By Rachel Byrd
The Daily Press
VICTORVILLE, Calif. — As the gang presence continues to grow in the High Desert, local organizations continue to search for ways to stop gang recruitment early on.
Many of these newer programs are found in local elementary and middle schools.
“It’s important to provide alternatives to what is being offered by gangs or what is being offered by drugs,” said Kim Epps, the coordinator for the strategic plan on gangs for the Gangs and Drugs Task Force. “Kids need to have other options, and also the skills to say ‘no’ -- to not succumb to peer pressure.”
This fall, Victorville will launch the Uturn Gang Prevention Program at Sixth Street Preparatory, and possibly other schools. The after-school mentor program targets fourth- to eighth-graders and offers extra curricular activities.
A number of programs are also being piloted, Epps said, including the community-based Erasing Negativity Through Education and Resources. The 32-week program provides tutoring and skills building.
While schools have traditionally implemented their own gang prevention programs, such as peer counseling and mentors, there has recently been a push for more countywide programs.
The Gang Resistance Education and Training Program, or GREAT, was launched in the High Desert in 2005, and there are now three law enforcement officers visiting local schools to teach the program.
The program includes a 13-session middle school curriculum, an elementary school curriculum, a summer program and families training, all centered around gang prevention, according to the GREAT Web site.
There are plans to create a similar high school program, Epps said.
The High Desert Gangs and Drugs Task Force held its first meeting in February, in which school representatives, law enforcement officials and community members learned about identifying gang members.
“Hopefully the current programs will begin to provide opportunities for referral for those kids who are either on the verge of getting invested in gangs or who are gang members, and we can use tools that are available in those programs to steer them away from that,” said Victor Valley Union High School District Superintendant Julian Weaver.
Copyright 2008 The Daily Press