The summer of 1982 was one of the most fun years of my childhood. Almost everyday, I'd go to my best friend's house to go out to play. We'd then go and call up two or three other friends who we'd agree to go to the park with. They would, in turn, call on their friends to meet up at a certain time. By the time we got together in Aston Park, we were 20-strong. We'd all attend the local youth club once or twice a week and we'd buy fish and chips from the local chippy (shop). Overall, we were carefree and worry-free.
I felt I belonged to something very special. An elite group of young friends who enjoyed fun and adventure. My friends were very much like family to me. Unfortunately, my dreams of belonging to this gang with no name came to an end in October 1982 when my dad announced we were going to move to Sunderland to join him at his take-away. He promised I'd get paid well if I worked for him by serving customers.
No matter how much was promised me and how rosy the picture was that my dad painted, I was devastated. I would tell my friends that we'd be back in a few weeks when things settled. Afterall, my dad moved us to Oldham in 1979 and we did return after 6 months.
Moving from cosmopolitan, multi-cultural Birmingham to white, working class Sunderland with its disproportionately high level of unemployment was more than a culture to me. I was now in a town where I was experiencing isolation, verbal aggression and racial discrimination. My mum and dad were so busy trying to keep the business afloat that we spent no private time together.
Because I was required to help my parents with the business, I was serving customers within an hour of returning from school till late at night everyday. Therefore, I had no opportunity to make new friends outside school.
This was a far-cry from being a member of a gang of young boys...who had little interest in violence bar what we saw in Bollywood movies. Living in the conditions we were in was all the motivation I needed to long to be back with my friends in Birmingham.
Now when I look at why young men and women join gangs, the answer is as plain as day to me. These young people are doing what young people have been doing for aeons...they want a sense of belonging...a sense of value to someone. Gangs offer one thing that many of today's Western communities are doing. They offer a sense of connection and belonging by being there for each other. This is irrespective of the nature of the gangs' raison d'etre.
Gangs offer what any organisation offers - a higher purpose. If you go and ask a class of teenage students from a non-faith school how many of them believe in a higher being, such as God, only a small minority will put up their hands. So even religion is failing these children. The accountability is much more attractive in gang cuture than even religion can offer, so it seems.
So what are the solutions to the devastation that takes place to a community such as the Stonebridge Park estate in London? Well, it's not incarceration. That's for sure. Imprisonment serves as a great apprenticeship for rookie and veteran gangsters. The answer lies in the very basics again. If you give a child the basic necessities that we all desire, then you can prevent the majority of children from falling into the trap of gang culture.
Every young man and woman needs that sense of love and belonging that families are there to provide. The breakdown of the extended family network leaves parents with the responsibility of ensuring their children are fully provided for and supported. Dads need to re-look at their own working and social patterns. A small amount of quality time invested with their children now will mean many more hours are not wasted trying to bail their child out of trouble later on.
In the face of material-led society, we need to think laterally and ensure the local community does not ignore its young and vulnerable. Youth clubs and homework clubs are much fewer than there should be. In fact, in some communities such as Hackney in London where there is a dure need for youth centres, there's either none or just one with sub-standard resources.
It's now time for mums and dads to step up to give the family environment to their children. And, perhaps mums and dads can support other young people by offering voluntary support to their local youth club. If there isn't such a club in your neighbourhood, then create one!
To your success!
Harun Rabbani
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