Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest and founder of Homeboy Industries, discusses transformative compassion in the fight against gang violence. He shares his journey from Bolivia to Los Angeles, highlighting how love can foster healing. The conversation delves into the importance of embracing empathy over judgment, addressing trauma, and creating nurturing communities. Boyle also touches on the challenges of funding nonprofits dedicated to social reintegration and the power of blessings to uplift marginalized individuals.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Introduction to Homeboy Industries
Tami Simon thanks Pema Chödrön for introducing her to Father Greg Boyle and Homeboy Industries.
The upcoming event with both of them will benefit Homeboy Industries.
insights INSIGHT
Homeboy Industries Overview
Homeboy Industries, located in Los Angeles, is the world's largest gang intervention program.
It provides various services, including job training and therapy, with a focus on creating a community of tenderness.
insights INSIGHT
Behavior as Language
Homeboy Industries views behavior as a language, particularly gang violence as expressing a lack of hope.
They prioritize addressing root causes like trauma and mental health over simply punishing behavior.
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In 'Tattoos on the Heart', Father Gregory Boyle shares his experiences and insights from thirty years of working with gang members in Los Angeles. The book is a collection of parables that highlight the importance of kinship, redemption, and boundless compassion. Boyle founded Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program, and his stories reflect his commitment to helping young people escape gang life and find a path to self-respect and dignity. The book emphasizes the power of unconditional love, faith, and the importance of treating all individuals with respect and kindness, regardless of their background[1][3][5].
Tattoos on the Heart
The Power of Boundless Compassion
Gregory Boyle
In 'Tattoos on the Heart', Father Gregory Boyle shares his experiences and insights from thirty years of working with gang members in Los Angeles. The book is a collection of parables that highlight the importance of kinship, redemption, and boundless compassion. Boyle founded Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program, and his stories reflect his commitment to helping young people escape gang life and find a path to self-respect and dignity. The book emphasizes the power of unconditional love, faith, and the importance of treating all individuals with respect and kindness, regardless of their background[1][3][5].
Father Greg Boyle is a Jesuit priest and the founder of Homeboy Industries, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit devoted to intervention, social reintegration, and job training for former gang members. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Father Greg and Tami Simon discuss the work of Homeboy Industries and what it takes to move from a culture of violence to one of open tenderness. Father Greg describes the path that brought him to working with gang members—specifically his experiences in Bolivia, where his experiences with the poor brought to life the teachings of the Gospels. Tami and Father Greg talk about living the tenets of one's faith and what it means to offer love no matter the situation. Finally, they speak on the judgments many have of gang members and other criminals, and how we can seek a compassion that can "stand in awe at what people have to carry, rather than in judgment of how they carry it." (63 minutes)