Youth Gangs on Guam: A Status Report

This study of middle and high school students' attitudes about school and gangs on Guam is part of a larger study of the island's expanding youth gang problem. The quantitative component of the study examined data from 3 different surveys of 655 middle school and high school students, examining the incidence of gang membership and attitudes about them, as well as perceptions of violence and its causes in the schools. Respondents were preponderantly native Chamorros, followed by Filipinos. Student responses showed a disturbing pattern of gang violence and underlying racial intolerance that breeds fear among the students in the middle and high schools. Local gang membership was often drawn along racial lines, and ethnic distinctions appeared to be a catalyst for much school violence. Students were anxious and fearful of gang violence. A qualitative component of the study investigated attitudes of Guam's elementary school children about gangs through interviews with and papers by 74 fifth graders and 15 third graders and interviews with 9 educators. Children were ambivalent about gangs, fearing them and yet considering that there were advantages to gang participation. Education and youth programs are needed to combat the spread of gangs in Guam and the rest of Micronesia. (Contains 24 references.) (SLD)