Crowd shows up to help with youth mentoring program
By Jenny Arnold
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Published: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 3:15 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 12:47 a.m.
Jalin brought two other young men with him to a meeting of the Spartanburg NAACP's new program, Volunteers Against Violence, at C.C. Woodson Center.
The program aims to reach youth by pairing adult mentors with children who may be at-risk of joining gangs or committing violence.
Although it wasn't clear if he was talking about himself, Jalin got everyone's attention when he said no child should have to see his cousin get shot in the head at point-blank range, or find that the man his mother was dating had raped a family member.
Jalin decided at young age that he would set an example for his siblings, and went to Tuesday's meeting because he wants to help other young people in Spartanburg.
Tamara Smith, who served a year in prison recently for shoplifting, also wants to help.
Her brother was killed nine years ago, the victim of gun violence. Smith said she wonders how one young man could take the life of another.
“I want to be in these young people's lives, helping them,” Smith said.
While many community programs target young men, Smith said she met women while in prison who had turned to gangs as well.
“I can't let the women off the hook,” Smith said. “We need to reach out to these women too.”
Residents and community leaders turned out for the meeting, and shared ideas for reasons behind and solutions to the community's wave of violence being committed by young people, from their late teens to their early 20s. Read More
