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The N’step Gang Violence Prevention &  Intervention Curriculum Has Now Been Significantly Enhanced! The N'STEP gang violence prevention and intervention curriculum has now been replaced with its 2nd edition entitled "GANGOLOGY 101" which is now published!!! Gangology 101 is no longer simply a curriculum; it is now a learning system for both the student and the facilitator. Gang violence occurs in urban, suburban and rural areas across America It is one of the leading underpinnings of criminal activity leading to incarceration both in youth and adult penal institutions in America. N’S.T.E.P., (Nine Steps to Empowerment Process) Gangology 101 is a non-traditional approach to gang violence prevention and intervention.  The Process fosters trust, willing cooperation and enthusiasm in contemporary youth and adults, particularly those who are gang affiliated.  It was created and founded in 2001 by Le’Taxione™, one with extensive and real life experience in the gang culture and the mentality which both causes and is the result of violent gang behavior.  Based on his own elevation and reformation, he authored the companion text, “Original Diamond Boy:  Psychology of a Gang Banger, utilizing his own experience and in depth knowledge of gang life to illuminate the mentality, with the ultimate goal of making a positive difference in the lives of individuals involved in gangs .  Together, the new paradigm included in the Gangology 101© curriculum and the companion text, Original Diamond Boy:  Psychology of a Gang Banger provide a revolutionary solution for those caught up in the destructive aspects of gang activity.  It offers an effective approach to identifying why our youth become involved in destructive gang behavior and then equips them with the knowledge to make beneficial personal choices and to help shape a healthier society in their own home communities. Le’Taxione™ has built this work upon the belief that it is not incumbent on a gang member that he or she denounce their street organizations, but it is incumbent that he/she denounce the negative activity that erodes the moral fabric of our communities.  His work is meant to aid the gang member in their exodus into man or womanhood and to assist them in becoming the very vanguards of our communities that was envisioned at the inception of the street organizations.  N’STEP’s® Gangology 101 defines a new paradigm for considering the issues related to destructive gang behavior; it walks the student through 9 critical elements of life and society which affects and is affected by the violent gang mentality.  Each step is geared generally toward enlightening the student on the 9 elements and focuses specifically on how they play themselves out within the gang experience.  By considering these elements the student increases his/her understanding of themselves, others and society in general and broadens their thinking and their decision making abilities even within the structural gang culture©. N’STEP’s ® does not condone violence, but it also does not require gang denunciation.  Rather it recognizes that the unity and strength of what we call gangs can be a positive and productive entity within our communities.  Therefore its focus is in helping the gang banger to think differently about themselves, society and the gang in order to make decisions which not only honor and benefit the gang itself, but also the community as a whole. N’STEP’s ® Gangology 101 and its new paradigm are derived from the recognized need to embrace the gang banger as part of the solution and the legitimacy of the gang culture.  It provides an honorable basis by which to reform it “from the inside out”®. Gangology 101 now further explains the new paradigm needed to effectively address the gang violence, which is destroying our communities and our youth.  It provides a view of gangs both psychologically and now, also sociologically, providing a view of gangs in the context of culture.  It provides a more comprehensive look at the phases of development of the gang member from childhood to adolescence, and the shared perceptions and experiences which provide the need for gang membership and involvement. Next it examines numerous aspects of the gang mentality; those unique to the gang banger which previously have been inadequately understood and explained.  It provides more expansive instruction to facilitators and finally, it provides more detailed information on the potential reformation of the gang member and the steps way, "from the inside out"®.   The cornerstones of this enhanced learning system are the gang violence prevention and intervention curriculum "Gangology 101" and the companion text "Original Diamond Boy: Psychology of a Gang Banger" (the memoirs of N'STEP's author from youth through adulthood, incarceration and ultimately transformation; allowing the gang member, affiliate, wannabe and the in-risk youth to objectively examine the gang lifestyle. N'STEP's® Gangology 101 provides a new paradigm for considering, understanding and addressing gang violence in our communities.

