TOLEDO, Ohio — The leader of a Toledo youth behavioral program wants to do more to help put an end to youth gun violence.
Shawn Mahone Sr. runs Young Men and Women for Change, a youth behavioral modification program. Now, he wants to team up with the city of Toledo and the Toledo Police department to create an accountability program for at-risk youth and parents.
"There are a lot of youth that are just being unruly and have no respect for authority," said Mahone.
He has been working with young people for 11 years with his organization. Its main program "Dose of Reality" is an overnight boot camp designed to change the behavior of kids age 5 to 17 who are simply making bad choices.
"We break them down and bring them back up," said Mahone. "What do we mean by breaking them down? Just simply stripping them from everything that is negative and begin to build them back up by putting positive reinforcements in their life to help them become productive leaders."
RELATED: Youth music program inspiring kids to dream big, gain confidence and avoid violence in Toledo
Over 1,000 kids and parents have completed the program and less than 200 have returned for more help. He's also worked with kids going through the juvenile system for things like having a gun, stealing a car and other crimes.
He is proposing a partnership with the city of Toledo, Toledo Police and the juvenile court for an alternative program to keep kids accountable.
"We can close the gap of the juvenile court that really don't know what to do with children that are just being unruly and disrespectful," said Mahone, "and parents who are allowing their kids to be out past curfew."
He says everyone needs to start working together from the city to the community to help solve the growing problem because what's being done now is not enough.
"Do we keep doing the same thing and getting the same result and our murder rate, homicide rate continues to climb," said Mahone, "or do we try something different."
Mahone is hoping to sit down with the mayor, the chief of police and the juvenile court in the coming weeks. He believes his program could be catalyst for change and a model for other cities facing youth violence.
"If you don't help your child now, three things are guaranteed to happen," said Mahone. "And that's prison yard, graveyard or homeless."
RELATED: