Davis laid out some basic objectives of the group at the outset of the April 11 meeting:
• Reduce violence in the city
• Increase youth participation in faith-based communities
• Provide healthy activities for young people in the city
Within those goals the group talked about helping the youth of San Bernardino learn to be honest, learn valuable skills, learn work ethic, learn to serve each other and have fun in the process.
Many religious leaders at the table acknowledged that rising youth crime and violence in San Bernardino has made government, community and religious organizations apprehensive about engaging young people. All agreed that this fear must be overcome.
“We’re going to have to go into the neighborhoods,” said Pastor Marco Garcia of Way World Outreach Church in San Bernardino. “If it’s going to work you’ve got to keep coming.”
Some ideas that surfaced at the initial meeting of the pastors group were to hold a “Trade in Your Gun” event, allowing youth to get rid of their weapon with no questions asked, an Adopt-A-School program, a summer job program for youth, and a focus on promoting “intentional civility” in the city.
Segura said helping young people to a job path that leads away from gangs and drugs will be key to the effort.
“Instead of giving people fish all the time we need to teach them how to fish in San Bernardino,” he said.
San Bernardino, which is 58 percent Hispanic, has six Catholic parishes with a combined 16,000 registered families. Fr. Cardoza said he was pleased with the direction of the group, which met again on Apr. 25 and will move forward as a working body, and affirmed the need to “get out into the streets” to meet youth where they are. He said there is an important role for Catholics in this effort.
“There are a lot of us [Catholics] everywhere,” he said. “Because of this I think other denominations look to us.”