Imperial Valley News

Sacramento, California - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the state is making $6 million in new grants available to expand education, job training and placement programs for at-risk youth as part of the Governor’s California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CalGRIP).

“These grants will offer at-risk youth throughout California a chance to turn their backs on a life of crime and become contributing members of their communities,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “This investment will help young Californians develop the life-long skills needed to succeed and not get caught up in gangs and violence.”

Research shows that education and training that lead to employment are one of the most effective ways to help at-risk youth lead productive and violence-free lives. As part of the statewide CalGRIP initiative, the Employment Development Department (EDD) today released a Solicitation for Proposals for $6 million in state grants to implement intervention strategies for at-risk youth, including education, job training, supportive services and job placement.

“The ideal way to end gang violence is to prevent it before it happens. These job training grants will accomplish precisely that,” said Paul Seave, Director of the Governor’s Gang and Youth Violence Policy Office.

This Solicitation for Proposals will promote career pathways that place at-risk youth into part-time employment in after-school programs, while providing post-secondary education that will lead to teaching, community and social service positions, such as licensed social worker, youth worker or counselor. Proposed strategies should be comprehensive and community focused, providing a holistic approach to serving youth. Proposals will be accepted from public, private non-profit, and private for-profit organizations through June 14, 2010, and should target youth 14 to 24 years of age who are at risk of joining gangs or are already gang members.

Funding for these grants are drawn from the Governor’s 15 percent Discretionary Workforce Investment Act funds under the administrative authority of the EDD. For more information or to apply for this grant opportunity please visit the EDD website at www.edd.ca.gov/Jobs_and_Training/Funding_Opportunities.htm. 

Governor Schwarzenegger is committed to combating gang violence in California and, in 2007, introduced his CalGRIP initiative to confront the dramatic increase in gangs across the state and their proliferation in suburban and rural areas. CalGRIP combines funding from different programs and directs it towards local anti-gang efforts focused on intervention, suppression and prevention. Since CalGRIP started in 2007, grants totaling more than $14 million have been awarded to provide job training and education programs targeting youth who are seeking to leave gangs or are at risk of joining them.

Earlier this year, the Governor announced over $9.2 million in competitive grants that were awarded to 24 cities throughout California to help combat and prevent gang violence in these communities. Last month, the Governor joined Attorney General Jerry Brown and other federal, state and local law enforcement officials in Salinas, where they announced the arrests of more than 30 gang members as part of a state, federal and local coordinated investigation into gang activity in the area.