CAFÉ, school districts' partnerships aim to steer youth away from gangs

Dec. 27—NCW — After the death of a 15-year-old boy in August in what investigators said was a gang-related shooting, many organizations in the Wenatchee Valley began partnering and expanding programs to detour children from choosing "dangerous lifestyles."

One of those is the Community Advancement of Family Education (CAFÉ), which uses its Teen Nights as an alternative for teens to spend time with each other in a positive environment, said Francisco Jimenez, a recovery navigator for CAFE and part of the youth programs team for the organization.

"When you get to know a lot of these youngsters, a lot of them are running to gangs," Jimenez said. "Gangs, I don't think you can prevent them, I don't think you can cancel them out, but you can always give teens another option.

"A lot of these teens run to gangs because they have nothing better to do at home," he continued. "They get turned away from sports, their grades are too low, they don't qualify for sports, they can't afford it.

"In order for them to feel welcomed, they look for something else. And one thing out in the street that is going to take you is a gang. They don't discriminate. They'll automatically take you. As long as you're willing to be a part of them they'll take you in," he said.

CAFÉ's Teen Nights occur once a month and provide a safe place for ages 13 to 18. Jimenez said teens of all backgrounds go to CAFÉ's Teen Nights, as it's not just for teens who could qualify as at risk of joining gangs or doing drugs.

"The moment you start to discriminate or start saying this is only for 'at-risk,' then you start putting labels on them and once you start to put labels on a student it's over," Jimenez said. "They start to carry that label with them and start believing that's who they are. And if you bring people here with positive vibes and a good lifestyle who just come here to have fun, that rubs off on the other guys."

The activities have ranged from soccer to kickball and more, with around 25 to 30 teens participating, Jimenez said.

In December, teens got to learn how to cook traditional southern barbecue with Burch Mountain BBQ.

"This cooking thing is just one piece of the pie," Jimenez said.

Jimenez said he and the CAFÉ members reach out to teens through the various programs and events CAFÉ offers, and get referrals for teens to work, from partners, like Catholic Charities, Chelan County Juvenile Justice Center, and local school districts or family members.

He said he also visits students in both Wenatchee and Eastmont school districts during lunch to tell them about CAFÉ's youth programs.

Recently, CAFÉ started offering free boxing lessons at Lightsout Boxing Gym for teens.

Jimenez said he and the CAFE team wanted to incorporate more consistent after school activities than just Teen Nights for safe, but more engaging, activities. Jimenez said around 25 teenagers go to the boxing gym twice a week for a one-hour lesson.

"They take out their anger on the bags; they learn discipline; they learn where to spend their energy, and they're having fun doing it," Jimenez said.

Jimenez said for the teens to participate in free lessons, they need to report their grades to CAFÉ. If students are failing classes or grades are dropping, he said CAFÉ doesn't remove the teen from participating, but connects them to its tutoring program or other resources the teen might need. If the teen is struggling with anger issues or other emotional issues, Jimenez said CAFÉ connects the teen with Centro Latino Northwest Family Services Institute for counseling.

If the teen has substance abuse issues, CAFÉ connects them with its recovery navigator program.

"We have a resource for every situation they might encounter," Jimenez said. "And instead of saying they are no longer included in this program, we embrace them, we look at their issue and try to correct it and give them other options. And as long as they keep doing those steps, they can keep doing the programs."

CAFÉ also started a free cosmetology course for interested teens in December with Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center. Jimenez said there will be a second cosmetology workshop in January. The teens must also provide their grades to participate.

Jimenez said all of the free lessons and courses are supported by a grant CAFÉ received from Stemilt Growers LLC.

"As long as I can save one life, I'm happy," Jimenez said.

Personal reasons to help

On Dec. 21, 25 teens attended a free boxing lesson from Maira Williams, owner of Lightsout Boxing.

Williams said she grew up in the Wenatchee Valley and was involved with gangs during her youth. Boxing redirected her away from the gangster lifestyle after she met her coach, a former East Wenatchee police officer who arrested her for fighting, she said.

"I was getting in trouble; I was going down the wrong path; I had joined a gang and then he pulled me and introduced me to boxing. He introduced me to discipline, and so it plays a big part of why I got involved (with CAFÉ)," Williams said.

Williams said she teamed up with CAFÉ and started giving free lessons in November. She said she was excited to help provide youth with free lessons because that was the reason why she opened her gym — to help those with the same background she has.

Boxing was free for Williams and her sister, as her coach taught them both in his garage. She said it was nothing fancy, but they won many competitions, even at national levels.

"We did a lot with boxing because it was free," she said. She added if she had to pay for boxing, she might have continued with gangs.

"That was my goal," she said. "I wanted to help people like me because I know there's people like me that can't afford the sports at school; those who didn't do well in school. Those who didn't really quite fit in — so then I got drawn in (to gangs)."

Williams said what motivates the teens to keep coming back is the discipline.

"It is one of the hardest sports and it really shows your character. There's nothing you can hide from," she said. "They enjoy the sport and they enjoy the challenge and it is a very challenging sport. You do have to pay attention and have that discipline in yourself to keep going. These are not easy workouts. I think part of them, and most people like myself, can relate, where I was never expected to do much. So here we give that confidence and be like, 'Hey you can do something, you can box, you can do something for yourself.' So I think that affirmation that no one is looking down on them for being the troubled kid (helps them). Like I had no judgment for any of these kids, and I think that creates a culture where they feel accepted, they're doing something, and they actually enjoy it. After a while, you see their attitudes change and they're listening and asking questions and more confident with their voice."

Dec. 21 was 17-year-old Ulises Cortez's third boxing lesson. He said his friends told him about the free lessons and he was excited to learn how to box and hang out with his friends. He also said boxing was challenging and fun, and he wanted to continue as long as he could.

Cortez said he never participated in any after school activities, like sports, and he and his family wouldn't be able to afford boxing lessons. He said he liked that all he had to do was show his grades to keep him accountable.

School district programs

Kory Kalahar, superintendent for the Wenatchee School District, said CAFÉ is doing a good job in the community and the school district is partnering with it to create a mentorship program. CAFÉ has a mentorship program with the Eastmont School District that Kalahar said he is impressed with and he hopes to start a similar program in Wenatchee.

Other community programs the school district is partnering with for gang alternative and prevention include Together! for Youth and the North Central Educational Service District.

Kalahar said since it was important to provide after school activities for students as safe alternatives, access to school gyms was extended.

"We are making sure that even in the face of budget constraints, we are offering after school programs," Kalahar said. "We are maintaining our extracurricular activities in sports and clubs because we know those are the things that are going to engage students and help them feel that connectedness, so they don't look for belonging somewhere else."

___

(c)2023 The Wenatchee World (Wenatchee, Wash.)

Visit The Wenatchee World (Wenatchee, Wash.) at www.wenatcheeworld.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.