I had the opportunity to give an interview with The La Jornada News, one of Dallas's premiere bilingual newspapers for the Hispanic community. One of the questions that I was asked was how I thought parents could get their children to stray away from gangs and gang activities, since this problem is very high with the Hispanic community. Here is the featured article:
"Jade Monfils helps community against gang violence
Viernes 28 de Mayo de 2010 16:57 | Escrito por Guital Ornelas
An issue between teenagers and gang related violence has always been an issue in our community. Not to mention the endless cycle law enforcement has worked on to maintain stability and peace in our community.
Jade Monfils, a 28 year-old fashion designer, born and raised in Dallas, Texas is considered to be a teen hero around her community. She is a full time apparel designer and does part time Modeling , she has also committed herself to contribute in fighting against a tremendous problem of gang violence among teens. She has volunteered over 300 hours of her time at local non-profit organizations like "The Boys and Girls Club" and "Big Brothers and Sisters" where she received an outstanding reward from our former President George W. Bush for helping the community. "This was definitely an honor to receive! It was something that just came about" says the honored Ms. Monfils.
Her love for fashion has motivated her to become a model and a role model for inspired young teens which have admired her work.
She has grown an interested in helping such cause that she helps non-profit organizations mentoring children and encouraging them to grow interest in education. After school programs are offered where teenagers can do their homework, play sports and do other activities. "The Big Brothers, Big Sisters" is a mentoring program where an adult "big brother" or "big sister" meets a few times with a teen to get involved with them and help them by providing a positive influence in their lives.
Ms. Monfils also thinks that a parent should get involved and be positive role models in their children's lives. Ms. Monfils says "adolescent years are very critical in a person's life, and these years need to be spent with positive reinforcement". She encourages parents to maintain a healthy relationship with their children and recommends The Big Brothers, Big Sisters to parents who have troubled kids who are going through a very significant stage in life.
The Dallas area has seen an increase in gang related problems within the Hispanic/Latino community. Ms. Monfils has invested some of her time as well with several organizations like "Bea's Kids" and "Isabel's Community Outreach Center" that focuses in this particular group to help Hispanic teenagers in need.
It has been hard work for Ms. Monfils joining forces with the community to help our young teens stay healthy and most importantly stay away from crime. But you as a parent can also participate in your child's education by attending to school meetings, supervise what they do, and know who they're making friends with, these small but yet amazingly great acts can definitely help reduce the risk of having your child away from the streets. "Just a little time can make the biggest difference in some one life!" Ms. Monfils says".
You can read the online version here: http://www.lajornadanews.com/entrevistas/25-jade-monfils
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