Mentoring and Rehabilitation: Steering Youth Away from Gangs

One proven strategy for preventing youth violence and gang involvement is mentoring, especially through credible messengers who youth can relate to. Many high-risk young people have a deep mistrust of authorities and traditional programs; they may reject lectures from police or teachers, but respond to someone who “has walked in their shoes.” Programs that pair youth with mentors – particularly adults who are former gang members or ex-offenders turned positive role models – have shown impressive results in reducing reoffending and violence. These mentors build trust, dispel the “glamour” of gang life, and guide youth toward education and employment opportunities.

Research and practice highlight several key benefits of the mentoring approach:

• Credibility and Trust: Lived-experience mentors can connect with youth who distrust traditional authorities. In one UK study, teens involved in gangs said they feared being seen as a “snitch” and didn’t trust police or social workers enough to seek helpco.uk. A mentor who has survived the streets can overcome this trust gap. For example, St Giles Trust in London trains ex-gang members as outreach workers to “expose the realities of gang life” – debunking the myths that gangs bring fame or securitytnlcommunityfund.org.uk. This credibility opens the door for meaningful dialogue and support that at-risk youth actually accept.
• Fulfilling Belonging Needs: Gangs often lure young people by offering a surrogate “family” and sense of identity. A caring mentor can offer a positive alternative. By forming a consistent, supportive relationship, mentors give youths a sense of belonging and self-worth that doesn’t depend on crime. Indeed, studies in the extremism context note that a strong mentor–mentee bond can satisfy a young person’s need for belonging and identity, reducing the “pull” of violent groupsrusi.org. In practical terms, a mentor might help a teen find a purpose through sports, arts, or community service, replicating the camaraderie of a gang in a pro-social way.
• Skills and Opportunities: Good mentoring programs don’t stop at advice – they actively help youth develop life skills and access opportunities. This can include tutoring, career guidance, or simply exposing mentees to new experiences outside their troubled environments. Evidence from Europe shows that equipping at-risk youth with vocational skills, education and real-life options is highly effective in steering them away from crimerusi.org. A mentor might help a young person write a CV, practice interview skills, or even intervene to facilitate housing and mental health support. Such holistic help addresses the underlying factors (unemployment, trauma, lack of direction) that often fuel gang involvement.

Real-world outcomes underscore mentoring’s impact. In the US, a “Credible Messengers” mentoring program in Milwaukee (launched 2020) has reported that 78% of participating youth had no new offenses during 2023 while in the program – a remarkable success given all were considered high-risk. Among those referred before they had any criminal convictions, 87% remained offense-free under mentorshipcounty.milwaukee.govcounty.milwaukee.gov. These results mirrored the program’s pilot findings, demonstrating consistency. The mentors – themselves formerly justice-involved – provide intensive support (often 6+ months of guidance), and the program also connects youth to jobs and therapy. This approach, described as focusing “upstream” to prevent crime before it happens, has been lauded for its “transformative” impact on teens and community safetycounty.milwaukee.govcounty.milwaukee.gov.

The UK has embraced similar ideas. Numerous community charities deploy “peer mentors” or “violence navigators” with lived experience to engage gang-involved youth. Evaluations by the Early Intervention Foundation find that mentoring, when well-implemented, can cut violent offending and benefit both mentees and mentors (who find purpose in helping others)eif.org.uk. To maximize effectiveness, programs stress the importance of careful mentor-mentee matching, proper training and supervision for mentors, and a sustained engagement (regular contact over months, not one-off meetings). Mentoring is not a quick fix for every individual, but as part of a broader rehabilitation and prevention strategy, it has proven its worth.

For funders, supporting mentoring initiatives offers a highly tangible, human-centered way to reduce youth violence. These programs are relatively cost-effective – certainly compared to the expense of incarcerating a young offender – and they create ripple effects of positive change. A single mentor can change the trajectory of a young person’s life, turning them from crime toward productivity. Moreover, mentors often come from the same communities as the youth they help, so investing in these leaders also builds local capacity. By expanding mentoring programs (and rigorously evaluating them to refine best practices), we can empower communities to solve the gang problem from within – one life saved at a time.