Of Cliques & Teen Gangs

Emotional literacy „can tackle gang culture?. (2007, February 16). Manchester Evening News.

Dr Larry Jones of the London Academy of Higher Education advocated the importance

of emotional literacy in tackling gang culture. According to him, teaching children to control

their emotions could stop us from creating a society of gangster. Emotional literacy program

educates children on how to raise their self-esteem and withstand peer pressure and the

dominance of gangs. Dr Jones mentioned that the root cause of the problems lies in the emotions

and hence an education of the emotions is crucial.

Many children who are involved in gangs are underachievers and feel that they are not

good enough. They need to know that there are other people who have felt like them and have

overcome it. The media is also glamorizing guns as good things. All the talk about extending

prison sentences have made some children want to go to prison as they believed that they would

be cared for in prisons. Nowadays, when people talk about self-defense or jealousy, it is not

about drugs but over small issues like boyfriend or girlfriend matters. Dr Jones mentioned that

we need to change the way we look at life; we need to teach the young that they do not need to

fight to be a man and there is no need to use a gun or knife.

Emotional literacy has its benefits; among others, the reduction of crime rates, fewer

dysfunctional families and economic development.