Syracuse, N.Y. - The US Attorneys Office says it's now reached more than 1,800 young children across the state to try and keep them out of gangs.
The Leadership Project targets high-risk 5th graders before they make a choice that can't change and they get tough talks about the dangers of gang life.
Organizers say that over the years the program has helped to prevent many young children from joining gangs. Federal Prosecutors say that many of the cases they have prosecuted over the years have involved gang members that joined gangs when they were 12 and 13-years-old.