Preventing Students from Joining Gangs | Jose Segura | TEDxMontgomeryBlairHS

Summary

The speaker shares his journey from a tough upbringing in Washington DC to working at Blair High School. He discusses the importance of family and community in preventing gang involvement, emphasizing that the issue is not with gangs but with family dynamics. Through his work in gang intervention and prevention, he highlights the power of opportunity and building bridges, sharing stories of students who have turned their lives around through mentorship and support.

Takeaways

• 🏫 The speaker started his career at Blair High School, focusing on gang intervention and prevention work.
• 🌱 Growing up in Washington DC, the speaker was influenced by his street environment and his mother's resilience as an immigrant from El Salvador.
• 🎓 After serving in the Marine Corps and moving to South Carolina, he began mentoring middle school students, despite not having a clear plan.
• 🔄 The speaker was later let go from his job with the Washington Wizards due to Michael Jordan's return to basketball, leading him to a career in security and eventually gang intervention.
• 👥 At Blair High School, he connected with ESL teachers to create an indoor soccer program that brought together diverse student groups, fostering unity and understanding.
• 🔑 The speaker emphasizes that the issue is not with gangs but with family dynamics and the need for support and opportunities for young people.
• 🤝 He highlights the importance of building relationships and offering opportunities to youth, rather than telling them to leave their social circles.
• 💼 The speaker shares a story of a former gang member who, through an internship opportunity, became successful and is now managing federal contracts for a company.
• 🌉 He encourages the audience to create bridges and opportunities for young people, which can lead to significant positive change in their lives.
• 🙌 The speaker concludes by emphasizing the power of providing opportunities and building bridges, rather than focusing on the problems of gangs.

Q & A

What was the significance of the speaker's upbringing in Washington DC?

The speaker was raised in Washington DC Northwest until the age of 12. The streets played a significant role in his upbringing from the age of five to twelve, which shaped his early life experiences and understanding of the world.

What did the speaker's uncle's comment reveal about his past?

The speaker's uncle's comment about expecting him to be dead by now highlighted the dangerous environment he grew up in and the surprising fact that he survived despite the odds.

How did the speaker's experience in the Marine Corps influence his later work?

The speaker's experience in the Marine Corps planted the seed to give back to the community. After leaving the Corps, he moved to South Carolina and started a mentoring program in an underserved area.

What was the impact of the indoor soccer program at Blair High School?

The indoor soccer program at Blair High School brought together 125 students daily, including magnet and ISAW students, fostering unity and reducing segregation among different groups of students.

Why did the speaker emphasize the importance of relationships in his work?

The speaker emphasized the importance of relationships because building connections with young people, including those involved in gangs, allowed him to understand their backgrounds and provide them with the support and opportunities they needed.

What was the speaker's role when he first joined Blair High School?

When the speaker first joined Blair High School, he worked as a security assistant and was referred to as the 'gang coordinator' for the security team.

How does the speaker view the issue of gangs in Montgomery County?

The speaker believes that Montgomery County does not have a gang problem but rather a family issue. He suggests that the problem is not limited to any particular community but is a broader societal issue affecting families across different ethnicities.

What is the speaker's approach to addressing the 'family issue'?

The speaker's approach to addressing the family issue is to provide opportunities and build bridges. He encourages relationships between students from different backgrounds and provides opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of opportunities?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of opportunities because they can change the life trajectory of young people. He shares a story of a gang member who, through an internship, not only got a job but also had his college education paid for and is now a successful manager.

What is the speaker's message about the role of schools in addressing social issues?

The speaker's message is that schools should be places where students from different backgrounds can come together, learn from each other, and be given the opportunity to succeed. He suggests that schools can play a crucial role in bridging gaps and fostering a sense of community.

Outlines

00:00

🏫 Early Life and Career Start

The speaker begins by sharing his early life experiences in Washington DC, emphasizing the influence of the streets on his upbringing. He mentions his mother's background as a Central American immigrant and the challenges of navigating between home and street life. He reflects on a pivotal moment at a party where his uncle's surprise at his survival made him reconsider his life's path. The speaker then discusses his transition from the Marine Corps to working in an underserved school in South Carolina, where he initiated a mentoring program. He shares his journey of becoming a security assistant for MCPS and his role in developing relationships with students at Blair High School, highlighting the importance of understanding and connecting with youth.

