51 have died so far in gang violence in Jamaica
read more here
This from Washington State but it applies everywhere:
Each Week in Washington State, an average of two young people die by suicide and another 17 suicide attempts result in hospitalization.
While these facts are disturbing, there is hope. By educating ourselves and others, we can make a difference in preventing youth suicide.
Myth:
A youth threatening suicide is really not serious about completing suicide.
Fact:
Those youth who talk about suicide or exhibit suicidal behaviors are serious suicide risks. As a friend, parent or professional caregiver, it is better to overestimate the risk of suicide and intervene than to ignore or minimize the behaviors.
Myth:
Suicide cannot be prevented because, somehow, a suicidal youth will find a way to do it.
Fact:
The majority of the time youth who kill themselves have given definite signs or talked about suicide. The keys to prevention are recognizing the warning signs and knowing what to do to help. Remember that most suicidal youth do not really want to die, they just want their pain to end.
Myth:
Talking about suicide will cause someone to attempt suicide.
Fact:
Talking about suicide does not create or increase risk; it actually reduces it. If you have observed any of the warning signs, chances are the youth is already thinking about suicide. Be direct in a caring, non-confrontational way; ask the question, “are you thinking about suicide?” Open talk and genuine concern are a source of relief and key elements in preventing the immediate danger of suicide.
Resources:
YSPP (Youth Suicide Prevention Program) Yakima Co. (Parents/teens) http://yspp.org/index.htm #1-800-273-TALK
Washington Department of Health (parent site) http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/adolescenthealth.htm
Metanoia. (youth site) http://www.metanoia.org/
Also: FYI
Most suicidal young people don’t really want to die; they just want their pain to end. About 80% of the time, people who kill themselves have given definite signals or talked about suicide. The key to prevention is to know these signs and what to do to help.
Watch for these signs. They may indicate someone is thinking about suicide. The more signs you see, the greater the risk.
We take a look at Gang Watchers who are actively involved in reporting on gangs in California and doing street ministry. Their site can be found at http://www.gangwatchers.org/
Missional Church Center: Seek God on behalf of Gangs
By Missional Church Center
SEEK GOD ON BEHALF OF GANGS “Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy, now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he longs.” – Psalm 12:5 …
There Are No Children Here, the true story of brothers Lafeyette and Pharoah Rivers, ages 11 and 9 at the start, brings home the horror of trying to make it in a violence-ridden public housing project. The boys live in a gang-plagued war zone on Chicago’s West Side, literally learning how to dodge bullets the way kids in the suburbs learn to chase baseballs. “If I grow up, I’d like to be a bus driver,” says Lafeyette at one point. That’s if, not when–spoken with the complete innocence of a child. The book’s title comes from a comment made by the brothers’ mother as she and author Alex Kotlowitz contemplate the challenges of living in such a hostile environment: “There are no children here,” she says. “They’ve seen too much to be children.” This book humanizes the problem of inner-city pathology, makes readers care about Lafeyette and Pharoah more than they may expect to, and offers a sliver of hope buried deep within a world of chaos.
CBS47 Special Report: Escape from Gang Life
CBS 47
Sam Rangel is on a mission… a mission to save Valley youth from the gang life. Rangel says, “If you hang with a gang member, you are a gang member. We need to get them young, at the elementary level, while they’re still impressionable.
Gang myths vs. realities
Bangor Daily News
The term “street gang” is often used interchangeably with “youth gang” as well as “criminal street gang,” The sequence of events that led to 19-year-old John “Bobby” Surles’ death last week was like a scene out of “Romeo and Juliet” or its modern equivalent, “West Side Story.”
Gang problem at Discovery, result of peer pressure
WAFF
By Margo Gray – bio | email MADISON, AL (WAFF) –
MADISON, AL (WAFF) – Even if it’s a “wanna-be” gang or a real gang, being involved with one can have dangerous consequences.
Many say the so-called gang at Discovery Middle School is just small snap-shot of a problem impacting children across the nation.
A look at the growth of Homegirl Industries in LA…
Ex-gang members part of LAX eatery bid
Daily Breeze
Travelers seeking a taste of local culture may soon be treated with Mexican food, sandwiches and pastries served up by members of a nonprofit gang-intervention group hoping to open shop at Los Angeles International Airport.
Homegirl Cafe, a successful downtown Los Angeles staple since April 2005, is vying for one of the restaurant spots up for bid at LAX. If the bid is successful, the second Homegirl Cafe would provide jobs for former gang members and youths considered to be at risk.
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