Teen Violence in America-Can We Save Our Teens?

An eighteen year old is charged with the lethal stabbing of a 17 year old boy, who he believed was dating an x-girlfriend. The typical age range for a gang member is 12–24 years old. Starting with Columbine High School in 1999, the US has seen more than 230 elementary and HS school shootings. In this show, Joseph Kolb, Executive Director for the Southwest Gang Information Center and Instructor in the Criminal Justice Program at Western New Mexico University addresses the causative factors, warning signs and potential solutions for teen violence. Drawing upon his book, Teen Violence in America: How Do We Save Our Children? he invites us to understand the external realities and underlining factors of school shootings, bullying, violent media, and social media exposure. As a parent, educator, and former law officer, he offers strategies for building teen resilience, fostering empowerment, enhancing social awareness, reducing fear, boredom and overcoming obstacles.