Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • An Unlikely Bond Between Chicago Teens and Veterans Is Saving Lives in the City

    Teens exposed to gang violence in Chicago have gained guidance from veterans. The mentorship program, operated through the YMCA, has helped young people connect with adults who can relate to their experiences.

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  • Halting Violence In The Heartland

    A nonprofit in Omaha focuses on hospitals for its gang intervention work, making contact with gang members or potential gang members who have been injured through violence and may be ready to make a change in their lives. YouTurn connects them to services like housing, education and job programs and acts as a bridge between families, police and doctors. It also works to prevent violence that might occur in hospitals through revenge or retaliation by rival gangs.

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  • Would you give a job to this gangster?

    In El Salvador a nonprofit partners with employers to find jobs for gang members who want a way out of that life. It's a key component to helping people escape gang violence, although companies must work with churches and community groups to get the former gang members job training and to negotiate their separation with the gang leaders. They must also convince their fellow companies this is a viable solution, as well as their own employees, who will work with the former gang members.

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  • Stopping violence like it was a virus

    Gang violence in Chicago is not uncommon, but one organization is working to change what happens in the aftermath of funerals. Dubbed a public health program, Cure Violence enlists the help of community members to attend funerals, provide food and build trust with those that have been impacted by this violence in order to deter future incidents from taking place.

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  • Kenya jail's 'mindful' scheme aims to bring sides closer

    In Kenya, prisons are rampant with violence, an overcrowded and harsh environment for people as they serve their sentences. To combat gang violence and heightened tensions between prisoners and guards, Kenya's largest maximum security facility has implemented a new program: mindfulness. The program helps prisoners and guards practice mindfulness and meditation, and ultimately helps to bridge the divide between the two factions.

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  • Last year, 39 UK youths were fatally stabbed. None were in Scotland. Why?

    Glasgow used to be called the murder capital of Western Europe until officials decided to tackle violent crime with a public health focus, using tactics similar to those used to control epidemics. A carrot and stick approach included harsher sentences for possessing a knife, but also an array of services designed to connect gang kids with jobs, housing, therapy and education. Violence dropped dramatically as much of the gang infrastructure was dismantled, so other cities are exploring adopting the model.

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  • In El Salvador, this program lays out a path to escape gang violence

    YouthBuild El Salvador is a program, partly funded by the United States, that teaches participants leadership and marketable skills, with an underlying emphasis on empathy, responsibility, and conflict resolution. In a country wrought with violence and gang activity, the hope is to give participants another option. At the end of their time in the program, participants are more likely to find employment – something that is hard to come by in the country.

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  • Murder in America: What Makes Cities Safer

    Certain cities in the United States are facing startlingly high rates of homicide and violence that haven't been seen since the height of gang activity in the 1990s. But certain cities, including Los Angeles, have continued to see declines in or stable crime rates, thanks to a community-based policing approach that uses tactics such as working with former drug dealers, hosting neighborhood events, cleaning litter from the streets, and mediating sit-downs between formal gang rivals.

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  • Philly's Gang Violence Strategy Doesn't Work. Here's Why.

    The "Focused Deterrence" approach to lowering gang violence was hailed as a success in Philly when shootings went down, but is that the whole story? The strategy is also receiving some notable critiques, including the claim that the social services and employment opportunities it claims to provide have been less than forthcoming.

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  • How one school is rising above gang activity to find college success

    Benito Juarez Community Academy in Chicago was once reputed for gang violence, struggled to support its predominantly minority students, and was had been on academic probation for nearly two decades. A revolutionary approach to academics that uses a skills-based model tailored to the needs of each individual student and emphasizes true mastery of a skill rather than memorization and regurgitation has had remarkable success, bringing Juarez up to among the top 50 schools in the state for graduation rates and test scores and making it a destination school for students of color.

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