Keith Morton on Youth Gangs, Violence, and Non-violence

Beyond Your News Feed: Understanding Contemporary Politics

This episode is a conversation with Professor Keith Morton of the Public and Community Service Department about his recent book “Getting Out: Youth Gangs, Violence, and Positive Change” published in 2019 by University of Massachusetts Press. The book recounts Dr. Morton’s experience with an innovative youth program in the Smith Hill neighborhood of Providence Rhode Island aimed at reducing so called “gang violence” in the community. Morton co-lead the program between 2007 and 2015 along with staff of Providence’s Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence. The book not only recounts Keith’s experiences but offers a profound reflection on how we conceptualize the violence of urban youth, the nature of youth gangs, and how a “youth positive” approach can support youth survival and growth despite contact with gang violence.

Professor Morton has been Associate Director and Director of the Feinstein Institute for Public Service at Providence College. He currently chairs the department of Public and Community Service Studies. Morton is largely responsible for development of the Feinstein Institute’s ties with the Smith Hill neighborhood which adjoins the Providence College campus forging a unique and productive campus- community collaboration that continues to today. Along with his recent book, Keith has published extensively on service-learning pedagogy, campus-community relations, and non-violence. He has been recognized with many awards over the course of his career including the National Society for Experiential Education Distinguished Scholar Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016and, quite relevant to today’s conversation, the Smith Hill MVP Award of the Smith Hill Community Development Corporation in 2017.