PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A program is turning Portsmouth's at-risk youth's lives around through a gang prevention program.
It’s a last attempt to save teens who are on probation.
"I learned about coping skills, how to stay out of trouble and anger management skills," a teen in the program said.
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One Portsmouth teen who couldn’t show his face on camera says after he got into trouble, he got into the Department of Juvenile Justice’s Gang Resistance Education Training Program, also known as GREAT to get off probation.
He’s on probation because of:
"Possession of a stolen vehicle, and I went at a high speed and got in trouble for it," the teen said.
The teen is set to graduate from Manor High School this year.
The teens came together to graduate from the 15-week-long program. We couldn’t show the teen faces due to the program’s guidelines.
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"The GREAT Program is a violence prevention curriculum that teaches youth of Portsmouth to avoid violence and gangs," a speaker at the graduation said.
Dr. Deyonta Johnson with the state Department of Juvenile Justice Violence Intervention shares this:
"We teach decision making skills, problem solving skills and conflict resolution skills. We understand some youth are put in certain circumstances that causes them to do certain things but that does not have to be the outcome," Johnson said. "The youth we work with are actively on probation and parole supervision which is why we have to conceal their identity. They are working to make a change."
