how can i make a difference

Brenna Gustafson

Stacey Knapp

English 1A

28 April 2013

                                                            If I Could Make a Difference

            If I could make a difference in my community I would want to create more positive outlets for children to be a part of in hopes that they would have a chance at life without gangs. There are many aspects of why kids go towards gangs. To get to the heart of the problem that is affecting nearly all neighborhoods in America one would have to break down the components of why kids go towards gangs. So I ask myself what are the problems and how can I counter act the appeal of gang life? The problems that I can see are lack of proper support from parents or parent, lack of education from parents on the signs of their children’s fascination towards gangs, the lack of positive support from teachers and adults in children’s lives, and the lack of things for children to do after school. In order for a drastic change to happen the whole community would have to participate in the rehabilitation of our young.

            It is one of the hardest problems to tackle, and that is the lack of proper support from a single or both parents. A lot of the time parents do not care what their children are doing. Parents also minimize and justify their children’s behavior. I would want a law set in place for those parents who let their children do what they want to lose parental rights and for the parents who really care about their kids there should be free classes on parenting that should be mandatory, which our community should offer. Not every situation is black and white and not every parent who is unintentionally neglecting their child is doing so purposely. Every case would have to be really examined with care by someone who cared about the lives of our young.

            There is also a lack of education available to parents who notice signs that their children are acting out. I would want to start groups that parents can go to help them set boundaries and stick to them no matter what. It is imperative for parents to be able to catch the signs before it is too late.  The is only a small amount of time that you have before you lose your kid for good then it is too late and your child will be lost in the never ending cycle of jails, institutions, and misery. For those parents who say that they do not have the time for groups I would say to you that you will regret not taking time off for your kid to save their life because when your kid turns thirteen or fourteen it will be too late. Gangs recruit kid young and the reason for that is young kids are easily manipulated.      

            It sounds like a lot but it is worth it to invest time and money in our youth they are the future. You may not think that this can happen to you but gangs are reaching the suburbs. I went through this with my nephew who is now fifteen. I saw the early signs of him going down the wrong road. I followed my simple rules and I was able to help him through the grips of gang life.