Youth & Violence: Juan Pacheco on Gangs, UCLA

Juan Pacheco of Barrios Unidos speaks at a March 12 forum at UCLA on "Global Perspectives on Youth & Violence."

Young people make up almost a fifth of the world's population. Close to 85 percent of the 1.1 billion young men and women between the ages of 15 and 24 live in developing countries. Rapid population growth, the unavailability of housing and support services, poverty, unemployment and underemployment among youth, the decline in the authority of local communities, overcrowding in poor urban areas, the disintegration of the family, and ineffective educational systems are some of the new pressures young people must deal with. This forum examines the issues facing young people today and explores the global phenomenon of youth involvement in violence--both as perpetrators and as victims--along with prescriptions and new approaches.

The event was sponsored by the UCLA African Studies Center, the Center for Near Eastern Studies, the Latin American Institute, the Department of French and Francophone Studies, and USA for Africa.