GANG PREVENTION TRAINING

Dear Friends:

As we draw near to the “Parents on a Mission” (POM) Gang Prevention Training in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 27th and Sunday, June 28th, allow me to reach out to you one more time with a special offer that you cannot refuse!

Special Offer – TWO FOR ONE DEAL – SIGN UP AND BRING A COLLEAGUE (or friend) FOR FREE!! Yes, for FREE!
Come on now, is that a deal or is that a deal? (Or maybe I should ask, “deal or no deal?”).

Go Here to SIGN UP NOW!

As you’ve heard, this is unlike most (if not all) of the “gang prevention” trainings out there.  The focus in this training is on empowering parents, rather than the community, as the best prevention strategy any community can invest their time and resources in.  And that is an important distinction to make given the ongoing investment in suppression and intervention practices being made around the country.  But prevention is different. It is not intervention after the fact. It is a pro-active approach to keep kids from ever going down the path of joining a gang.

However, to accomplish true prevention it will take parents. Parents are the primary gate keepers of raising happy, healthy children-with the rest of the community supporting the role and authority of parents, not replacing it.

Many claim it “takes a village” to raise a child. POM says it does not take a village, but only one family and good parenting to raise a child.  Yes, police, probation, parks, pools and community programs are helpful. Yet, they can not replace good “old fashioned” respect and obedience to parental authority.

If we are to win this competition with gangs, it will be won inside the home, behind closed doors. If we fail to focus on empowering parents and continue to fail to solve the other social issues that create gangs, the community effort of creating and funding more programs and well intentioned coalitions, will not succeed in reducing gang activity from our neighborhoods.

It’s not that programs don’t work at all, however the problem is we continue to produce more and more candidates for gang recruitment in each generation and it seems as if we are falling further behind and growing a bigger problem – WHY??? – WHAT IS MISSING?

What is missing is the fact that marriages and child rearing are not what they used to be. And as the foundation of human relationships has continued to erode over the past fifty years, (not to mention the growth and influence of graphic movies, music and magazines) more and more children continue to search for validation, meaning and everything else to fill the void in their hearts that yearns for unconditional love.  Am I right or wrong?

Go Here to SIGN UP NOW

So if we want to stop gangs from continuing on and growing generation after generation, doesn’t it make sense to work on the front end, rather than always reacting on the back end? All social group members age, or move on to other things, and depend on “fresh blood” to continue the legacy, don’t they?  So what is the best way to cut off new recruits?  I’ll come back to answer that in a minute, but one thing the last fifty years has taught us is what doesn’t work and that is creating more “social programs”.  A lack of programs has not been the problem, and if it was the answer, we would have solved the gang problem a long time ago.

So here’s what’s happening my friends:

• A minority group (gangs) is causing decision makers at the highest levels of our communities (and nation for that matter), to create whole new entities and rearranging whole budgets to deal with a small group (generally speaking) of individuals.
• Gangs are outperforming public education in recruiting, retaining and reproducing leaders out of our youth.
• Gangs are outperforming parents by winning the loyalty of their children.
• Gangs are generating community enthusiasm for “unity”, better, or on equal footing with other positive social movements.

That’s plenty to chew on, and to be sure, “Parents on a Mission” (POM) was not designed to address all of the above. But rather to address what I consider to be the best way to cut off the community pool of potential gang recruits, and that is to give parents the tools to earn the respect, exercise their authority and be the heroes that win the loyalty of the hearts of their children.  No gang is more enticing than the approval, acceptance and unconditional love of a parent, even in the midst of a gang infested neighborhood. And the statistics bare this out. You will learn all about this and so much more. By the end of the two day training you will be equipped and empowered with real and doable solutions on how to prevent youth from ever desiring to join a gang!

Overview of the POM Curriculum Content:

Session 1: POM Orientation

The orientation serves to introduce participants to the core values and concepts of Parents on a Mission.  In addition, the orientation serves to give parents a brief understanding about gangs and their growing influence throughout the country. However, POM is not a gang awareness curriculum. This session is not designed to give an in-depth teaching on the gang sub-culture of graffiti, hand signs, colors and other information and data usually given by law enforcement presentations.  Should participants desire this kind of knowledge, the instructor can invite a guest law enforcement (or other subject matter expert) instructor to give a presentation. POM is designed to focus on the problems that create gangs, and not on the problems that gangs create.

