Having worked voluntarily with young people who have been involved with gangs.  This is my take on it.   

HOME

• No home life
• No structure
• No caring
• No love
• No role models
• No incentives
• No positive comments

Your useless, you did nothing at school, you won’t get a job.  You’re a good for nothing that brings nothing into the house.  Your friends are all trouble makers and you are just plain lazy.  You’re an ungrateful boy.  I didn’t want children, you were an accident but I brought you up and this is how you repay me by sitting around all day smoking.  You are a mess.  You stay out all night and I get the police knocking on my door in the middle of the night.  I can’t be bothered to go down the police station, you are not worth it. 

I have nothing to do and no way of earning money.  No one listens to me.

GANGS

• Your one of us
• You belong
• We are proud to have you as one of us
• Everyone is scared when they see us walking down the street – that’s power
• If we want it we take it – who is going to stop us
• Girls like us and want to be with us
• We have rules to make the gang work but they are our rules.
• Top gang gets respect
• No one messes with anyone in our gang – we look after each other
• You earn money in gangs from various sources, drugs, muggings, robberies etc

I am respected in my area.  Everyone knows I belong to De Ville gang and no one will touch me unless they want trouble.  What ever I do my gang will back me up.  I get the girls because of who I am.  I have money and can get all those things like cars, bling, from what I earn.  No one puts me down. I always have somewhere to go and my kind of people to be with.  People listen to me when I say something.