AP+2016+Homeboy+Industries

Aim By: Camille Spendlove Homeboy Industries is a non-profit organization that was founded to decrease the level of gang involvement of youth. Reverend Gregory Boyle founded Homeboy to protect youth from joining or returning to gangs by providing financial and spiritual aid. In an interview, Rev. Gregory Boyle explains the organization is not him saving people but rather he is the one that leads people to the direction that they can be saved (Newman). The organization is dedicated to helping get jobs for ex-gang members, removing their tattoos, and providing rehabilitation secessions. Rather than focusing on the number of members or the profit from the members work, Homeboy attempts to pick people up and assist them spiritually. In 2010, Homeboy went through serious financial trouble, but the organization continued to run, Boyle even stopped picking up paychecks. Reverend Boyle cares about the people who seek help at Homeboy Industries, he shows his love by sacrificing his own well-being for the ex-gang members. The point of the organization is to help at-risk youth become secure in their jobs and with their lives.

Audience By: Camille Spendlove Homeboy Industries are focused towards troubled youths, specifically those that involved with gang activities. The time when the organization started was a time when gang violence was common and affected much of the community. Those who need the most help are the youth that Homeboy is attempting to appeal to. Homeboy provides many services that are provided that are correlated to the young and hurt from education to tattoo removal and counseling to legal aid ("Priest Fights Gangs With 'Boundless Compassion"). Their assumption is that the people that need the most help are younger people who do not know where their life is going. This is shown by the services provided, counseling and legal aid, that assumes that those in need are ignorant of life skills. Homeboy’s focus on the younger generation is effective since the problem that they are most trying to address is protecting youth from joining gangs. Even though Homeboy Industries focuses on only a certain age group, their audience choice is effective to their purpose of assisting high-risk youths.

Historical By: Camille Spendlove Homeboy Industries is well linked with the events that occur around the area. During a period of time, the organization was in financial troubles, they were having difficulties keeping with the number of members. Homeboy made sacrifices with its own profit, Rev. Boyle not taking any paychecks, to continue helping the community (Newman). Financial difficulties did not keep this organization from putting forth the effort to help the high-risk youth in the community. As more people come into difficulties within the community, it does put pressure on Homeboy to help them. Over time, the industry has grown with more people becoming members, and the founder has become further from each member. As their surroundings have changed, Homeboy has tried to keep up and has continued to grow and help people where they can. Since it has been founded, Homeboy has gone through challenges, but it has remained strong with the community.

Cultural By: Camille Spendlove Homeboy Industries is connected to the culture of the area since the organization is based upon the troubled youth of the community. Modern beliefs or peer pressure affect those people who are susceptible to gangs. The immediate community would have more of an affect on the youth with the influence of members of gangs near the youth. Gangs come from the uneducated state and poor opportunities given youth in the community (“Gang History”). As more and more youth become a part of the gang culture, the urgency to fix the situation increases as more attention is given the problem. When the community is afflicted and a remedy presents itself, the given solution is seen by the community as important. Since gangs were a huge problem for the youth in the 80s, the help that Homeboy Industries provides is welcome to the communities. The audience is more open when they are more desperate for the help that the industry gives.

Works Cited Newman, Melinda. "Meet the Company Creating Jobs for Former Gang Members." Entrepreneur. //Entrepreneur// Media, 04 Dec. 2013. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. "Priest Fights Gangs With 'Boundless Compassion.'" NPR. //NPR//, 20 May 2010. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. “Gang History.” South Central History. Yola. Web. 5 Jan. 2016.

Visual