They've learned from their experience and now several paralyzed former gang members are spreading the word.
Teens on Target, a Rancho Los Amigos-based counseling and support group, helps other teens turn their own lives around.
The members give talks and workshops at Rancho, area middle schools, and also at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey.
There are no hard and fast requirements to join. You don't have to be partially paralyzed or have gang ties, though most members are and do. But you have to want to improve your life and help others improve theirs.
Teens on Target meets 5-7 p.m. Thursdays in the conference room in the 900 building at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center, 7601 E. Imperial Highway, Downey. For information, call coordinator Fidel Valenzuela, (310) 401-8166.
Article Sections
- Path of a Bullet
- We All Pay the Price
- Tracking Down the Suspects
- Gun Ownership Path Often Doesn't Lead to Killers
- The Price of Justice
- Finding Solutions
- Why Kids Kill
- A Young Murderer Recalls the Day He Said: "Daddy, I Killed Someone"
- Paralyzed by Gunfire
- Teens on Target
- A Prescription for Peace
- Schools Have a Lesson Plan Against Youth Crime
Theo Douglas
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Theo Douglas is a reporter for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, CA.
Paul Hu
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Paul Hu is a photographer for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, CA.
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