YES Begins the Conversation on Gang Violence and Juvenile Justice

On Thursday, September 28, 2017, Pasadena's YES held an event at the Pasadena Job Center to discuss solutions to gang and youth violence.

Together, youth and adults from the Pasadena community watched the Netflix documentary "They Call Us Monsters," which traces the victimization and criminalization of juvenile youth. Directly after the movie, a panel was held to facilitate a conversation about potential solutions to youth and gang violence.

Among the solutions discussed were the easing of juvenile youth’s transitioning from group homes to normalized family life, creating support systems for youth to re-engage them with the education system, and mentorship and socialization, even and especially when positive role models are lacking in the household.

Pasadena's YES is confident that this will be much more than just a conversation—it is the first step in addressing gang and youth violence in our community.