05:04

🥅 The Power of Soccer and Community Building

The speaker recounts the success of an indoor soccer program at Blair High School, which attracted over 125 students daily. He highlights how the program brought together students from diverse backgrounds, including magnet and ISAW students, fostering unity and reducing gang tensions. The speaker emphasizes the profound impact of building relationships with students, including those involved in gangs, and understanding their family dynamics. He argues that the real issue society faces is not gangs, but family issues that affect communities across different ethnicities. He stresses the importance of recognizing and addressing these family issues to support youth.

10:05

🌉 Building Bridges Through Education and Opportunities

The speaker envisions a scenario where magnet students tutor ISAW students in English, suggesting that such initiatives could build bridges and foster relationships. He recounts the success of the soccer program in bringing together students from different backgrounds, leading to the sharing of cultural flags and a sense of unity. He emphasizes the importance of providing opportunities to youth, such as internships and educational support, which can change their lives. The speaker shares a story of a former gang member who, with the help of an internship, went on to become a successful manager, illustrating the transformative power of such opportunities.

15:06

🎓 Opportunities and the Impact of Support

The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of providing opportunities to youth, as exemplified by the story of a student who, with the help of an internship, went on to become a successful manager and earn more than his parents. He stresses that it's about building bridges and providing chances for youth to expand their horizons. The speaker encourages the audience to be the ones to create these opportunities, as they can have a profound and lasting impact on young lives.

Keywords

💡Gang

A 'gang' is a group of individuals who share a common identity and engage in criminal activities. In the context of the video, the speaker discusses the challenges faced by young people who are part of gangs, and how they are often misunderstood. The speaker emphasizes that the issue is not the gang itself but the underlying family and societal issues that push young people towards gangs.

💡Mentorship

Mentorship refers to a relationship in which a more experienced or knowledgeable person helps guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. In the video, the speaker shares his experience of starting a mentoring program in a school with a large Latino population, highlighting the importance of mentorship in guiding young people and building relationships.

💡Navigating Worlds

The concept of 'navigating worlds' refers to the process of adapting to different environments or cultures. The speaker discusses how he learned to navigate between his home life, influenced by his Central American family, and the streets where he was raised. This concept is central to understanding the complexities young people face in balancing different cultural influences.

💡Family Issue

The term 'family issue' is used by the speaker to describe the root cause of why young people might join gangs. He argues that it's not a gang problem but a family problem, suggesting that issues within families, such as lack of support or understanding, can lead to young people seeking belonging elsewhere.

💡Opportunity

Opportunity in this context refers to the chance for young people to engage in positive activities or experiences that can change their lives. The speaker talks about providing opportunities for young people, such as internships or new experiences, to help them see beyond their current circumstances and envision a different future.

💡Soccer Program

The 'soccer program' mentioned in the video is an example of an opportunity provided to students that helped bridge cultural divides and fostered relationships. The speaker describes how the soccer program brought together students from different backgrounds, including magnet students and those from the International Student Arrivals at the World (ISAW) program.

💡Gang Coordinator

A 'gang coordinator' is a role that involves managing efforts to address gang-related issues. The speaker describes his role as a gang coordinator at Blair High School, where he worked to understand and connect with young people involved in gangs, rather than simply trying to remove them from gangs.

💡Cultural Divide

The 'cultural divide' refers to the separation between different cultural groups. The speaker observes this divide in the school, noting how students segregate themselves based on their backgrounds. He suggests that bridging this divide is crucial for fostering understanding and unity among students.

💡Internship

An 'internship' is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period. The speaker shares a story about securing an internship for a young man involved in a gang, which led to a job offer and college sponsorship. This example illustrates how internships can provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.

💡Building Bridges

The phrase 'building bridges' is used metaphorically to describe the process of fostering connections and understanding between different groups. The speaker emphasizes the importance of building bridges between different student populations, such as magnet students and ISAW students, to create a more inclusive and supportive environment.

💡Reflection

Reflection in this context refers to the process of thinking deeply about one's past experiences. The speaker shares a moment of reflection when he realized the impact of his upbringing and the potential dangers he faced growing up, which led him to want to give back to his community.

Highlights

Blair High School hosts its first TED talk, emphasizing the importance of being the first to do something.

The speaker's career began at Blair High School with gang intervention and prevention work.

Raised in Washington DC, the speaker credits the streets and community for much of his upbringing.

The speaker's mother was part of the first wave of Central American immigrants to the US in the late 60s and early 70s.

