Troubled Teens Resources

It depends on what part of the country that you live in, but many teen crisis intervention efforts are directed towards youth in gangs. As traffic continues to moves freely across our Southern borders, gangs are starting to proliferate in areas of the country that never had problems before. With gangs come the usual problems with teen drug substance abuse, crime, murders and abuse of young teen girls.

“Acts of violence and crime are on the rise in St. George due to an increase in gang activity as more gang members are moving to the area, and more kids are becoming involved with these gangs.

Ex-gang member Alii Alo is reaching out to the youth in schools and on the streets. He has seen firsthand the devastation that comes with gang affiliation. Alo, known as Bear on the streets, co-created Team RAW in 2003 with Tami Fullerton. They saw the need for an organization that offers an alternative to the gang lifestyle by providing activities for at risk youth, developing friendships with the kids, and building a rapport with current gang members.”
(source)

Team RAW, like so many community efforts is in need of funding. Staff is short and there isn’t enough money to conduct the type of outreach the founders wish to perform. This is where parents can play a part by being pro-active for their teen’s safety. Gangs are a danger to an entire city, not just the parts of town that they control. When parents demand safety from their law enforcement, they also need to see what they can contribute to community efforts like RAW.