Results

Teens, Crime and the Community youth are doing incredible things across the country. TCC youth believe that education and action together does equal change. Read real-life examples of how teens involved in TCC have put what they learned in the TCC programs to use to make themselves and their communities safer.

Change

A 16-year-old from Westminster, California, reflects on what TCC has meant to him.

"First, a little background information. My neighborhood is not the best. This neighborhood would be scary to people who did not live in this community. Every day kids run around the street by themselves. The gang members hang out on the corners all day and party all night. My parents don't let me stay out late - they think I will get shot."

"I have been in TCC through the Front Line Academy. We use TCC to learn how we can stop crime in our neighborhood. TCC has affected my life by showing me the right ways in life, which allows me to help kids that are getting into trouble and talk to them about coming to Front Line and getting involved in TCC."

This testimony from a TCC youth is all too familiar. Youth see crime everyday in their schools and communities and many of them want to find a way to get involved, to find some way of bringing about change. TCC is a great place to start.

Action

At a public middle school in San Antonio, Texas, every year TCC students work at making a difference in their lives and communities.

The students plan, organize, and present a community open house with the theme, "Teens Teaching Teens to Prevent Violence and Drug Abuse."

The students engage many other school organizations including the student council, shop class, choir, orchestra, and jazz band.

TCC law students research the local newspapers for people in the community as well as famous people who have died as a result of violence. During the event, the students come forward and say the name of someone who has died - an outstandingly long list. They dedicate the program to local children who have died from a result of violence.

One of the focal points for the evening is the "I Can Make A Difference" wall - an extensive wooden wall constructed by the students with the help of the school's shop class. The three sections of the wall address sexual harassment, drug prevention, and media violence. Other sections list statistics about violence in the world today, names of community members lost to violence, ways to resolve conflict peacefully, and where victims can get help.

The program is successful, drawing more than 300 people from the community.

These TCC students saw the opportunity to educate their fellow classmates and community by using the lessons they learned in their TCC and conflict resolution sessions. TCC provided these youth with the tools. Their dedication and desire provided them the change to make a difference.

Education

Students who are involved with TCC seem to implement what they learn in their communities.

A seventh grade boy in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada, reported to the principal that he heard a classmate had brought a gun to school. The school officials searched the locker of the suspected student and found a gun. No one was injured.

Two seventh grade girls in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada, noticed a van circling the school. Believing it looked suspicious, the girls wrote down the license plate number and turned it into the principal. The principal called the police and reported the van. The police followed-up on the tip and the man driving the van was arrested. He was a sex offender wanted in a neighboring county.

Incredible! These students are active participants in TCC. Their instructor recently led a discussion in class about gun violence prevention and reporting crimes. These TCC youth acted on what they learned and aided in stopping a crime before it happened.