Get The Gang Denunciation And Gang Renunciation Form (GDGRF)

Getting out of a gang isn't easy, but it's possible with persistence. It is worth it. Remember that you aren't alone, and many other people have left gangs before. Every day there are young people worldwide, breaking out of gang control.

Within the gang, they find identity, security, companionship, and a sense of belonging they never knew at home. Still other youths join gangs merely for survival or protection from other gangs. The gang may also represent a way to succeed and obtain material possessions that the youth would not otherwise have.

Be proactive. Tell your parents, a school counselor, or a police officer immediately if you are approached by a gang member attempting to recruit you. Let gang members know you respect them but you are not interested in joining a gang. Avoid areas where gang members hang out. Attend school regularly and work hard.

In addition to money, gangs can give members a feeling of protection by providing them with weapons and a sense of safety in numbers, or a sense that they have people who will fight with them if needed (Decker & Van Winkle, 1996). Such provisions may help youth to address their safety needs.

Discover why kids join gangs Unstable/broken home. Economic instability. Low education attainment and expectations. Family members in a gang. Neglect by one or both parents. Violence in the home or in the community, directed at the child. Alcoholism and or drug abuse by one or both of the parents.

Some children and adolescents are motivated to join a gang for a sense of connection or to define a new sense of who they are. Others are motivated by peer pressure, a need to protect themselves and their family, because a family member also is in a gang, or to make money.

The processes by which youth leave gangs, often referred to as “desistance,” are similar to the “push” and “pull” processes by which youth join gangs, although the specific reasons are often very different.