Are Gangs Good For The Community?

Gangs are constantly getting bad press. The noun "gangs" is commonly overused to portray the evils of youth culture. However, gangs are a vital part of growing up and help youngsters to become law-abiding citizens. You'll never hear this in the media, as the media portrays gangs as violent groups that promote drugs, guns, and sexual misconduct.

There is a lot of controversy around the breakdown of youth society, especially those who come from unstable backgrounds. The older community always bangs on about inadequate education systems, dysfunctional families, and no respect for the more senior community. The quote "It was never like this when I was younger" is very misguided. Every generation of society has had its fair share of misguided and rebellious youth.

We hear a lot on TV and other media about the rise in the youth crime rate; however, let's be truthful, youth crime has always been a part of society. It's how society deals with youth crime that will determine what happens next. A lot of the reported rise in youth crime rate is due to how quickly the population has grown and how the media choose to report youth crime.

The media has changed the meaning of "gang" to pump the fear of "gangs controlling every street corner." This narrative of gangs is exaggerated in dramas, documentaries, and rolling news and makes people think "gang culture" is the main reason why today's youth are stuck in a downward spiral. Gang culture is a widely used term that connects youth violence to gangs.

Since working with children in care, I have realised the gangs themselves aren't the problem. Although I have never been part of a gang, I have learned that many young people will join "gangs" to have a sense of belonging - It has nothing to do with fighting other "gangs". Society needs to take action when these so-called "gangs" use violence to control turfs, territories and make money. Young people tend to join gangs as it is an integral part of growing up. Not all gangs use violence. If positive older role models are involved with these gangs, they can hold the boundaries essential to stop them from spiralling out of control and turning violent and crime driven.

As children grow up, they look for boundaries within their social circle and outside their social circle. Young people will continue to break boundaries until they reach a dead-end or until they are either unable to unwilling to break that boundary. Breaking boundaries is an essential part of growing up and becoming a law-abiding citizen. Many gangs in the UK are violent due to no positive role model being part of the gang where they set the boundaries of acceptable behaviour in society. Gangs without positive role models are often toxic. They lose their moral compass and resort to violence in dealing with power struggles and internal conflicts.

On the other hand, numerous organisations work with young people in gangs. These organisations help young people through difficult times by evolving them into productive, responsible members of society.

For many, 'gang' is just another word for 'a group of friends' or ‘team’. In essence, gangs are good for society. Gangs in a healthy state are all about forming a group that operates with ethical and moral codes of conduct. These codes of conduct are upheld and enforced by the elders of the community. As long as these codes of conduct are based around respect for society, there's nothing wrong with gangs. The gang elders need to ensure that they can contain the fiery energy of the future (younger gang members). Society will be far more prosperous, more connected, and ultimately a less scary place to be.