A recent survey showed that 7% of teens say they belong to a gang. By definition, a gang is just a group of teens or young adults who spend a large amount of time together. However, they have become notorious for their association with violence. In fact, gang related activity is the leading source of violence in our American schools. Teens who become members of gangs are often at higher risk for serious injury or death.
The age of gang members varies, but usually they are between 12 and 25 years old. Many rebellious teens become interested in gangs as a means of defiance. Identifying gangs can be done fairly easily as they are traditionally a group of the same ethnicity and use certain hand shakes or signs to communicate with each other. Plus, a large part of being in a gang is portraying your membership with your clothing. Often, gang members will wear a particular style, brand, or color of clothing. Also, bandannas and baseball caps may indicate teen gang activity.
Teens are frequently asked to perform acts of violence as a right of a passage for their induction into a gang. In addition, gang activity usually involves inhabiting a particular area of space, whether it is a neighborhood or a hall inside of the school building. Gang violence often occurs in the act of other gangs invading the “protected area.” Also, drug trafficking, stealing, sex crimes, and weapons can all be part of gang activity. In fact, 70% of all teen deaths caused by a fire arm are gang related. Schools try to eliminate gang activity with dress codes and supervision. However, if you think your teen may be in trouble, seek the help of a professional counselor.
