Stay out of gangs, be great: Raleigh's Ship Community Outreach offers positive environment for teens

A Raleigh man is working to give kids a place to go after school and keep them away from gangs.

2024-08-16

The recent WRAL documentary, Easy Targets, showed how gang members are recruiting kids to commit crimes.

Nonprofits like Ship Community Outreach are steering kids away from that influence.

Hamed, who is 13, comes every day to the Ship Yard, a free gym located within the Ship Community Outreach facilities in southeast Raleigh.

“I think this place is great,” he said.

Hamed, a refugee from Afghanistan, arrived in the U.S. with his family two years ago.

The teenager spends a lot of time at the gym, which is exactly why Pastor Chris Jones started it.

“When he comes, he stays three, four hours,” Jones said. “When people start developing their body, they put value on themselves. A lot of kids are out doing the things they're doing because there's no value.”

Ship Community Outreach is a multi-faceted community center meeting physical and emotional needs. The facility includes a pantry that feeds 17,000 families, a meat freezer to provide protein, and an area where they grow vegetables using a hydroponic system.

Jones – who contributed to the WRAL documentary "Easy Targets: Gangs Getting Younger in NC" – believes that providing places for kids to hang out is one way to keep them out of trouble.

“They need something physical to exert some of that energy in a different way other than the streets, shooting and gang-banging,” said Jones.

Hamed said he was pressured to join a gang in his neighborhood. He brought his concerns to Jones, who advised him that the gang life was not the right path.

“He told me to stay out of the gang and be a great man. And if you want to have a good future, stay out of trouble,” said Hamed.

Jones emphasized that it's not enough to just provide a safe place for teens; it's essential to have people there whom they feel safe talking to.

“If I can change the life of one kid, right? Save the life of one kid, maybe two, maybe three – that’s hope," Jones said. "I’ll keep going. I believe things can get better, but everybody has to have that attitude, right? That we can do this together. I’m just one Chris Jones, right? We need other people working in their areas."

Ship Community Outreach is developing a new area in the building for a homework club, where kids can stay after school. The program ensures that students complete their homework, have a meal and then move on to the gym for a workout. Jones said the goal is to keep them occupied and off the streets, so by the time they get home, they are ready for bed.