To be able to facilitate understanding of the social contexts, factors and forces that create, sustain and promote gangs and gang membership.

1. Social Factors and Forces
Day 5
Facilitators: Craig Pinkney and Sangeeta Soni

2. Learning Outcome
1) To be able to facilitate
understanding of the social contexts,
factors and forces that create, sustain
and promote gangs and gang
membership.

3. Socialisation

4. Socialisation: Definition
Socialisation is the process by which individuals
acquire the knowledge, language, social skills, and
values to conform to the norms and roles required for
integration into a group or community. It is a
combination of both self-imposed (because the
individual wants to conform) and externally-imposed
rules, and the expectations of others. In a health and
social care setting, socialisation refers to the process
through which a new employee 'learns the ropes,' by
becoming sensitive to the formal and informal power
structures and the explicit and implicit rules of
behaviour.

5. Socialisation in Context
• Education
• Poverty
• Race
• Class
• Religion
• Culture
• Gender
• Family Structure
• History
• Geographical Space
• Experience

6. Social Disorganisation
(Shaw & MacKay: 1988)
Social Disorganisation is when the informal
social controls of a community break down
which cause criminal cultures emerge. As a
result of disorganisation, communities lack
collective efficacy to fight crime and
disorder.

7. Moral Panic (Cohen: 1987)
The concept refers to a sporadic episode which, as
it occurs, subjects society to bouts of moral panic,
or in other terms, worry about the values and
principles which society upholds and which it
thinks may be in jeopardy. The media plays an
important part in shaping perceptions.
Footnote: Cohen (1987) describes its
characteristics as "a condition, episode, person or
group of persons [who] become defined as a
threat to societal values and interests."

8. Impact of Moral Panic
• Parents to be more vigilant
• Residents concerned about safety within the areas in
which they live
• Government creates new laws and creates stiffer
punishments
• Police enforce more stringent practices
• Youth become more fearful (eg to travel)
• Youth take matters into their own hands based on the
fear of becoming victims

9. Gangs and Social Media

11. Invisibility Syndrome
(Franklin: 2006)
Invisibility syndrome evolves when a person(s)
feels that they live in a racialised or
depersonalised context, in which who they are as
a genuine person, including their individual
talents and unique abilities, is overshadowed by
stereotyped attitudes and prejudice that others
hold about them.

12. 10 Minute Music Video

13. Task 1
(Reflection)
How do young people in your countries,
make themselves visible and what
mediums do they use to achieve this?

14. Task 2
(Differences and Similarities
Flipchart Task)

15. How do these voices inform and guide us in
understanding the current social reality of gang
members who are labelled dangerous, deviant,
and critical? Furthermore how do those insights
challenge, address and change our professional
practice, that by default is failing to deter these
individuals from occupying the streets, killing
other people and some cases dying to gang
violence?

16. Lunch Time!!!

17. Breaking Free
by DrMartin Glynn

18. Question and Answers
with DrMartin Glynn