Session 2: Parental Personal Growth

The purpose of this first lesson is to help parents understand the importance of their own emotional growth and maturity as leaders in their home.  The material guides parents to an inside-out approach to personal growth and how it relates to their ability to nurture the growth and maturity of their children.

Session 3: Parental Authority & Gang Prevention

Parental authority is by far the most overlooked principle to gang prevention.  Because of the importance of this issue, two sessions have been devoted to the topic of parental authority and discipline.  The lesson on parental authority emphasizes why parents must win the battle of child obedience and provides principles for accomplishing this at an early age.  Parents will learn the importance of the “twelve year home field advantage” and how to maximize this vital time frame in preparing our children for dealing with peer pressure in the neighborhood and school campus.

Session 4: Parental Authority & Discipline

Parental authority and the use of discipline is a controversial topic.  Many parents are confused and afraid to exercise their right as the authority figure in the lives of their children.  This session will define the true meaning of discipline and give guiding principles on how to properly exercise parental authority.  This session will also address the controversy over the issue of spanking.  While POM does not advocate the rightness or wrongness of spanking, we do recognize that many parents do choose to spank their children and thus we provide guidance on its proper use vs. the illegality of physical abuse.  While many argue that parents should not spank their children for any reason, POM respects the choice and right of parents to spank, but to do so properly and wisely.  Finally, this lesson will help participants make the crucial link between gang prevention and child obedience.

Session 5: Community Building

Citizenship and the instruction of the individual’s role in the family and community is the purpose of session five.  Parents gain insights on the family unit as a microcosm of society and how they guide their children from dependence, to independence, and finally to interdependence as contributing members of their community.  Suggested activities are given to assist parents in how to build community in their home.

Session 6: Trust & Loyalty

One of the key elements of becoming a gang member is the willingness to pledge loyalty to the gang above everything and everyone else.  Because of the youth’s willingness to make this pledge, many families have suffered the agonizing loss of their child to prison or the grave yard.  This begs the question; why would any young boy or girl want to give away their loyalty to a street gang?  This session examines how parents are losing this battle to their competition (Gangs), and provides guidance on how to overcome and win the battle for the trust and loyalty of their children as the best practice for gang prevention that any community can invest in.

Don’t wait – ACT NOW and Enroll in this unique and timely training!

Go Here to SIGN UP NOW

Sincerely,

Richard

P.S. – Don’t forget space is limited and the cut off date to enroll is June 22, 2009.

P.P.S – Remember our special deal offer – If you enroll now you can bring a friend for free! Follow your heart and click below – Our program comes with a 100% guarantee of satisfaction or your money back, no questions asked!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Richard R. Ramos

Phone: (661) 326-8845

Cell: (805) 331-0902

Email: Richard@RichardRRamos.com

 

STOPPING GANGS BEFORE THEY START

Leading Authority on Gang Prevention Offers Guide to Parents, Teachers

 

BAKERSFIELD, Calif., August 2008 – Richard Ramos is not interested in finding out why some kids join gangs.  He’d much rather focus on the reasons most kids don’t join gangs.

 

In his new book, Gang Prevention and Schools: The Ultimate Guide for Parents and Teachers on How to Prevent Kids From Joining Gangs, Ramos stresses the difference between gang prevention and gang intervention – the latter of which has been tried for years with little success. Instead of focusing on the problems that gangs create, he turns his attention on the problems that create gangs. 

 

Zeroing in on the crucial importance of the family, Ramos calls his gang prevention strategy “Parents on a Mission”. He wants parents to understand that their power to influence their children is greater than any outside force – whether at school or in the neighborhood.  This hands-on guide empowers parents to raise happy, respectful, obedient children who are not looking to give their loyalty away to a second ‘family’ by joining a gang.

 

Ramos opens his book with statistics that support his claim that the majority of kids do not join gangs.  He also offers evidence showing that conventional methods of gang intervention and law suppression strategies do not work.  In Gang Prevention and Schools: The Ultimate Guide for Parents and Teachers on How to Prevent Kids From Joining Gangs, Ramos presents a new community approach that is not only logical but is realistic in how it redefines the issue and refocuses communities on where to invest their time and resources.

