New Study: 2 in 3 U.S. Adults Agree Gang Violence Among Youth on Rise Because of Economy

Teens Converge in D.C. to Voice Concerns About Gang Violence July 17-22

By Christian Newswire
Thursday, July 15, 2010

Gang Membership Up More than 42,000 Nationwide Since 2002

SEATTLE, J- In a matter of days, about 130 youth from across the country will converge at the nation’s capital to push for an end to gang violence. The teens are part of the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP), a program of humanitarian organization World Vision, which trains young people to be agents of positive change in their struggling communities. As gang membership rises in this country, claiming more young lives in gang-related violence, it is no surprise that this topic is up for discussion between members of YEP and their congressional representatives. The teen activists will be in Washington, D.C. July 17-22.


According to a new World Vision study conducted by global market research leader, Harris Interactive*, two out of three U.S. adults (67 percent) say that gang violence among youth is increasing as a result of the current economic climate. “Financial crises generate despair in already distressed communities,â€