Ask Me, Don't Tell Me

In San Francisco, the work of the Youth for Service Program, founded by Carl May, is presented. The Program's core mission is to reduce juvenile delinquency, the means to do so by giving at risk youth, regardless of ethnicity or background including criminal, a purpose in doing volunteer work, largely for the less able in the community such as the disabled and/or the elderly, the Program ultimately directed by them and not by "authority". The work itself is not judged, and the Program is not designed as a skills training one, although the participants can learn some valuable skills for future employment. While giving the boys a sense of accomplishment, the Program also provide rewards and perks as further incentives. The Program is meant to give the youth a sense of acceptance while giving the community as a whole a sense of trust. May started the Program targeting what are known as the "jacketed" gangs, the most visible of the juveniles for which the program is aimed. Out of the Program, the youths themselves have formed a council to give themselves a say on those issues that are important to them, and a forum for themselves to work out whatever differences they may have internally.