Jake Tedesco was a little hesitant when his principal volunteered him to attend a police-sponsored youth leadership conference in San Pedro on Thursday.
Walter Larkins, who works with Fulcrum Adventures, leads a conflict resolution session with Harbor area teens. (Robert Casillas/Staff Photographer)
"I didn't have a positive outlook on it," said the 16-year-old. "But I'm having fun and I'm really enjoying it. I think more kids and schools should attend."
This year, the fourth annual LAPD Harbor-Teen Community Police Advisory Board Leadership Conference hosted 300 middle- and high-school students from the Los Angeles School District and focused on hate crime, gang prevention/intervention and conflict resolution.
Various workshops were held throughout the day, as well as talks by guest speakers.
"They brought people in who are our age and have experience with gang life," said 19-year-old Christina Gomez said. "They are a guide to change in our lives."
Speakers gave words of advice on how to stop gang activities and encouraged students to graduate and to continue their education.
Team-building exercises were coordinated by Fulcrum Adventures, an organization that develops leaders and teams through experiences. Fulcrum representative Michael Dyer introduced a game where 15 students had to steal a "fish" from him.
"Different people worked as a team to accomplish one goal," Gomez said. "Nobody knew each other but it taught us to work together and to listen to others' ideas. Nobody gave attitude."
The keynote speaker, Tim Zaal, was once a skinhead who turned his life around. He now volunteers at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
Zaal talked about his experiences with Matthew Boger, a gay man whom Zaal once nearly beat to death.
Years ago, Zaal and other skinheads struck Boger to the ground before kicking him unconscious.
"I still have regrets but there was no excuse for what I did," Zaal said. "He harbored some resentment but through a lot of writing, he internally forgave me. The fact he forgave me is a great thing."
Zaal and Boger are now friends and have formed an organization, "From Hate 2 Hope," to share their story at public schools around Southern California.
Other activities at Thursday's event included a workshop to prepare teens for jobs and a speaker on the influence of rap music and the hip-hop culture.
Students in the Teen C-PAB meet on the last Wednesday of every month during the school year at Boys and Girls clubs in either San Pedro or Wilmington. In addition, the participants hold community events such as basketball games, cleanups and school club events. They also let teen members talk to peers who were arrested for truancy to explain the importance of going to school.
Teen participation has grown since the program started in 2006, and youth crime rates have dropped in the Harbor Area, said Senior Lead Officer Joe Buscaino.
"It's important for these teens to see the officer behind the badge," Buscaino said, "that there is a heart, that (we) do care about their success."
