Group warns kids to stay away from gangs

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Stay in school. Say 'no' to drugs and alcohol. Choose your friends wisely.

These were the words of advice from Warrior Spirit Walking, a group of former gang members based in Prince Albert. The group presented to schools in Saskatoon on June 14 and 15.

Also known as Youth Alliance Against Violence, the eight members warned a few hundred students, teachers and other adults about the dangers of gang activity.

The initiative began in September because the community saw a need for it, explained Carrie McCloy, the group's coordinator. She said it was a spin-off of a Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations' program, Alter-Natives to Non-Violence. Not all of its members have been there since the group's inception-one joined as recently as two months ago.

Tuesday's presentation began with a skit about the possible dangers of wearing different coloured bandanas, as they can be signs of association. Then three outreach workers, two of them former gang members, did a PowerPoint presentation explaining just what gangs are and why kids join.

"They want to belong to something so bad," explained Lance Ironchild, who was a gang member in Edmonton for a few years. "They'll give up their whole lives for it."

Bullying was cited as one of the reasons kids join gangs. When Ironchild asked the crowd who had been bullied, nearly half of the students raised their hands. He said kids sometimes join gangs to be protected against bullying.

Ironchild and his partner, Smokey Campbell, who is also an outreach worker, explained that gang members often get beat up, become involved with drugs-either pushing or addicted-and can go to jail.

Both men told the students that once you're in a gang, you lose your family, friends and identity. Plus it's difficult to leave.

Ironchild left his gang in his late teens and went into hiding. His former gang members found him and beat him up four times, he said.

"I was so scared to walk around in my own neighbourhood."

For Ironchild, it was more than worth it, though.

"I made a decision and stuck by what I believed in," he said. "That's why I'm here today."

Campbell and Ironchild encouraged the students to stay in school and be involved in their school's activities.

"A lot of gang members don't have Grade 10. They can't even read," said Campbell.

"Some gang members can't even spell their own names," Ironchild added.

They encouraged the students to go back to their roots as another preventative measure. Ironchild said returning to your roots isn't just cultural-it's who you are.

"If you have a better sense of where you're coming from, you'll know where you're going," he said.

They also said it's important to know who your real friends are-real friends don't encourage gang activity and look out for one another.

The crowd of middle school students quickly grew silent when Ironchild shared his journey into and out of gang life. And they whistled and cheered when he thanked them for listening to is story.

Erin Pallos, a Grade 7 student from W. P. Bate school, attended the morning presentation on June 15. She thought it sent a good message.

"Lots of kids in my neighbourhood and community need that," she explained. "They've seen the influence [of gang activity]. They need to know that kind of stuff isn't good, that it doesn't help your future."