In fact, while they saw the benefit, none of the participants had found any such adult themselves. For youths who join them, gangs take the place of families. At the same time, there is an understanding that adult leaders of gangs are merely using teenagers and children to do the dirty work. The youths participating in this roundtable agreed that they are more concerned about violence outside of school than inside. For example, during planning for a school dance, participants decided to abandon a proposed theme that had a violent element, even though it was meant in good humor.
Youths learn how to behave from their families and from society.
Asked about what programs or interventions could have helped them a few years earlier, those youths who admitted to problems in the past said only learning from their own mistakes turned them around. By the time a youth reaches freshman year in high school, he or she tends to be on a path that is difficult to leave. If a program is to be successful, it needs to address the desires and interests of youths. An adult to confide in might help, but finding such a person can be difficult sometimes. Gangs and drugs, for many youths, provide the sense of belonging and money that youths crave.