A pivotal moment at age 20 when an uncle expressed surprise the speaker was still alive, prompting reflection on his life.

Started a mentoring program in an underserved part of Columbia, South Carolina, with a large Latino population.

Worked for the Washington Wizards before becoming a security assistant for MCPS.

At Blair High School, the speaker coordinated a security team amidst gang issues.

An indoor soccer program brought together 125 students daily, bridging divides between different student groups.

The speaker observed that students from different backgrounds were like him, navigating complex cultural worlds.

Now a team leader for a gang intervention prevention program, the speaker emphasizes the importance of opportunity.

The speaker argues that Montgomery County doesn't have a gang problem but a family issue.

The speaker suggests that family issues are not limited to any one community but are widespread.

The speaker proposes a hypothetical scenario where students help each other across divides.

The speaker recalls a soccer game that brought together a diverse group of students, fostering relationships.

The speaker emphasizes building bridges and providing opportunities as a way to address family issues.

The speaker shares a story of a gang member who, with the right opportunities, became a successful manager.

The speaker concludes by encouraging the audience to be the ones to build bridges and create opportunities.

Transcripts

good evening it's always tough to be the

first to do something it's awesome that

we here at Blair high school at the

first TED talk not sure why they asked

me to talk but so if I do terrible you

can talk to mr. Haig no I'm back home my

career really really started here and

the gang intervention and Prevention

work and I'll get into that in a second

just a little bit of background about

myself

was raised in Washington DC Northwest up

until the age of 12 single family home

for the most part the streets really

raised me from the age of five to two

twelve years old and I don't say that

bragging I think that my my mom did her

best that she could to provide and and

my best friends in the in the district

were my my leaders my mentors so saying

that you know I was able to learn how to

navigate the worlds of being at home

coming from a central American family my

mom from Oh salvadore she was part of

that first wave that initially came over

in the late 60s and early 70s and

navigating that world between home the

streets was a plan I didn't understand

it initially but as I got older I began

to see it at about the age of 20 I

hadn't seen my uncle in a very long time

and we're at a party and he saw me and

he looked at me and he said man you're

still alive I thought she would be dead

by now

and it really hit me because at that

point I really began to reflect on my

life and where I'd come from and he

began to tell me some of the stories

that he remembered about me and my

brothers my older brothers and how we

kind of ran the streets as little kids

and this that and the other and and it

just really began to resonate

fast-forward as I was in the Marine

Corps got it getting out of the Marine

Corps I'm sorry I moved to Columbia

South Carolina to go to the University

of South Carolina and Columbia at that

time that that seed was planted in me to

really give back I went into middle

school in the underserved part of

Columbia South Carolina the name of the

school is didn't middle school large

Latino population started a mentoring

program didn't have a clue what I was

doing but I just wanted to give back and

was able to build relationships with

seventh graders and eighth graders and

and really began to do some good work

this is the year about 1998 fast forward

working for the Washington Wizards I get

fired thank Michael Jordan for that he

came back out of retirement and I was

let go from that position lo and behold

I wind up looking for a job just trying

to provide ends meet for my family and

myself so I become a security assistant

for MCPS it's not something I studied

it's actually somebody I knew and said

hey why don't you come do this until you

find you know what your career I was

like hey cool let's do it you know

started my career at MCPS at Silver

Spring international middle school who's

from Silver Spring international school

[Music]

amazing and and from there I came to

Blair high school started working as a

security assistant here now this is in

the heart of what I call the the gang

major issues here in this area

I was quote-unquote the gang coordinator

for the security team here at Blair high

school knew all the young men all the

young ladies what was neat about is that

I connect it with a esal teacher who had

a passion for young people like myself

we we began to do a indoor soccer

program we had literally I'm not kidding

you here at Blair high school 125

students coming to our indoor soccer

program on a daily basis I discovered

something I discovered that students

loved soccer what was neat about this is

we had magnet students whose magnet

students here we write is shout out bag

of students we had isaw students playing

together in this indoor soccer program

and the gains were phenomenal they were

incredible it was fascinating to watch

to be a part of developing relationships

with young people developing

relationships with quote unquote gang

members getting to know them getting to

know their family is getting to know

their moms and I made a connection well

you guys know what that connection was

they were like me they were growing up

like me their mom was working really

hard

the streets were raising them they were

navigating to worlds from trying to grow

up in a Central American home when you

go home and you're speaking Spanish or

then when you come out here you're

speak in English and trying to figure

this thing out over here and you're

going back and forth and that's pretty

complex believe it or not you have to be

pretty talented to do that and I can

tell you that some of the young men that

I came across thankfully are now doing

really really well really well fast

forward now what I'm doing now now I'm a

team leader for a gang intervention

prevention program I'm a part of a team

of some awesome caring people people say

to me and they say to our staff hey so

what are you doing about this gang

problem that that Montgomery County has

my response to them is that Montgomery

County doesn't have a gang problem our

country doesn't have a gang problem our

region doesn't have a gang problem our

state doesn't have a gang problem what

what are you talking about we're seeing

young ladies get kidnapped we're seeing

the the young lady found murdered in

Virginia there's an issue let me share

with you guys tonight what's the issue

unfortunately our issue is we have a

family issue let me say that again to

you guys we have a family issue it's not

only happening in the Latino community

it's also happening in the

african-american community it's also

happened in a Caucasian community it's

also happening across the races this

ethnicities there's a family issue

parents man I'm probably one of them

working really hard to try to provide

the best that we possibly can for our

children I pray every day that I don't

miss it with my children making the

sacrifices that are needed so our kids

can be in a place where they're doing

well and I'm sure many of you are in

that same boat but the reality is this

we miss it we're missing it this school

here for example we're talking about I

think probably right now 2,500 to 2,800

students here round about my correcting

saying that three thousand now wow that

that's what it was when I was working

here you know you you walk the halls and

you see the segregation magnet students

over here

he saw students over here other students

over here and we see this issue of

separation men let me ask you this

question what would it be like and I'm

not sure if this is happening but let's

just let's just let's just give the

example here hypothetically speaking

what would it be like if we took magnet

students that are really smart right

managers are pretty smart that's what

I've heard is that true no what would it

be like if we took students who man

we're pretty good at English and they

begin a tutor isaw students on how to

speak and read English man think about

that bridge that would be built there

think about the

relationships that would happen

rewind we were playing soccer in this

gym right behind us here hundred 25

students there sometimes it was even

bigger one time the the administration

let us use the the big gym and we

brought the bleachers out in the end of

the the bleachers were packed kids came

in there were flags from their countries

other kids came in with a US flag he was

amazing it was absolutely amazing and I

just sat back and watched and all we did

was we gave people the opportunity and

relationships were built students that

would never be a part of the soccer team

here at the school man

established relationships with some guys

that would give him the information on

how to tryout how about going into

physical and being in a position to make

the team because they had the skills

they just didn't know the process

the process when you don't know the

process you're left out when you're left

out there's someone there to pick you up

people say to me do you tell kids you

tell students to get out of the the gang

I would never tell a young man or a

young woman to get out of the gang what

are you talking about that's let me just

ask you guys a question I'm not sure how

much time I got

just give me five characteristics of a

healthy family name and please love

trust give me another one respect

communication support let's stop there

we could keep going these are all

qualities that again gives young people

you guys realize that so if I was to say

to a young man or young woman hey you

need to get out the gang I'm telling

them you know do you need to leave your

family I would never do that

I would never tell you hey you know what

sir you need to leave your wife and your

kids and come hang out with me but what

can I do what can I do I can give you

opportunity I can give you an

opportunity to expand your horizon what

do I mean by that and I can take you

canoeing and you go down to Potomac

River I don't know if you guys know this

but one of the most fascinating rivers

in the entire country and it's 20

minutes from here and it will change

your kid's life I can offer you an

internship with a company I'll say you

know what true story man we really like

you in fact we're going to pay for your

college and we're going to give you a

job after you graduate I won't

mentioned the kids name I get a call on

graduation day for Blair got a minute

left I got to tell the story real quick

kid calls me a bawling-crying

known gang member I mean he's crying I'm

thinking oh man somebody got killed

something's wrong

I mean he's bawling and I'm like hey

what's wrong man and he couldn't talk

literally for about a minute and he said

I just want to thank you I said what are

you talking about

he said the kid we had gotten him an

internship with a company a software

company the company hired him starting

at 15 bucks an hour first thing he said

to me I'm making more than both my mom

and my dad now he said not only that mr.

Gura check this out they're gonna pay

for my college this kid now right now

today is the manager over the company's

federal contracts make it more money to

me and I'm thankful for that I really am

because it's all about the opportunity

it's all about the opportunity be the

one to build a bridge you never know

the opportunity I will come from thank

you guys

[Applause]