At 18, Kim found herself without friends, drinking too much, and in trouble at her high school in Mexico City. Like thousands of young people across the city, she made a decision she would come to regret. “I had hit a girl and stole her bag, which left me two options: leave school or join a gang for protection.” She not only joined the gang, but became one of its leaders. Kim found she had more control over her life after participating in a life skills training program supported by the International Youth Foundation and a local organization called Cauce Ciudadano.“I still have a temper, but now my reaction is not to throw things or hit someone,” she says. “I realize I can solve my problems without violence.” She has also learned something about leadership; that it’s not about who is most violent or strong, but who has a vision and a plan for the future.

Kim now believes she has a constructive role to play as a mentor in the community, working primarily with her peers who are still gang members. “After I was in this program, I went back to my gang and began to talk with them, and they began to change,” she said. “Everyone noticed, and it gave me a lot of satisfaction.” Her message to other youth: “Don’t get involved with addictions, because you lose a lot of time,” she warns. “Find another way to attach yourselves to others.”

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