Elev8 Oakland Creates "History of Gangs" Course
To combat the very prevalent gang problem in the Bay Area, Elev8 Oakland has created a "History of Gangs" course to educate youth about the realities of gang life. Art Mola, the Elev8 coordinator who teaches the course, takes youth on regular trips to local prisons to speak with inmates about the consequences of their crimes.
The History of Gangs course is part of a previously existing initiative called the Safe Passages/Youth Ventures Joint Powers Authority. The initiative brings together service providers from the education, criminal justice, and healthcare systems to offer the best services possible to students and families in low-income communities. In 2007, the Atlantic Philanthropies provided Safe Passages/Youth Ventures a $15 million grant to implement Elev8 over four years. |
There is some evidence that participants in school-based out-of-school-time programs “did their homework more consistently and, in some cases, achieved higher grades in school.”
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