Bare Neccesities of Street Life
In July 2007, Rodney return back to Stuttgart, AR after being in San Diego, CA for twenty years. When He got back to his home town and notice things had change so much, not for goodness, but for worst. Children /teens are struggling and looking for opportunities, I found my mind pondering about what has become of my home town, some of the people I grew up with, the street activities, and the life of community as it is now.
Hanging out in the streets, alcohol and selling drugs- these are the most popular entertainment choices among our younger generation in the community. Constant repetition of these sole components can be enough to sendanyone into the doldrums. After all, what else is there for Stuttgart youth/teens to do? It’s not as though Stuttgart have a designated area to be productive and social simultaneously. Without a positive and supportive place to be, pregnancy rates among African American and white female teenagers increase so does the risk ofdrug and alcohol abuse, and have a much higher rate of school dropout as well as gangs activities, abuse relationships of DV, getting arrested and suicide. This is the result from a lack of stimulating and intriguing activities that the city offers. As result, many teen falls into drugs, some carry and use weapons in display ofviolence or bullets flying, alcohol and tobacco use from a lack of positive atmosphere and substantial activity.The view that teenage engaging in risky sexual activity that leads to teen’s pregnancy or STD, getting arrested, family dissolution, and isolation and hopelessness, among myriad of others; illiteracy, Today, like many other cities around the world, one in five American youth that grows up cannot read well enough to understand a wantad or a road sign, much less newspapers, simple instructions, add or subtract.
These deleterious factors are destroying the future for the growing number African American, Latino, white and other youth races, but especially the African American male teenagers that are either falling through the cracks at school or are already entangled with the juvenile court system, many of whom continues to face disproportionate risks and challenges of hanging out in the streets, alcohol and selling drugs.
After being here for few months and I saw my first tornado hit Stuttgart. So one day I decide to go for a walk with his cousin to the park. A few moments later, we start hearing few shots fired. As the shot rings out; kids, teens and some adults start running, seeking cover as soon as possible, some gapping their kids, for those already across street duck for cover behind vehicles. As I stood behind a vehicle, I saw this other young man in his early twenties tell another kid that was about twelve “you better stand their and don't run neither”. As he lend against the back of the car. He raised his voice firmly saying” stand their like a man, don't you dare run like a coward, then he ask him are you afraid? ” the youth said nothing and he asked him again. Are you afraid? The youth said “no”. As I stood their watching this.
Research indicates that middle-school students are at great risk for school disciplinary problems that translate into future for our younger generations that will determine the future of the city. If everyone has their mind set on leaving Stuttgart to pursue greater things, there will not be a population to sustain. The quality of life is the greatest factor that has the most obvious impact upon teens.
But children and teens are more likely to become victims of violent crime than at other times. For teens ages 12 to 18, this risk peaks at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the end of the school day.
Violence by teens also peaks in the hours immediately after school. While crimes by adults peak at 11 o'clock at night, as some younger adults (19 to 25) until 430 in the morning, violent crimes by juveniles peak between 4p.m. and 8 p.m. on school days. In fact, juveniles injure more victims in the hours around the close of school than any other time of the day.
Many teens get involved in dangerous and risky activities during the after-school hours. Millions of children and teens spend the hours after school unsupervised. Unfortunately, children and teens that are not supervisedby adults or involved in structured activities after school are much more likely to: use alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, receive poor grades and skip or drop out of school, engage in risky sexual activity, get arrested, teen’spregnancy, family dissolution, illiteracy, and carry and use weapons, and isolation and hopelessness, among myriad of others.
I fell an envision come over me, I realize that I need to submit myself to God and be humble. And worry not about things that I have no control over. (Luke 12:22-34) I truly do believe that God has a plan for me. I know that if I follow his will and way that nothing is impossible.
At that very moment I fell something. Then I ask myself, why have their became so much aggression? So much resentment in some of our neighborhoods, beside guns violence, drugs dealing, drug uses, violence and crime. As Time contuning on as the months past more, I start seeing how children was struggling with Social and Emotional Curriculum and other looking for difference opportunities, Many of which these parents or youth living in disadvantaged circumstances or faces disproportionate risk or challenges, as often was the case, single parent, teenages as parents, where single parents fight valiantly to keep their heads above water. So I got tired of watching children going thru this. While elevating and making the public’s aware of the Boxing Loft effort to fight for youth and generate financial support for it cause, Gaither is not your typical teacher. but his classroom is in the gym, his scarred and tattooed body is his textbook. His lesson? How to avoid becoming a homeless, drug-addicted and a criminal for the most of his years. As Gaither reveals his stories of violence, loneliness and desperation to a group of boxers from The Boxing Loft, Inc. -an urban renewal - a city boxing club aimed at helping keep youth off the streets and out of trouble. so I created Inter-Faith Crisis Solution In Stuttgart, DBA the Boxing Loft (sm)
Rodney knows from experience that it’s easy for youth to get knocked down. He also knows that once they do, it’s hard for them to get back on their feet with out the proper support. So by addressing these issues by providing supplement academic to support children before becoming at-risk and promoting a higher education and professional development to at-risk and underprivileged children and youth.Thanks to The Boxing Loft to fight for youth, these children and youth will have someone fighting in their corner. As Rodney aim to help children and youth by improving their feeling, as a firm believe that any athletic or personal goal can be achieved through perseverance, determination, hardworkand training for especially for those who participation in the program as a Olympic-style amateur boxer, and as we aim to help them direct their lives along productive lines.
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