Growing Up In Gangs

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As young, pre-teen youth grow up their respective communities and enter adolescence, their curiosity and desire to find thrill and ‘get out’ reaches an all-time high, as their brains are developing and ability to make wise decisions isn’t very strong. By joining a gang, they are able to suffice their need for adrenaline and are also able to ‘get out’, as the spend most of their time out of their respective homes. Youth are also looking for a sense of belonging in their life, as they feel the need to fit into a certain label and/or be known for something, which gives them as status to uphold. Being a part of a gang gives youth the opportunity to feel wanted within the gang itself, and also feel as though they are living up to their prescribed …show more content…
Variables such as the length of time spent with the gang, the types of bonds the youth has with other gang members as well the reputation the youth may have in the gang must all be taken into account and may make the process easier or harder. As youth grow up in gangs, they miss out of attaining a proper education along with proper work skills and habits which can be used in the workforce, making the transition from the gang to society strenuous as they do not have many common requirements to attain a job, especially for a youth. If they do end up getting employment, it will most likely be a low-paying service sector employment with very low career development potential. Secondly, the stigma surrounding gang involvement whether past or present may hinder the youth’s chances of progressing in their lives and finding a way out of the gang since they are always linked to it in the perception of the public. Thirdly, being a part of gang at a point in a youth’s life can have permanent effects. Tattoos, criminal records and other activities committed as a member of a gang may affect their integration back into the community. Lastly, being a gang member may lead a youth to have issues with anger management, family ties, mental health and/or substance …show more content…
That being said, maturity is one the biggest reasons why youth leave gangs after a relatively short period of time. Many youth find themselves ‘growing out’ of the gang after a period of time and progress with their lives afterwards away from the gang. Secondly, youth living in Canada and the US have many different resources around them which can provide them the same things which a gang can in terms of belonging, care and respect, to an even greater scale. Once a youth becomes aware of the opportunity to create pro-social bonds in their community, the incentive to leave the gang increases as the youth has a better opportunity to grow without the gang. Thirdly, the fear of victimization and threats to personal is rooted in youth who take part in gangs, as studies show that gang-involved youth are subject to more victimization than youth who are not-gang-involved. In a nutshell, the sole reason which attracted the youth to the gang in the first place was that they felt it provided what they needed at the time. As they grow up and gain experiential knowledge and become more mature, they will realize that the gang does not provide the same advantages as it once did. When this becomes the case, youth will see greater disadvantages in gang membership and look to more

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