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Teens’ TV Spot Gangs Up On The Gangs
“Thinking smart is not thinking gang colors.”
That’s the simple message of a new cable TV public service announcement made by a group of Bronx teens.
The effort is part of the Key to Success program, an anti-gang youth group founded by local activist Ronald Savage.
Growing up in Castle Hill, Savage recalled seeing gangs terrorizing neighbors and knew there had to be a better way to live.
“I felt that being in a gang was not going to do anything for you,” said Savage, who also heads the United Coalition Association, which administers the program. “Now, I speak out and tell young kids not to get involved with gangs. I try to steer them toward getting a high school diploma.”
Savage started the Key to Success program to do just that. About 15 teens attend group sessions every Saturday at Intermediate School 131 in Castle Hill.
The teens work on leadership skills and talk about their families, school and life issues. All the while, mentors encourage them to stay in school.
The group also takes field trips to local attractions, and guest speakers such as local entrepreneurs and politicians are brought in to inspire the students.
“I want these kids to see that these people are just like them, that they too can achieve their dreams,” Savage said.
Last April, the Key to Success program started doing public service announcements with grant money from the City Council’s Anti-Gang Violence Youth Initiative.
“I feel we can reach a bigger population by having the PSAs on TV,” Savage said. “And hopefully, when the youths see it enough, the message will start to sink in.”
The announcements, which run on VH1, MTV2, E! and News 12, seem to be reaching their intended targets. Savage said neighborhood teens often stop him on the street to talk about them.
The program’s next project is to blanket school libraries across the Bronx with newly designed posters reading, “The Key to Success is Knowing the Importance of Staying in School.”
That message already hits home for 13-year-old Donnette Walker, who wants to be a lawyer.
“I like that they tell us to stay in school, and to be a leader, not a follower,” she said.
For Catisa Alvarado, 13, just having something to do on Saturdays is a plus.
“We’ve been bowling, to the Natural History Museum, the movies, everywhere,” she said. “It’s fun. Instead of doing nothing, I can go there and learn stuff.”
The program has been a godsend for her mom, Isabel Vargas.
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