When a gang member learns that he or she can meet their needs in other ways, the gang may lose its appeal. It may be time for them to walk away from gang life. When your child decides they want to leave, here are a few simple steps to help ease the transition:

Believe in your power to change. Gangs are a dead-end street. No matter who you are, what you have done, or where you live—you deserve better.

Begin spending your time doing other things. Instead of hanging out with your gang friends, find something else to do during that time. There are possibilities everywhere: sports, recreation centres, arts programs, drama, school activities—even spending time with your family. 

Try to stop looking like a gangster. As you begin to believe in yourself, you will find that you don’t need to make other people feel afraid of you in order to feel good about yourself.

Find other things to say, other things to do, and other people to do them with. Stop hanging out with gang members, talking like a gang member, and acting like a gang member.

Get good at making excuses. Some former gang members have said that they stopped taking phone calls from their gang friends or had their family members tell friends from the gang that they were busy or involved in some other activity.

Find people who support you and believe in you. Find people, especially adults, who think that you are special and will keep telling you that. Think of a supportive adult wherever you go that you can touch base with if you have a problem or need to talk.