Youth and gangs

For front-line youth workers in Abbotsford, it appears that the “at-risk” label includes benefits and limitations for youth people. The ways in which youth shed the limitations of this label and its associations with possible gang involvement needed to be examined. Understanding how this label shapes young peoples’ experiences may be one factor in decreasing the number of youth possibly entering into a gang membership. The literature review defines and provides context to our knowledge of youth gangs and captures some risk factors, school responses and gaps in research. The theoretical framework is a combination of Ecological Systems Theory, Labelling Theory and Anti-Oppressive Practice and seeks to assist in developing an understanding of this area of study. The research methodology used an inductive and exploratory qualitative research design. The sample while small in size, was flexible and explored the research topic to gain in-depth additional knowledge about youth and gangs in Abbotsford. This study used semi-structured interviews with key informants in Abbotsford who are working with youth of possible gang involvement. The research will display the findings using a theme analysis along with a discussion and implications of future practice.