Gang culture
You listen to a French podcast about problems that young people face in today’s world.
Listen to Laurent’s account of his childhood and answer the questions.
Question
Where did Laurent grow up?
The answer is in America, in a neighbourhood west of New York.
He says j’habitais aux Etats-Unis. J’ai grandi dans un quartier à l’ouest de New York.
Question
How does he describe his life up until he was 13?
The answer is everything was good. He had good marks at school and he often played football with his friends in the park.
He says jusqu’à l’âge de treize ans, tout allait bien, j’avais de bonnes notes à l’école, et avec mes amis nous jouions souvent au football dans le parc.
Question
Why did he join the gang?
The answer is at the time is seemed fantastic. It gave the feeling of belonging to a group.
He says a l’époque cela semblait fantastique. Cela donnait le sentiment d’appartenance à un groupe, donc, nous avons accepté.
Question
Name one thing Laurent had to do to join the gang.
The answers are he had to carry out initiation rites - like stealing from shops and burning cars.
He says (pour faire partie de ce gang), nous avons dû faire des gages d’initiation, comme voler dans des magasins, bruler des voitures.
Question
How did his life change by being in this gang?
The answer is he changed the clothes he wore, wore more designer clothing. He stopped going to school, was arrested by the police several times.
He says ma vie a vraiment changé…. j’avais changé de style vestimentaire je portais plus des vêtements de marque , je n’allais plus à l’école, et j’ai été arrêté par la police plusieurs fois.