 

“Thank you for highlighting the challenges Latino youth face and underscoring the vision, leadership and strong moral compass that parents can provide for their children.”

– First Lady Laura Bush

 

“I have been attending gang prevention/intervention seminars and presentations for 30 years. Richard’s ‘Parents on a Mission’ presentation is THE BEST I have ever heard or seen.”

– Rich Mendel, Director, Boys and Girls Club of Carpinteria, CA

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard R. Ramos is widely recognized throughout the United States as an expert on gang prevention.  He is also one of the most sought-after Latino leadership speakers on progressive and effective community leadership.  In March 2005, he was recognized as a national interfaith leader through his induction into Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel’s board of directors. Ramos was recognized by President George Bush for community leadership and service in 2007.

 

NON-FICTION, SOFTCOVER, $16.97 U.S., $20.97 CAN

Gang Prevention and Schools: The Ultimate Guide for Parents and Teachers on How to Prevent Kids From Joining Gangs, by Richard R. Ramos.  Copyright 2008.

Published by Richard R. Ramos, Inc.

Web: www.RichardRRamos.com

Tel: 1-805-331-0902

ISBN-13: 978-0-9814714-0-2

# # #

Guest Speaker for Pastors and Lawyers

Church on the Rock International in Dallas, TX is hosting it’s 2007 leadership Conference

The conference is designed to inspire ministries from all around the nation and globe with a variety of speakers and breakout sessions to encourage, instruct and improve local church services to their respective communities.  Speakers include:

Dr. Lawrence Kennedy, Bishop TD Jakes, Pastor Matthew Barnett, Dr. Michael Maiden – and many more including yours truly, Richard R. Ramos.

Given the new opportunities for faith-based organizations to compete for Federal funding since 2001, there has been increased interest in public funding and we have been asked to give a session regarding the many aspects to understanding, qualifying and applying for grants to supplement church ministries with social services.  We are honored and excited to present to such a vast array of church leaders! 

When: Tuesday, October 2, 2007 – 3PM

Where: Church on the Rock International – Carrollton, TX – 1615 W. Belt Line Rd 75006 (972-242-8989 x 262)

Ramos in Puerto Rico! – Hispanic National Bar Association – 32nd Annual Convention – San Juan, Puerto Rico – October 3-6, 2007

The Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention has asked the Latino Coalition for Faith & Community Initiatives, and other national Latino serving nonprofits, to partner with them and HNBA in a Mentoring Initiative. The objective is to connect HNBA lawyers from their respective communities with local nonprofits serving Latino at-risk youth & families.  This is a great win-win opportunity for nonprofits and lawyers to connect on the grassroots level and hopefully provide mutual inspiration and community service.  Who knows how many Latino youth might be inspired to pursue a legal career as lawyers begin to get close to our young men and women?  As I see it, only good can come out of such an initiative!  If you are interested in participating in this initiative, or know of a nonprofit that would be interested to join ouir effort, please contact our offices at (661) 326-8845 – or email me at: rramos@latinocoalition.org

When: Thursday, October 4, 2007

Where: Caribe Hilton Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ramos September Guest Panelist at two Washington D.C. Conferences

1. – September 14, 2007 Coordinating Council meeting to be held at the Department of Labor, Washington D.C.   

11:30 – 12:00  

Engaging with the Faith Community: Urban Ministries, Capacity Building and Opportunities for Federal Collaboration                                    

Moderator:  J. Robert Flores, Vice Chair, Coordinating Council                                      

Panelists:    

Mentoring Children of Prisoners – Wilson Goode                                   

Leadership Foundation – Reid Carpenter                                   

Latino Coalition – Richard Ramos

2.  – WHITE HOUSE FAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES
CONFERENCE ON YOUTH AND EDUCATION IN THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY

Washington, DC – September 24, 2007  – Identifying Government Funding Opportunities (2:15 – 3:20)

1. Programs that Impact Youth Offenders  – DOL/DOJ

Programs that Impact Youth Offenders 
In this workshop, organizations will learn how a variety of grant programs designed to impact young people who have been involved in the criminal justice system. Participants will learn about grant programs at the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Labor and will hear directly from grantees who are using federal funding and private funding for programs that are changing the lives of young people in their community, providing opportunity and hope. 

