Getting a GRIP on Gangs

County program shows kids the virtues of a gang-free life

By Jim Shilander

San Clemente may not have the same gang problems as some larger cities in Orange County, but gangs are still here. For those looking to stop gangs, they say the key is to keep kids from joining them in the first place.

That’s the goal of Orange County’s Gang Reduction Intervention Program, or GRIP. The program, which is in 42 schools across eight county school districts, focuses on giving children, who are considered to be at-risk for joining a gang, reasons to avoid them, through mentoring programs and providing rewards for those who’ve succeeded in the program.

A gang injunction in San Clemente is in place in three areas, between Camino De Los Mares, Interstate 5 and Calle Campana; all of downtown San Clemente west of I-5 (except for the area around San Clemente High School) between Avenida Pico (north to Avenida Presidio) and Avenida Calafia; and north of I-5 between Avenida Magdalena, Avenida Pala and Avenida Santa Margarita. The injunction prohibits known gang members from meeting in public, along with other restrictions.

San Clemente School Resource Officer Rod Valdez said the GRIP program has been in San Clemente for the last three years and improvements were noticeable soon. The program is in two middle schools in the city, Shorecliffs and Bernice Ayers. Each school has approximately 30 students in the program.

“The main thing is the attendance, truancy and tardiness have been reduced about 70 percent,” Valdez said.

Shorecliffs Middle School Principal Kenny Moe said he’d seen the program’s effectiveness in students in his school, but a single program couldn’t act as cure-all.

“It’s provided different opportunities or looks for kids,” Moe said. “It opens up doors later on that they might step through.”

Moe took particular note of an event last year when 10 students visited the offices of Ford Motor Company in Irvine, where they got a look at the process behind designing cars.

He also said, however, that all students, regardless of socio-economic or parental status, could be considered “at-risk.”

The program works by giving at risk students a chance to see beyond the borders of their neighborhood or even their city, according to Valdez. Students who improve their attendance and grades get the opportunity to attend sporting events, like a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim game, or a Chivas USA soccer match. All the rewards offered to those participating in the program, he said, were things that the program could deliver.

“We don’t promise something we can’t do,” Valdez said.

Valdez said that for many students in the program, an opportunity to attend major sporting events don’t come along very often. Many come from single parent homes or from impoverished backgrounds.”We’re showing them something they’ve never seen,” Valdez said. Many of the students in the program, he said, haven’t traveled anywhere north of Mission Viejo, let alone Anaheim or Los Angeles.

The program’s focus on middle school and elementary school students is important, Valdez said. It was much harder to reach students who might already be going down a negative path once they reach high school. From his post at San Clemente High School, Valdez said he’s already seen improvement in the high school performances of those in the program. “We’re seeing a decline in high school kids dropping out because of getting through to this group of kids,” Valdez said.

Valdez said one student, who remained anonymous due to privacy concerns, had recently had made a dramatic turnaround. He’d asked Valdez and others in the program to help him purchase new clothes that weren’t gang affiliated to wear to school and around the city. “He’s been going to class and his grades have skyrocketed,” Valdez said.

Valdez explained that in addition to the rewards, he, along with representatives from the District Attorney’s office and caseworkers, regularly met with students, and got regular “report cards” from teachers on their progress.

“It just works,” Valdez said.

The program also has an enforcement component. The district attorney’s office has prosecuted parents for child truancy and other actions that can contribute to delinquency. Most cases don’t actually get that far, however, with more coming in the form of family interventions or meet-ups.

Moe said this emphasis was of particular help to administrators and teachers.

“Every school has these issues, and it’s not necessarily an issue of money. It’s an issue of parenting. It allows you some more resources in dealing with some of these situations,” he explained

The next reward event for GRIP students definitely has a more local flavor. Students will get to attend a special soccer clinic over three days during Spring Break, April 8-10, at Vista Hermosa Sports Park. Ed Molina, who has coached AYSO youth soccer in San Clemente, said the camp would primarily focus on building basic soccer skills, especially since players had different skill levels. Valdez said he expects about 40 kids at the camp, about 20 from each school.

“Most of these kids know each other, so we’re trying to get them in different groups,” Molina said. “We’ll rotate with different coaches. Most will be kids I coach on my club team.” Molina said. While soccer would be the way in, Molina said, much of the event will focus on teaching life lessons, about dedication and hard work. “They’ll come out of there feeling good about doing something collectively,” Molina said. “We want to say, ‘Hard work pays.'”

Gage Zerboni, who was recently named the county player of the year as a part of San Clemente’s CIF-Southern Section Champion soccer team, will speak to the kids as well.

“They can see that these are kids right in their backyard who have been successful, through the lesson of hard work. But it’s not about soccer, it’s about life. Anything you want to do, you really have to work hard. A lot of this is about having them look within,” Molina said.

It also means a lot to students that people cared about what happened to them, according to Molina.

Molina, who currently serves as president of the Parent-Teacher-Student Association at San Clemente High School, said he first asked to get involved with the program by Trudy Podobas, of the Capistrano Council of PTSAs, a supporter of the GRIP program.

“I had no idea what I was getting into,” Molina admitted. “I knew a little about GRIP, but I’m sort of a ”Yes Man’ when it comes to my community. I love my community.”

Molina said that helping at last year’s event brought him particular pride.

“It was extremely fulfilling,” he said. “To know they benefited from the training and the volunteers and the community support, it was just extremely fulfilling. And the feedback from the parents was great. They all said there kids had definitely gotten a workout.”

Moe said you could see the effect the camp had on students.

“The kids were excited about the experience of being coached,” Moe said. “For some of them it was the first time soccer was organized in that way. They were completely jazzed and pumped up about it.”