Three Saturdays a month, the Albany YMCA becomes a safe haven for the city's teens. There they spend the night off the streets, with some structure.
At 7:30 teens come pouring in from Albany, Schenectady and Troy.
"Instead of being out there looking for things to do we can give them a lot of positive outlets here. It's the biggest thing with gangs, they're replacing a lot of what family used to give them which is structure, protection and belonging and this gives them a place to belong," said Ron "Cook" Barrett, Senior Gang Prevention Specialist.
Barrett's been running the teen night for ten years, helping kids realize they have options. That message was even more important tonight. The teens gathered for the first time since 25 members and associates of Albany's "Original Gangsta Killas" were arrested in Albany just over one week ago. Barrett said that some of those people were family, friends, maybe even role models for these kids. He's using their arrests as amunition.
"This will be a topic of conversation, but it's our chance to really react to them and show them that you know what, we told you, this is the place to be, keep structure in your lives, keep focus on your goals," he said.
It's a method which has shown results.
"They'll come back and say, it was programs like yours that really kept me from going down the wrong road," said David Graham, a volunteer for the program.
"I was one of those children that had to grow up because home wasn't what it was supposed to be, so it always was a blessing to come here," said Jaquesha Brandon, a former teen participant.
Tonight she came back to volunteer. Barrett said that's the key, getting these kids hooked on something positive.
"I don't want them walking out that door because there's an old saying that the devils right outside the door waiting for them, and we don't know what could happen right out that door," he said.
This year alone Barrett said he has seen more than a thousand teens come to the event. More are always welcome. He also said they are always looking for volunteers. For more information you can visit the State's Gang Prevention website.
http://www.nysgangprevention.com/
