The term “youth on youth violence” is not unfamiliar to Seattle. For the past few years, the term seems to be appearing everywhere from PSA billboards to the evening news, where newscasters announce that yet another teenager has been shot. Last year, former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels launched an $8 million initiative to reduce youth violence and gang membership, yet a significant change has yet to be witnessed. Gang and youth violence maintain a dangerously high level of presence in the city, with 800 incidents of violence a year. Even more frustrating is the fact that while the cities violent crime rate is at a 40 year low, the death toll of Seattle’s youth continues to rise.

No one was more frustrated than Gabriel Ladd, a former truancy officer at Cleveland High School.

“During the time I worked at Cleveland, I saw that students were losing classmates due to youth violence” says Ladd. “I would see these students crying and grieving and it was just time for the young men in our community to try and do something about it.”

Ladd took the initiative by creating Youth 180.The relatively young program was launched last April and named after the goal that Ladd wished to achieve; to help Seattle’s youth make a 180 degree turn towards a better future. Ladd believes that good mentorship is what can make that change possible.

“I’m from right here and navigated the same blocks as these youth that were losing their lives. It is our responsibility, especially when you know these other young boys and can be very influential in their lives,” says Ladd. “When I was young, it was a lot more mentors around and the odds of finding a positive role model in our community weren’t as slim. But as time ticked there were less mentors. Now we have to realize that we are in position to be the influential mentors.”

With the help of 20,000 from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, the program recruited a group of at-risk young men from around the Rainier Valley. Ladd enlisted the help of his friends, many of whom were former gang members themselves, to educate the teens about the importance good decision making, the consequences of their actions, and self respect in the classrooms of Aki Kurose Middle School. The teens also did community service projects such as painting over graffiti and performing city maintenance, and Ladd converted his childhood home into a safe house where the kids in his program could take refuge from the streets.

Ladd continues keep the kids in his program busy so they don’t slide off track by engaging them in their own communities.

“Youth 180 strives to help Seattle’s Youth understand their importance to our community, and the importance of mentorship in our community,” says Ladd.

Youth 180 is involved with many service programs around Seattle.

And as for the rest of the youth who are not involved with his program?

“Come together. Lift each other up. And speak up about the things you want to see change. Because ultimately, you are the future for our society.”