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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The intent of this article by Fattah was to describe the House of Umoja (a Swahili word for "unity"), an extended family for African American male youth living with gang violence in inner city Philadelphia.
METHODOLOGY:
The author employed a non-experimental design to describe the structure and function of the House of Umoja.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The author began with a brief discussion of the role that gangs could have in replacing conventional family support. When significant numbers of young individuals became detached from their families, they often organized into gangs with countercultural values and behaviors. The House of Umoja, founded in the 1960's by Sister Falaka Fattah, was based upon a modern adaptation of African culture. Combined with extended-family values, this structure provided not only stability, but also increased self-esteem among high-risk black youths. By 1972, when the newly elected mayor of Philadelphia released a harsh warning to gang members who failed to turn in their guns, Umoja mobilized a summit meting for all gangs. Over 75% of the gangs responded, and the meeting produced a 60-day truce. By the 1980's it became known as the first inner city Boystown in the USA. Residents were male teenagers, and most were adjudicated offenders. By considering Sister Falaka and the author of this article their parents, the teenagers were encouraged to think of themselves as brothers. The combination of support and structure intended to provide the youth with a strict sense of rules, responsibilities, counseling, and educational drive, while providing them with employment opportunities and basic health needs. By creating this structure, Umoja built self-respect, a sense of control and a willingness to channel effort into a future based on education, employment and family.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author concluded with a recommendation that efforts to duplicate the Umoja House continue, as they had in Delaware, with special emphasis on careful selection of the individuals who will run the program.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Pennsylvania
KW - African American Male
KW - African American Juvenile
KW - Juvenile Male
KW - Gang Prevention
KW - Gang Intervention
KW - Gang Membership Prevention
KW - Gang Violence
KW - Juvenile Gang
KW - Juvenile Violence
KW - Violence Prevention
KW - Conflict Resolution
KW - Social Skills Development
KW - Prosocial Skills
KW - Juvenile Development
KW - Youth Development
KW - Residential Program
KW - Spirituality
KW - Cultural Enrichment
KW - Cultural Heritage
KW - Prevention Education
KW - Problem Solving Skills
KW - At Risk Youth
KW - At Risk Male
KW - At Risk Juvenile
KW - Juvenile Self-Esteem
KW - Self-Esteem Development
KW - Violence Prevention
KW - Violence Intervention
KW - Juvenile Violence
KW - Juvenile Offender
KW - African American Offender
KW - African American Violence
KW - Sociocultural Factors
KW - Male Offender
KW - Male Violence
KW - Prevention Program
KW - Intervention Program
KW - Educational Factors
KW - Employment Factors
KW - Urban Youth
KW - Urban Gang
Language: en |