“I didn’t give up on them because no one gave up on me.”
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1. (L to R) Yamelith Escoba r and Jasmin Benab 2. ( L to R) Jasmin Benab; Muriel Bowser, DC-Mayor; Brandon Todd, Ward 4, Former Councilmembe r
3. (Standing L to R) Jasmin Benab, Stephanie Arias, Leticia Acosta, Stephanie Advincula, and Sarah Robinson (Kneeling L to R) Yamelith Escobar, Ashley Byers
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“No one had ever pushed me. I decided to take on the challenge,” Jasmin explained.
wouldn’t abandon them. Yamileth Escobar was one of these young women.
All 10 of her students finished the course, and six got their GED. “We learned together,” she said, with a smile. The experience changed Jasmin’s life. “Everything I did was for my son. I just kept moving forward. People had a different level of respect for me. I never looked back.” When violence between rival gangs escalated, Jasmin created a group dedicated to violence prevention among girls in the community. Officially, the program met two afternoons a week, but Jasmin made it her mission to personally connect with the girls and their families every day.
“Jasmin was the first person who didn’t approach us like a group of troubled teens. She asked us what our interests were and what we enjoyed doing. She wanted to know how she could help. “She spoke to us as if she really genuinely cared and wasn’t just doing a 9-to-5 job to pay her bills.” Yamileth was on the verge of getting expelled from middle school for her participation in starting a gang. Her brothers were heavily involved in gangs. She felt afraid and alone, but she found the courage to make a difference. Soon she was helping Jasmin and DC councilmembers organize dance performances and “Stop the Violence” block parties. She began participating in community education efforts and advocacy programs. “It was no longer fun to post-up on the block or to constantly watch my back. Jasmin and her team kept us busy. She would walk up on us at our hang out spots and take us where we were supposed to be, regardless of what time of day it was,” she laughed. “Jasmin and her team never gave up on us when so many others did.” Jasmin simply said, “I didn’t give up on them because no one gave up on me.” When Yamileth went back to her old ways, Jasmin was there to help her pick up the pieces, including connecting her with a therapist and getting help from the gang specialty unit police officers who worked closely with the program. “I believed she did that to scare me a little,” Yamileth admitted. “But now that I am older, I see that it was to show me that I had a lot of support, a lot of people rooting for me who saw the potential in me when I didn’t.”
As she opened the lines of communication, Jasmin worked with the families to impart structure and prove that she
70 At-Risk Youth Learned Violence Prevention Techniques
VIOLENCE PREVENTION & INTERVENTION
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