Afterschool recreation programs and mentoring programs helped myself and other kids from my community. I believe that if something is being done in the beginning of the problem most programs would be effective. Early intervention plays a major role on how most youth will react when help is handed to them. As the saying goes “the better and more cost-effective place to stop the “cradle to prison pipeline” is as close to the beginning of the pipeline as possible.” Early intervention stops the onset of delinquent behavior.
Afterschool program was a safe place for me. I grew up in a violent neighborhood so having somewhere safe to go was very important to my mother, because she knew that her children was in a safe environment with positive people. I remember it very well we had three white female teachers from the suburbs (they were very brave) and one black male who volunteer to walk all the kids home (so the drug dealers wouldn’t pressure young boys into jointing their organization). Sadly they wouldn’t save all of us but it gave most of us hope for a better future, which we accomplished later in life.
