Five years ago, USC head football coach Pete Carroll decided he’d had more than enough of morning drive-time reports articulating gang violence from the night before. He picked up the phone, called Lou Tice, founder of the Pacific Institute, and uttered 10 life-altering words.

“I’ve got to do something about this. Can you help?”

Tice could, Carroll did and the result is an innovative, collaborative initiative whose vision is synonymous with its name.

Now in its fifth year, A Better LA mobilizes the community’s expertise to inspire its young people to lead lives that break free of gang culture’s grasp. Law enforcement, educational institutions, corrections agencies, workforce centers, faith-based organizations— A Better LA connects the dots to bring these elements together in creating a “language of hope” for inner-city neighborhoods.

Indeed, Carroll’s approach to his work with A Better LA connects two major dots of its own in an aha-type premise that some might call unorthodox.

“Imagine the power of gang leaders,” he observes, “who must be some incredibly gifted kids to create these kinds of allegiances. If we can redirect their energies into positive contributions, then we’ll really have something.”

A Better LA’s newest projects include a partnership with Bo Taylor’s Unity One aimed at helping change thinking and behavior patterns from negative to positive. Better choices mean decreased violence and that means safer streets.

For more information about A Better LA, visit their website at www.abetterla.com