Giving Back

The communities that face a lot of crime and delinquency are the communities that need the most help. We need to reach out to the children in these areas and give them something to do so we can actually begin to keep children out of trouble. Adolescents are curious, easy to influence and they are vulnerable. The people who are most involved in their lives are going to be who their mirror their image after and learn from. We have the power to decide whom that influence gets to be. It is proven through research that children develop through nurturing and experiences. If they have these experiences with their gang member next-door neighbor who is selling drugs out on the street and stealing things then they are going to be negatively influenced and taught to believe the behavior is acceptable. If we offer them fun afterschool programs that they actually want to participate in then we will attract more children and get them off the streets and somewhere where they can be looked after and mentored positively.

When I have enough money one day I plan to sponsor sports teams that have both single sex and co-ed team options. Through providing these sports programs to the kids it gives them something constructive to do that will tire them out afterschool. I hope to have multiple teams, supply equipment and have volunteers (parents) ref and coach the teams so that they can be involved with their child’s life. This is one way I hope to give back and help a struggling community in my area.

Other things people can do is donating to organizations that support rebuilding the cities. The future of this country and everything we know is in the hands of the people we leave behind us. If we do not help these children be all they can be, how can we hold high expectations for them? It is time to realize the severity and reality of the situation and actually work to change it. According to the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, “while many public and private agencies must join forces to help youth, close examination of agency responsibility indicates that no other single agency has the degree of responsibility that in incumbent on police” (Brennan, 1956, p. 887). It is the police forces job to control and stop crime yet they cannot seem to get a handle on it; that is why it is time to work together with the police and push to help our struggling youth instead of incarcerating them.

Overall, many experts conclude that risk taking during adolescence is “normal” and that the key is to provide guidance in decision making and encourage the adolescent to channel the positive developmental aspects of this energy into less dangerous and more constructive “risky” pursuits (APA, 2002) instead of criminal or malicious pursuits. In order to help solve the problem there needs to be a clear understanding of the cities people, culture and needs. Group therapy, mentors, afterschool sports teams and educational tutors etc should be available to children in high-risk crime areas in order to lead them down a better and more supervised path avoiding crime and delinquency.

American Psychological Association (APA). (2002). A Reference for Professionals: Developing Adolescents. American Psychological Association Article.

Brennan, J., J. (1956). Police and Delinquent Youth. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. Vol 46, Article 16, Issue 6, p 886-891.