outreach by being present in the community.
“It is important for us to gain the program’s youth’s trust to overcome deep-rooted social stereotypes that prevent law enforcement from having effective, positive relationships with young people,” Detective Guarino says.
Gang Awareness
The Gang Task Force provides educational presentations to the
community to raise gang awareness. Quarterly seminars are held at area high
schools for parents, teachers and community members. No one under the age of 18
is permitted to attend so that sensitive material about gangs is not
disseminated to school-age youth. School Resource Officers (SROs) are in touch
daily with the detectives, and teachers are provided gang-recognition training.
Studies show that parents play the most important role in preventing their children from joining gangs. There are many things parents can do: Spend time with your children every day, encourage their involvement in sports and after-school activities, be vigilant in the neighborhood, and teach children what to do if they are approached by a gang member.
Community awareness, parental involvement, efforts by school personnel and programs like Elements are making a difference in combating this difficult social issue.
One program participant summed up his experience with Project Elements in this way: “Thank you for not giving up on me, even when I avoided you and turned away. I have made some awful choices and many of them have caught up with me. I wasn’t always ready for change but I am now and you were there.”
[sidebar]
Warning Signs That a Youth is Involved with a Gang
· Specific drawings or symbols on notebooks, clothes, walls
· Fascination with a certain number
· Wearing only one color of clothing
· Using hand signs to communicate with friends
· Withdrawal from normal activity and family
· Change in friends
· Unexplained cash or goods
· Unexplained injuries
· Secrecy
· Declining school performance and attendance
· Use of nicknames
· Consistent rule breaking
· Speaking in gang language or codes
· More violent tendencies toward authority figures
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