ABSTRACT
A successful gang intervention program adopts a holistic approach and meets gang members where they are. Interventionist's goals are to mentor socio-economically challenged youth in their communities and connect them with vital resources to provide hope for the youth. The Chicago Area Project comes to mind, then the community unifying efforts were in the 1930s. These interventionists balance the middle between the gangs and law enforcement and information sharing regarding the youth they serve. The Chicago Area Project developed indigenous leadership to administer local social programs and gang intervention programs commonly utilize this model by hiring former gang members as interventionists. Mentoring was crucial to the approach, which focused on strengthening the bonds connecting youth to the community. This experience gives interventionists a specialized knowledge of the lived realities of local youth. Interactions with authority figures who criticize their style choices can be belittling experiences for young people, reinforcing their identification with the resistant subculture.
