“OKC gang prevention group keeps kids out of trouble and in school - Daily Oklahoman” plus 1 more |
| OKC gang prevention group keeps kids out of trouble and in school - Daily Oklahoman Posted: 02 Dec 2010 11:16 PM PST Copyright ©2010. The Associated Press. Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 
Sadre Smith knew he was headed in the wrong direction — going out every night with kids who were in gangs or into drugs. It took police intervention to get the 17-year-old back on track. More InfoMentors are needed Advertisement But Smith wasn't arrested. He was referred to Oklahoma City's gang prevention unit, a group of officers who are winning kids away from crime with their strong personalities, supportive after-school program and a push for education. Smith started hanging out with the cops in May and said his life already has taken a turn for the better. "They made a good impact on me, keeping me out of trouble," Smith said before he ate pizza and watched a movie in the Northeast Recreational Center. The program, officially known as Family Awareness and Community Teamwork, or FACT, was launched in 2007 and has more than 200 youth, with 50 members who spend time in an after-school program run by four officers. "We get referrals from the people who see it firsthand," said Lt. Paco Balderrama, who supervises the FACT division and truancy programs for the Oklahoma City Police Department. "Principals, teachers, pastors, friends, family — they refer kids under the age of 18 who are obviously at risk of getting influenced and getting into a gang," he said. "We show up in plain clothes and unmarked cars. We talk to the family. We talk to the kids, and tell them there's a better way, there's a better life. We try to connect the family with whatever resources they need to improve their situation." The FACT team works closely with churches and civic organizations to support families and students, he said they refer students to after-school programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters or the Police Athletic League for mentors and services. Balderrama said the department has become increasingly supportive of preventive police work. The program has grown from one to four officers and a supervisor with plans to expand to a community center in southeast Oklahoma City as well. The unit started in northeast Oklahoma City, where gang reconnaissance indicated there was the most activity that needed to be curbed. "They are influenced daily by the gang culture, the threat of fear violence if they don't become part of a gang," Balderrama said. "At the same time they are drawn to a gang because they are not getting the attention and love at home that every kid needs." It's a perfect storm to make children susceptible to gangs. One thing Smith said helped him was getting back into sports and back on the football team. "I was scared to go up to the coach and talk to him," Smith said. So the officers at FACT did the talking and the vouching for Smith. "He came up to me and just said, 'Show up at practice.'" But for every success story like Smith — who is doing "whatever it is to get me into college" — there are failures. Smith brought a cousin to the program, but the teen never returned. "I told you what would happen, didn't I?" asks Sgt. Wayland Cubit, who is a mentor to Smith. "Yeah, he's back in jail," Smith replies. "This one day could have changed everything ... That's his fault. He's a smart kid, but he just didn't make the right decision." Both Cubit and Balderrama say the program is doing well, reaching at-risk children, but more community involvement is needed. There is a need for mentors and volunteers from any background, but the young men in the program particularly need strong male mentors who can simply be a good role model, they said. "It's not a police problem, it's a society problem," Balderrama said. "Kids need to know that there is another way, that there is hope for a brighter future." News Photo Galleriesview allThis entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| For Teen Retail, Get With the Cool Kids - CNBC Posted: 02 Dec 2010 03:24 PM PST US News Page 1 of 3 | Next PageShow Entire Article For Teen Retail, Get With the Cool Kids cnbc.com | December 02, 2010 | 06:28 PM EST If you thought specialty retailers, with their slave-to-fashion business model, were risky, try the teen stores. As Cramer explained on Thursday, the hedge funds love to track the specialty names and trade their stocks on the latest same-store sales data, product lines or "it" clothes of the season. But companies that sell to teens deal with an even more fickle bunch—the teens themselves. At an age when kids are as capricious as it gets, it's hard to keep pace with their changing tastes. Hence the volatility in this space. Cramer's recommendation then is to stick with the cool kids, in this case the triple As: Abercrombie & Fitch [ ANF 56.06 You could try a Pacific Sunwear [ PSUN 6.19 Page 1 of 3 | Next PageShow Entire Article © 2010 CNBC.com All Rights Reserved This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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