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Description
Street gangs in the United States are typically viewed as destructive and violent by the mainstream society (Beare & Hogg, 2013; Lane & Meeker, 2003). Dominant discourses in the United States paint a limited and often negative picture of individuals participating in street gangs. Through a social constructionist lens, dominant discourses are determined by the shared interpretation of a particular notion (Gergen, 2011). My research challenges the dominant discourses of street gangs by exploring an alternate image of these individuals; namely one that celebrates their strengths. The overarching question of this research is: What are the transferable funds of knowledge acquired by street gang-involved individuals that can be utilized in alternate environments outside of a street gang context? I utilized qualitative methodology to uncover the assets acquired by individuals participating in street gang life because it provided the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning that street gang membership held. A sense of belonging is key to the development of an individual's identity through the social constructionist lens. Therefore, understanding the sense of belonging that youth attain in a gang is paramount to identifying how the street gang identity is constructed. The funds of knowledge (Moll, Amanti, Neff & Gonzalez, 1992) concept was developed to identify skills acquired by students at home that were useful in attaining success in a school classroom. In this research, the funds of knowledge are the skills that the participants have acquired within the context of street gang life that are transferable in alternate environments. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) supports a social constructionist framework because the focus is on developing a shared meaning of a concept (Barrett, et. al., 1995; Busche, 2011). One way that AI works tangibly within a research study is by generating positive energy in the environment, such as when conducting an interview with a participant, as I have done in this study. I used an AI methodological format to investigate the positive ways that street gang participation has changed their lives and uncover the funds of knowledge, acquired through these street gang experiences that were used outside of street gang life. The scope of this research was defined by 14 gang-involved individuals of Haitian ethnicity between the ages of 20 to 32 residing in Miami, FL. The sense of belonging and the funds of knowledge were both paramount in helping these individuals attain employment, higher education, and life quality gains. Specifically, a sense of belonging was important in developing an identity as a gang member and this was manifested through three primary mindsets: protection, emotional support, and family. It's important to recognize how these individuals found a sense of belonging in a gang in order to understand the parallel of acquiring belongingness outside a gang. I discovered that it was the sense of belonging that shaped their identity within a gang, but it was also the funds of knowledge accessed in an alternate context such as in a job that helped them transition successfully to participation outside of street gangs. There were six categories of the funds of knowledge that were transferable in two ways; one mode was for the individual's gain and one was for the benefit of the extended street gang community. The six transferable funds of knowledge discovered through this research study were hyperawareness, resilience, money management, networking, critical thinking/wisdom, and business savvy. Implications of this research include suggestions for offering policy changes in higher education and employment, which may reduce the stereotypes of street gangs and increase productive changes in society when opportunities are available to individuals in street gangs. The impetus for generating policy and attitude changes that will open doors is drawn from recognizing the strengths of individuals involved in street gangs.