"I Am More Than A Gang Member..." Written for 8 to 13 year olds, Le'Taxione's™ first children's book ingeniously illuminates some of the challenges and feelings which our children are often unable to define - those which can lead them to the gang life. NOW AVAILABLE!  Le'Taxione's 2nd children's book "A Bully's Behavior" This multi-cultural children's book courageously takes on one of the most challenging issues facing our youth today...BULLYING!!! "In his second children's book, A Bully's Behavior, Le'Taxione™ takes on the subject of bullying and shows us a path toward the transformation of both victim and bully.  The story is clear and crisp, with lovely illustrations by Randy "Blue Bear" Dixon.  While intended for children from late elementary through middle school, older students and adults will find it enjoyable and illuminating...  Le'Taxione™ helps us understand that truth and reconciliation are needed for healing in middle schools as well as in the wider community and the world." ~Barbara Bennett, Ph.D. School Psychologist and Educational Consultant Also Available: "Street Poisoned" The Streets of west Fresno now have a voice…Follow Cali and the twists and turns of life in the hood. The Unflinching, Uncompromising, Original Diamond Boy!! This first installment in the trilogy introduces the world to Cali who is the product of an impaired home where he feels irrelevant.  He ventures out into the streets of West Fresno seeking his own relevance in the world.  He finds guidance and discipline in his Big Homie, Oso who then is killed, leaving Cali to nurture and advance his set, the Diamond Boys.  Drawing on the code of ethics taught to him by Big Oso, Cali recognizes the destruction in caused by crack cocaine and so bans the sale of it in the hood, creating an environment of deception and disloyalty and ultimately splitting up the hood.  There can be only one Diamond set, with one goal…to restructure and establish the Diamond Boys as a legitimate organization that advances its interest within the political process. Anything that threatens this goal must be eliminated! "I Love Myself" I LOVE MYSELF is a story of (3) young girls of different upbringings, complexions, statures and views who are subjected to the pressures of society's group think concerning beauty and acceptable behavioral patterns.  While in the midst of these pressures they make conscious, intelligent decisions to protect and preserve their self concept, self worth, and self image.  I LOVE MYSELF is a must read for young girls so that they may overstand, not only why popular opinion is not always the right thing to do, but also how to stave off popular opinion in order to protect themselves and their innocence. Coming Soon! "Original Diamond Boy - Part II:  The Transition" This is the second part of a gripping memoire by Le'Taxione™ that takes the reader inside the insidious peneological ideology.  Unlike its predecessor 'Original Diamond Boy - Psychology Of A Gang Banger", Part II is littered with authentic, official documentation issued by the Washington State Department of Corrections.  These documents illuminate surreptitious attempts to thwart the pen of Le'Taxione™ and in some instances create scenarios, through blatant prevarication and questionable investigative tactics that could have resulted in his assault and even death if it had not been for the grace of God. Note to the hood from the author, Le'Taxione™ (aka YoYo) "It’s time that we take on our original responsibility of building and protecting our communities, and we can only do that through the overstanding that our lives and every persons life in our community has value; has the right to maximize his/her potential by living long enough to do so.  That’s the demonstration! It’s your choice homie. You can either stand like a man or sit it out  like a cub scout.  We used to say “it’s all good in the hood”…let’s make that real."

What is N’STEP™?

Gang violence occurs in urban, suburban, and rural areas across America. It is one of the leading underpinnings of criminal activity, leading to incarceration both in youth and adult penal institutions in America.

N’STEP, the Nine Steps to Empowerment Process™ is an innovative, non-traditional and effective approach to gang violence prevention and intervention that fosters trust, willing cooperation, and enthusiasm in those who are a part of or susceptible to gang affiliation. It was created and founded in 2001 by Le’Taxione™, an ex-gang leader with a vision for utilizing his own experience and in dept knowledge of gang life to make positive difference in the lives of gang members. This gang violence prevention and intervention curriculum provides a revolutionary solution for youth caught up in the destructive aspects of gang activity. N’STEP seeks to offer an effective approach to meet the needs of gang members and affiliates by helping them to become better equipped to make beneficial personal choices and to help shape a healthier society in the in their own home communities. The N’STEP™ curriculum, and the companion text, “Original Diamond Boy: Psychology of a Gangbanger”, both authored by Le’Taxione™ (AKA YoYo) are the cornerstones of the N’STEP™ gang violence prevention & Intervention process.
 
