Monday, June 23

Presymposium Workshops
9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

National Gang Trends (Gangs 101)
Grand Salon D

This workshop provides basic training on specific types of gangs, an overview of current gang activities in several regions of the United States, and recent gang research findings. Topics include Crips, Bloods, Sureños, Norteños, Mara Salvatrucha, and Nation Gangs.

Presenters: Investigator Hector Alicea, New York State Police, Buffalo, NY; Detective Wayne Caffey, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles, CA; James C. “Buddy” Howell, National Youth Gang Center, Pinehurst, NC; Sergeant Joseph Del Pilar, Chicago Police Department, Chicago, IL; Al Valdez, University of California, Irvine, CA

The Evolving Role of Girls in Gangs
Grand Salon C

The role of young women in gangs has often been ignored or underestimated. This session will provide an overview of female gang involvement from the perspectives of researchers, practitioners, and former gang members. Topics to be discussed include cultural differences in female gang membership, successful intervention strategies, and research trends on female gang activity.

Presenters: Pauline Jimenez, Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office, Houston, TX; Dana Peterson, University at Albany, Albany, NY

Classroom Management and Student Discipline
Cherokee

Teachers play key roles in addressing gang-related behaviors in schools but seldom receive appropriate training to address them in a comprehensive manner. This session will provide evidence-based strategies designed to assist teachers in identifying and reducing problem behaviors that interfere with learning and teaching.

Presenter: Bill Ybarra, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Los Angeles, CA

Team-Based Gang Intervention
Walton

When community agencies work across organizational boundaries to target intervention services to gang members, they can expand their reach and be more effective. Learn about team-based strategies for working with gang-involved youth, including the roles played by different partners and the challenges and successes of the team approach.

Presenters: Errika Fearbry Jones, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh, PA; Mary Hatheway, Allegheny County Juvenile Probation, Pittsburgh, PA; Inshirah Jihada, YMCA, Pittsburgh, PA; Amy Mattia, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Pittsburgh, PA

Community Connection: Building a Collaboration
Clayton

Community partnerships can be the key to creating a successful strategy when developing prevention and intervention programs. This session will provide an overview of the importance of collaboration and the steps needed to create a successful collaborative in your community.

Presenters: Perry Cooper, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Atlanta, GA; Don Kodluboy, St. Paul, MN; Thomas Warren, Urban League of Nebraska, Omaha, NE; Valerie Boykin, Washington, DC; Alicia Stigerwalt, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southcentral Alaska, Anchorage, AK

Gang Prevention Through Targeted Outreach
Gwinnett

This workshop will help youth service professionals and community leaders develop a comprehensive strategy to reach out to youth who are most at risk for gang involvement. Participants will learn to utilize the four components of targeted outreach: community mobilization, recruitment techniques, mainstreaming and programming, and case management.

Presenters: Kelly Drummond, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, Knoxville, TN; Nathan Anguiano, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX

From Risk to Revenue: Employment Issues for Gang-Involved Youth
Newton

Many gang members express a desire to gain meaningful employment but lack vital skills to succeed in the job market. This session covers several strategies for assisting gang-involved youth, including supportive employment with community business partners, effective preemployment training, training for prospective employers, selling the concept of employing gang-involved youth, and monitoring and supporting employed youth.

Presenters: Melinda Leabch, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX; Leticia Medina, Colors of Success, Salt Lake City, UT; Byron “BK” Myles, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX; Rich Parks, Salt Lake County Youth Force, Salt Lake City, UT

Gang Prosecution Strategies
Forsythe

Gang-related violence makes the role of prosecution more important than ever in gang cases. Participants will learn how to take a case from arrest to trial effectively, with innovative prosecution strategies highlighted by some of the nation’s most successful gang prosecutors. This workshop is sponsored by the National District Attorneys Association.

Presenters: John Anderson, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Santa Ana, CA; Steve Jansen, National District Attorneys Association, Alexandria, VA; Gary Hearnsberger, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles, CA; and Jeffrey Wennar, Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, Rockville, MD

Conducting a Comprehensive Gang Assessment
Grand Salon B

This workshop provides a step-by-step approach to conducting a communitywide gang assessment. Comprehensive community planning strategies will be covered, as well as insights into using an ongoing assessment to identify measurable/meaningful outcome indicators.

Presenters: Candice Kane, CeaseFire, Chicago, IL; Cheryl Murray, Department of Homeland Security, Houston, TX; Phelan Wyrick, National Institute of Justice, Washington, DC; Carol Marsh, Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs, Oklahoma City, OK

Outreach to Gang Members and Their Families
Henry

Presenters will share ideas and strategies for successful intervention with families of gang members. Topics include family management skills, support groups, parent workshops, multigenerational gang families, and outreach to family members.

Presenters: Victor Gonzalez, Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office, Houston, TX; James Odom, Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office, Houston, TX; Don E. Waters, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX; Melvin C. Carter III, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX