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.

DISAFFECTED YOUTH