Engaging Youth in Gang Prevention



About The Toolkit Youth Engagement and Leadership Development What You Need To Know Structural Supports for Gang Prevention Intiative Qualities of a Youth Serving Agency Leader Characteristics and Benefits of Community Engagement Youth Leadership Ideas for Working with Youth Promising Approaches for Working with Youth in PSN From Theory to Practice Computer Assisted Debate (CAD) Peers Organized to Support Student Excellence (POSSE) Kansas City, MI Urban Peace and Justice Sumitt Charlotte, NC Forum on Youth Gangs and Violence Rap Against Violence Talented Tenth It's Not Snitchin' Sowing Peace Youth Speak Up Media Initiatives: For Youth By Youth Message to the Leaders Rap Against Violence It's Not Snitchin' Sowing Peace Weathering the Storm Getting Started Strategic Planning Exercises and Activities Other Resources Training and Technical Assitance About the Institute for Law and Justice	The role that media and technology plays in the lives of young people is huge, and has a profound impact on their lives. Youth involvement with media and technology is educational and also allows youth to reach out to others across the country who are in similar situations. The projects created by youth for youth demonstrate the power of this medium to positively influence their peers. Message to the Leaders features interviews with Kansas City, Missouri youth about changes they would like to see in their community. The youth featured ask for help with everyday situations, knowing that they can achieve greater success if they have the support of community leaders. Video: Message to the Leaders Rap Against Violence reaches into the homes, hearts, and minds of the community to create a word of mouth epidemic against gangs and gun violence. Sponsored under Operation Cease-Fire by the 18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Florida, Rap Against Violence invites youth to record original rap songs that speak out against gun crime and gang violence. The theme of the second annual contest held in 2008 was Develop Not Destroy and challenged hip hop artists as well as community members to "Step up and Speak Out" against gun violence and the culture of witness intimidation. Video: TV Ad Video: PSA Announcement It's Not Snitchin' is a persuasive public service announcement developed by young people in Washington DC's Youth in Action Program. Youth in Action is run by the non profit organization Peaceoholics, which is funded by PSN. The PSA highlights the responsibility that youth have to protect their community by reporting crime. Youth producers enlisted Anwan Glover (also known as "Big G", a well known local actor who appeared on the cable television show, The Wire) to make a cameo appearance in the PSA. The 30 second video can be downloaded to use locally or as creative inspiration for local youth to create gang awareness. Video: It's Not Snitchin' Sembrando Paz (Sowing Peace) is a violence prevention project sponsored by PSN and run by Allianza Para un Puerto Rico sin Drogas (Alliance for a Drug Free Puerto Rico). The program offers youth a variety of prevention activities as well as vocational training. Youth in the program created a series of montages in which they acted out the consequences of making the wrong choices regarding gangs, guns and drugs. The video montages are now used in other teen workshops as a way to facilitate discussion about these choices and their consequences. The 90 second video can be downloaded here with English subtitles. Video: Sembrando Paz 1 Video: Sembrando Paz 2 Video: Sembrando Paz 3 Video: Sembrando Paz 4 Weathering the Storm is a compilation of public service announcements created by six middle school youth in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Produced by the Gulfsouth Youth Action Corps, the video highlights each youth’s story of the destruction and devastation they have encountered in New Orleans since the storm and their views about what their community needs to be able to rebuild. The video demonstrates the power that youth have to be the leaders of change in their communities. Watch the video on the Gulfsouth Youth Action Corps website.
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The role that media and technology plays in the lives of young people is huge, and has a profound impact on their lives. Youth involvement with media and technology is educational and also allows youth to reach out to others across the country who are in similar situations. The projects created by youth for youth demonstrate the power of this medium to positively influence their peers.

Message to the Leaders features interviews with Kansas City, Missouri youth about changes they would like to see in their community. The youth featured ask for help with everyday situations, knowing that they can achieve greater success if they have the support of community leaders.

Video: Message to the Leaders

Rap Against Violence reaches into the homes, hearts, and minds of the community to create a word of mouth epidemic against gangs and gun violence. Sponsored under Operation Cease-Fire by the 18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Florida, Rap Against Violence invites youth to record original rap songs that speak out against gun crime and gang violence. The theme of the second annual contest held in 2008 was Develop Not Destroy and challenged hip hop artists as well as community members to "Step up and Speak Out" against gun violence and the culture of witness intimidation.

Video: TV Ad
Video: PSA Announcement

It's Not Snitchin' is a persuasive public service announcement developed by young people in Washington DC's Youth in Action Program. Youth in Action is run by the non profit organization Peaceoholics, which is funded by PSN. The PSA highlights the responsibility that youth have to protect their community by reporting crime. Youth producers enlisted Anwan Glover (also known as "Big G", a well known local actor who appeared on the cable television show, The Wire) to make a cameo appearance in the PSA. The 30 second video can be downloaded to use locally or as creative inspiration for local youth to create gang awareness.

Video: It's Not Snitchin'

Sembrando Paz (Sowing Peace) is a violence prevention project sponsored by PSN and run by Allianza Para un Puerto Rico sin Drogas (Alliance for a Drug Free Puerto Rico). The program offers youth a variety of prevention activities as well as vocational training. Youth in the program created a series of montages in which they acted out the consequences of making the wrong choices regarding gangs, guns and drugs. The video montages are now used in other teen workshops as a way to facilitate discussion about these choices and their consequences. The 90 second video can be downloaded here with English subtitles.

Video: Sembrando Paz 1
Video: Sembrando Paz 2
Video: Sembrando Paz 3
Video: Sembrando Paz 4

Weathering the Storm is a compilation of public service announcements created by six middle school youth in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Produced by the Gulfsouth Youth Action Corps, the video highlights each youth’s story of the destruction and devastation they have encountered in New Orleans since the storm and their views about what their community needs to be able to rebuild. The video demonstrates the power that youth have to be the leaders of change in their communities. Watch the video on the Gulfsouth Youth Action Corps website.