ABSTRACT
Gang intervention with at-risk youth has been a sizeable topic that has had numerous cited references over the last half century. That writing has primarily been found in the disciplines of sociology, social work, and gang intervention. As authors of this chapter, we have viewed mental health practice with this dis-empowered group of adolescents as both a professional and a spiritual calling. This calling that we now name sacred advocacy refers to the intrinsic relationship that exists with children and adolescents who have experienced daily threats and incidents of violence (i.e., micro & macro-aggessions) and subsequently, a deterioration of the soul. The impact of these continuous ravages of one’s personhood has contributed to the need for psychological intervention and the innate wisdom of spirituality, given that the majority of “at-risk youth” in inner city programs continues to be Latina/o and African American (Cervantes & Parham, 2005).
