Examines the pattern of lethal violence among adolescent urban youth, and considers theoretical explanations for homicidal violence. Implications for community involvement and intervention are discussed. African Americans and other urban ethnic groups must recognize the violence in their communities and develop a clear and unified strategy to…

Investigates variables associated with posttraumatic stress disorder in adolescents in a metropolitan area. Comparisons were made with regard to gender, ethnicity, family constellation, self-reported exposure to violence, self-reported exposure to trauma, and incidence of violent crime in the vicinity of school attendance. Revealed minority males…

This autobiographical narrative describes the early life of Luis J. Rodriguez, a journalist and poet who was immersed in the youth gang culture of Los Angeles (California). Framed by the story of the pull of the gang life for the poet's son, it recounts his experiences from his childhood on the United States-Mexico border through his family's…

This report presents findings and recommendations resulting from the evaluation of programs implemented in 15 cities by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. These programs were implemented to distribute variations on the "Weed and Seed" program and its provision of crime and drug prevention programs. The overall goal of Weed and Seed was…

The 12 chapters of this volume offer a comprehensive portrait of today's children and their challenging urban environments. The opportunities and obstacles that confront children are examined in detail, and key social problems are discussed in the following contributions: (1) "Growing Up in the Urban Environment: Opportunities and Obstacles for…

This book is an account of a study of racism among young people in the central and southern parts of the London (England) Borough of Greenwich. It builds upon an earlier study in the Thamemead area in seeking to understand the social basis of racist activity in order to design strategies to combat it. Greenwich is an area that has experienced…

The story of the Stop the Violence movement among rap music artists and music industry colleagues is told, along with the story of a video that was produced as part of this initiative. The Stop the Violence project grew out of the reaction to violence among concert goers at a 1987 rap concert on Long Island (New York). Rap musicians have joined…

This handbook provides information about gangs for education professionals working with immigrants. As the introduction makes clear, gangs are one of the many problems that newly arrived immigrants face in their neighborhoods and at school in the United States. Following the introduction, the first section describes the types of gangs including…

This document addresses the difficulties of urban education, particularly relating to inner cities that contain immigrant and minority students, and argues that schools contribute to the problems of today's urban youth and that schools must do a better job of educating students. It recognizes that schools are burdened by the urban environment but…

The plan describes a continuing effort in Illinois to improve access to education and school success for homeless children and youth. The Illinois plan was revised to meet the requirements of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1987 by reforming the original document into sections that highlight the major requirements of…

The Ohio Department of Public Schools launched its Ohio Urban Schools Initiative as a commitment to systemic long-term change in the state's 24 urban districts. This report contains a framework that represents the initial phase of the Urban Schools Initiative, which developed into a collaborative effort among the school systems, state and local…

Studies firearms behaviors among 835 criminally active male, mostly urban, youth and 1,653 male and female innercity high school students in 4 states. It is evident that the large urban environment encourages youth to be armed and that enforcement activities alone will not be enough to alleviate the problem. (SLD)

Proposes that any strategy designed to combat the problem of urban youth groups must (1) have high visibility; (2) be youth intense; and (3) use economic development approaches such as community-based small business enterprises. The proposed youth enterprise zones model is a youth and community revitalization strategy. (SLD)

Reviews "Understanding Black Adolescent Male Violence" (Amos N. Wilson, 1991). Violence among young African-American males is explored, with a comprehensive analysis of causes of violence in the inner-city and suggested remediation and preventive methods for solving the violence problem. Theories of male development and the role of an…

Instead of working solely to control young people and to put offenders behind bars, society should be trying to build a responsible community in which young people, aware of their value, act responsibly because they have seen responsible behavior in action. The importance of ritual and initiation for youth is discussed. (SLD)