Preventing youth violence on the Central Coast
Youth violence is a problem with no simple solution, but there are programs in our communities aimed at keeping teens off the streets.
16-year-old “Gill”, a resident at the Monterey County Youth Center, told KION he has learned a lot through the rehabilitation program at the center.
“At first I was struggling and complaining about the program and then I started adjusting to it and thinking about what to do before I reacted. I started making better choices and learned how to control my anger and learned about teamwork,” said Gill.
Juvenile Institution Officer, Edward Alfaro, said many of the teens at the center were in some kind of gang and were not used to having rules.
Alfaro told KION the teenage residents tell him not having parents to watch over them is part of the problem.
“So instead of being at home doing homework or what not, it’s easy for them just to ditch school because mom is at work and that’s all they have or mom and dad are both working and no one is at home making sure they get these tasks done,” said Officer Alfaro.
Many teens then turn to the gangs for support and that is a decision that can lead to heartbreak for so many families.
In April, a shooting in Salinas took the life of a 16-year-old. Another teen was then killed days later.
A couple months before that another teen was murdered in East Salinas and the next week a
14-year-old was shot near the high school in Watsonville.
The community is fed up, but to prevent violence like this, it takes a group effort.
That is why the rehabilitation program at the youth center is so important.
Another program making a difference in Watsonville is the police department’s Caminos Hacia El xito Initiative.
“It’s mainly obviously focused for first time offenders, but we also divert the youth from becoming engaged with violence or gangs or substance abuse,” said Patricia Mata, Diversion Coordinator for the program.
The program helps teens stay out of juvenile hall and on the right path through counseling and community service.
“This way the youth get a second chance and get to learn from their mistakes rather than just being punished for what they did,” said Amelia Bonilla, Project Specialist with Teen Peer Court.
From 2012 to 2014, 89 percent of the youth in Caminos did not re-offend six months after finishing the program.
“That’s huge and that’s not independent of what we’re doing as police agency it’s a collective of different organizations joining together and looking at the problem from a different angle,” explained Lieutenant Jorge Zamora with the Watsonville Police Department.
Caminos Hacia El xito was funded partly through Measure G and the state through 2014. The department has received a large grant from the state to continue funding the program.
However, Lieutenant Zamora told KION it is also up to parents to play an important role in keeping their kids out of trouble especially as we head into summer.
“One mistake, one bad decision could have a tremendous impact on them.”
“Gill” learned that lesson the hard way and has a message for other teens like him.
“My message would be to think twice before they do something stupid and they’re doing a long time in prison or juvenile facilities.”
“Gill” also told KION more activities and programs in his community would have helped him and could still help when he leaves the youth center.
Here are a few programs available to youth on the Central Coast:
Click this link to learn more about the Monterey County Youth Center.
Click here to learn about Rancho Cielo
Click here to learn about the Silver Star Resource Center
Click here to learn about the Watsonville non-profit Youth N.O.W
The Boys and Girls Club also has many programs for teens.
Click here for the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Cruz County
The Boys and Girls Club has a Summer Fun 2016 program from June 6-29 th .
You can contact the Seaside Clubhouse at 831-394-5171 or Salinas Clubhouse at 831-757-4568 to learn more about how to sign your kids up for it.