Moderator:      Scott Shortenhaus
Presenters:      Richard Ramos, Latino Coalition
                            Gregg Weltz, Department of Labor
                            Robert Flores, Department of Justice

Conference details

http://www.dtiassociates.com/fbci/logisticsDC.cfm?location=DC

Richard to be Panelist for Department of Labor and State Governments Justice Center

Richard R. Ramos will be a panelist at two upcoming discussions, one for the Department of Labor’s Faith Based Initiatives, and the other for the Council of State Government’s Justice Center:

Wednesday, June 27, 2007
“Tools and Training Day” for State Government Faith-Based Offices
Place: Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington D.C.
Time: 8:30 am – 1 pm

Thursday, June 28, 2007
Council of State Governments Justice Center
“Re-Entry Partnerships Meeting”
Increasing Collaboration Between State Governments and Community and Faith-Based Organizations
Place: Sonesta Hotel Suites, Coconut Grove, Florida
Time: 9 am

Visit the web site for more information about upcoming events.

Gang Members are NOT “the enemy”

Let there be no mistake about the problem and prevalence of gangs in our communities as serious business.  We acknowledge and appreciate the work law enforcement does on the criminal side of gang activity in local neighborhoods as many families have suffered tragic death after tragic senseless death.

Having said that, as we consider different and new approaches in dealing with this isuue, I suggest communities first recognize that individual gang members per say, are not the so called “enemy.” Quoting from the study Ganging Up on Communities, putting Gang Crime in Context (www.justicepolicy.org  – July 2005) “Fostering a national culture of fear concerning gangs only diverts our attention from the real problem and real solutions.” (pg. 10)

Every gang member is a human being first with the same human needs that we all have. I believe it is this fundamental approach that has allowed the success I have had in helping turn many of these young hearts away from the gang lifestyle. This is not to say we should ignore the wrong things they do, especially acts of violence and crime. However, there is a reason for violent behavior and when those reasons are effectively addressed and understood; human hearts change and the results are revolutionary. Thus, as we deal with the problem of violence and gangs we must be careful and re-think our strategies, priorities and methods of approach. 

No school, principal, teacher, policeman, or community member should view gang members as “the enemy.” This kind of perception causes a posture of offensiveness, defensiveness and pre-judgment that is keenly felt by a gang member at home, on the street or in a classroom. After all, contrary to popular opinion, not every gang member commits acts of violence or causes problems in the community. Troublemakers and those who act violently come from many different sectors and social classes of society and come in every size, shape, gender and race and I believe that our society is tired, very tired, of seeing a double standard of justice. Our generation has grown up watching too many seemingly social “V.I.P.’s”, who are guilty of one crime or another, but get off with the proverbial “hand slap.” Many are tired of the “excuses” and want to see justice. However, justice must be equally applied and that is not always easy to do when one side is seen as the “good guy” and the other as “the enemy.” It is easier to justify illegal, inappropriate, and antagonistic behavior when it is perceived as being done by “the good guys”. For example, consider the comment of one student gang member; “One teacher grabbed my by the hair and yelled at me…I pushed her and she fell on the floor and injured one of her fingers.  I was suspended for six months.”

In the above case, the teacher received no reprimand, the student dropped out of school. The point is not to blame the school or teacher for the decision of this gang member. That is his/her responsibility. But, the double standard of applying the rules, one set for students, and another set for teachers, police and other authority figures, is unfortunately all too common. I believe that part of the reason for this is our perception of “good guy” and “enemy”, and somehow this perception can sometimes distort equal justice and allow inappropriate behavior in order to “get the enemy”. Thus, in providing part of the solution to this problem of violence and gangs, one thing that should not be done is to make these young people our enemies. Our efforts should be focused on the real enemies which, in my opinion, are the things that tear at the root and destroy the foundation of our nation which is fast becoming and endangered species, and that is the American family.

Dellums & Schwarzenegger: Better Tactics in the War on Gangs

With Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums at his side, Governor Schwarzenegger unveiled plans last month for a new, $48 million statewide anti-gang initiative. The proposed California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Program (CalGRIP) calls for a coordinated law enforcement strategy and harsher penalties for gang-affiliated offenders, along with funding for gang intervention and prevention programs.