N’STEP™ is not a ‘gang prevention’ program. It differs from other such programs in that it is a gang violence prevention program. It does not require denunciation from gang affiliation. It recognizes that forced denunciation creates a mental dissonance which builds walls to positive change and unproductively isolates the gang member seeking positive change from those who need his/her influence most. N’STEP™ is authored by a previous gang leader – lending it unique credibility in the eyes of the gang member and gang wannabe. N’STEP™ recognizes the gang as a legitimate culture – it chooses its battles and does not focus on when our youth wear their pants, rather NSTEP utilizes the very values relevant to inner city youth and gang members to establish it’s unique ability to reach otherwise unreachable youth because it is based on the very foundation which its client base has sworn to uphold N’STEP™ addresses the mentality that manifests itself in destructive gang behavior. It is not a recreational program. It is a curriculum which works to dismantle gang violence and gang crime at its root and ‘from the inside out ®.

Gangs - A New Perspective

• What We’ve Done In The Past Hasn’t Worked…
• Prevention – urging youth to “just say no” to gangs
• Intervention - recreational escapism (e.g. law enforcement sponsored basketball games)
• Suppression - increased incarceration of our youth

So…What Do We Need To Do Now?

Challenge Ourselves To Think Anew About The Gang Violence Problem…

• What we call “ganging” (Young people in groups of 3 or more) is a normal peer activity for adolescents…a form of group interaction - the violent aspects of it is what we must prevent
• There are unique elements of the gang experience which until now have not been identified which create and feed the mentality of the gang member and lead to violence (e.g.)
  • Color addiction & The Violent Color Response© (a learned reaction to specific colors)
  • Inmate Idolization©. (A phenomenon that includes incarceration for the youth gang member as a badge of honor, and which subsequently provides for mentorship in violent gang behavior, and which perpetuates the cycle once they return to the community)

Pursue A New Paradigm…

• Change our focus from gang prevention …to gang violence prevention
• Change our focus from gang denunciation …to gang reformation – “changing gang behavior from the inside out” ®
• Forced denunciation creates a cognitive dissonance that often makes any further consideration of positive change impossible
• Forced denunciation causes the gang member to be ostracized & removes him/her as a tool for positive change
  • Change our focus from directing the gang member… to incorporating the gang member into the solution
• Recognize “the legitimized” gang banger to is a key to “legitimize” positive change within the gang
• Acknowledge gangs as a legitimate culture in order to see and implement well respected and evidence based social change processes to initiate their transformation “from the inside out” ®.
• The solution to the gang problem starts with the gang member©.
• We can no longer leave the structural gang culture© member out of the equation. Realizing this, N’STEP’s™ Gangology 101©, using the author’s life experience in the form of the N’STEP’s™ companion piece “Original Diamond Boy: Psychology of a Gangbanger”, educates the member of the psychological and sociological dynamics that feed the attractive pull of the structural gang culture© philosophy and shows them how these dynamics inform the member’s perception, interactions and behaviors – it then introduces the member to new thought processes that transcend the cultural and sociological dynamics giving them the tools needed to go back into the community and to effectuate sustainable change; inevitably changing gang behavior from the inside out®.

N’STEP’s™ Gangology 101 is unique because though there are psychologist, sociologist and gang researchers who’ve studied the structural gang culture©, they cannot juxtapose those studies with experience, leaving them to, at best, attribute clinical terms to the violent, traumatic gang experience which perpetuates and proliferates the structural gang culture©.

True to it’s ideology – that we can no longer leave the gang member out of the process, N’STEP’s™ Gangology 101 was authored by one who has been a part of the structural gang culture for 33 years. The author, Le’Taxione™ (aka YoYo) takes the vast contributions of the most accredited psychologists and sociologists, and juxtaposes and ultimately matriculates them into the gang experience, creating a gang specific science that speaks directly to the circumstances experienced by our youth. This science proves to be a panacea, efficacious to those who are members of the structural gang culture© or not.