: News

Filed Under:

Soccer Tourney Steers Teens Away From Gangs

April 18, 2010
Play associated audio
comments
A Northern Virginia gangs task force is getting teens onto soccer fields.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aheram/
A Northern Virginia gangs task force is getting teens onto soccer fields.

By Asma Khalid

A Northern Virginia non-profit is bringing kids involved with gangs off the streets and onto the soccer field.

Alberto Flores is at the second annual Northern Virginia Family Services soccer tournament. He used to hang around with a bad crowd, but soccer is changing that.

"This keeps me away from the streets," he says. "And I don’t think about anything negative."

Douglas Amaya says the sport helps him make better life decisions.

"Sometimes associating with positive friends and not negative ones, you make better decisions," he says.

Amaya knows. He was in a gang. And that’s not usual for the kids here today. About 60 percent either were in a gang or are considered to be at risk for joining a gang.

Arts & Culture

NPR

Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process

After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.

Food

NPR

In Raw Milk Case, Activists See Food Freedom On Trial

Activists say the case against Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger is about raw milk — and much more. His supporters have turned the case into a rallying cry for personal food freedom and the rights of farmers and consumers to enter into private contracts without government intervention.

Politics

NPR

Obama Group's Climate Push Puts President Under Scrutiny

Organizing for Action — a group that formed out of President Obama's re-election campaign — has focused its ire on Republicans it calls "climate change deniers." But some environmentalists are frustrated with the president himself on issues like the Keystone pipeline.

Technology

NPR

How That 'Nigerian Email Scam' Got Started

You've probably seen it in your inbox before: Someone who claims to have come into a fortune needs your help. You can share in the profits — if you send along a deposit or your bank account number. Boston Globe correspondent Finn Brunton talks about the history of the "Nigerian prince" or "419" scam, which actually got its start long before email.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.