The governor’s office says the initiative is unprecedented in its “comprehensive approach to the gang problem statewide.” “The state must coordinate the fight against gangs because when you crack down in one area, it pops up somewhere else,” the governor told his Oakland audience. And Mayor Dellums, whose city experienced an unsettling surge in violent crime last year, praised the governor for taking “this first and important step forward,” despite the “extraordinarily restricted budgets” within which the state is operating.

This public show of bipartisan support was a promising sign that some version of the CalGRIP approach may eventually come to fruition. That’s a good thing—as long as it remains truly “comprehensive,” and doesn’t lapse into the familiar pattern of bankrolling costly, ill-conceived gang suppression efforts while paying little more than lip service to prevention and intervention.

As legislators debate the merits of the governor’s plan, they would do well to heed the words of Connie Rice, whose recently-released Advancement Project report on Los Angeles gang policy capped an exhaustive study commissioned by the LA City Council.

“After a quarter century of a multi-billion-dollar war on gangs, there are six times as many gangs and at least double the number of gang members in the region,” Rice wrote.

“Law enforcement officials now agree that they cannot arrest their way out of the violence crisis and that their crime suppression efforts must be linked to competent prevention, intervention, and community-stabilizing investment strategies.”

The Advancement Project report argues persuasively for a fundamental shift in priorities, away from counterproductive suppression tactics and toward something more akin to a domestic Marshall Plan, which would pump hundreds of millions of dollars into far-ranging prevention and intervention efforts.

But with the state now facing an estimated $4 billion dollar budget shortfall, recommendations along those lines are bound to fall on deaf ears in Sacramento, regardless of how sensible they may be in principle. And so, most of the debate over CalGRIP has centered on questions of cost-effectiveness, with legislators wrangling over how much of the initiative’s $48 million price tag should go to fighting the increasingly expensive war on gangs (including money for newfangled weaponry like GPS tracking devices strapped to the ankles of paroled gang leaders) and how much should go to support prevention and intervention programs.

A trickier question involves the cost-effectiveness of those very programs. Which ones work and which ones don’t? For years, the bulk of public funding for gang prevention and intervention has been directed to big municipal projects that have delivered little in the way of lasting change—more summer jobs but no follow-up training for long-term employment, more money for parks and pools but no provision for maintaining services.

At the same time, dozens of dedicated grassroots groups around the state are tackling these tough challenges and producing positive results, despite meager funding and scant attention from either politicians or the media. Many of them work with volunteer staff, on shoestring budgets, in neighborhood churches and community centers.

Here are a few examples:

· In Van Nuys, special education teacher Melody Rossi’s Cloud and Fire Ministries does after-school tutoring for at-risk kids, manages a “one-stop connection” job referral and placement center, and works with the county probation and education departments to bring anger management classes into youth detention camps.

· At Palomar Community College in San Marcos, more than 500 students enrolled in Frank M. Puchi’s Future Teacher Diversity Corps have gone on to successful careers as classroom teachers—and at least 50 of them are former gang members.

· In Santa Barbara, an ex-gang leader named Matt Sanchez brings rival gang members together through camping trips and mentoring. Lauded by the California Wellness Foundation as “an intervention and prevention model,” his Hoods in the Woods program has been teaching at-risk kids how to resolve conflicts peacefully for more than 16 years.

· In Los Angeles, a job developer named Donny Gomez is training young men for the U.S. Forest Service’s firefighting strike teams. His Aztecs Rising group has already helped more than 250 former gang members become skilled firefighters and find employment with fire departments around the U.S.

Governor Schwarzenegger argues forcefully that the state must take a more innovative approach to law enforcement if we are to halt the viral spread of gang violence from one community to another. For his CalGRIP initiative to be both truly comprehensive and truly cost-effective, the state should take a more innovative approach to funding gang prevention and intervention—one that invests more heavily in resourceful, community-based efforts like these and doesn’t simply go on funneling scarce dollars into big government projects and failed social programs of the past.

Richard R. Ramos
Your Grassroots Community Leader in Gang Prevention & Intervention
Find out more at www.richardrramos.com