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Alex Cabrero ReportingA troubling attitude change among teenagers is starting to attract attention. The change is violence among an increasing number of young girls. An example recently would be the girl who brought a gun to Lehi High School.
It used to be teenage boys always got into most of the trouble, but now, the Salt Lake County division of Youth Services says teenage girls are becoming just as violent.
Of all the things teenage girls can do after school, throwing around a ball of yarn usually isn't high on the list. Jessica Hernandez never thought she'd be here.
Jessica Hernandez: "I didn't like girls. I couldn't get along with them. I had the whole violence thing. I had a lot of problems with people in general."
But here she is, laughing, having fun, and most importantly, trusting others.
Jessica Hernandez: "I'm good. I love live. I've learned a lot of things."
Sure, it's not just because of yarn, but what it represents, a web where you're attached to someone else.
Catherine Higgins, Division of Youth Services: "We teach them strategies to have better relationships in their lives."
Catherine Higgins works with the Salt Lake County Division of Youth Services. Lately they've had more programs designed specifically for teenage girls.
Catherin Higgins: "Recent studies have shown that girls are catching up to boys when it comes to violence."
It's an issue Whitney Hardman knows well.
Whitney Hardman: "I don't want to blame it completely on parents, but a lot of parents don't care about their children as much as they should. And kids look for other sources for people to care about them, and they find gangs and violence and friends that are no good."
That's where this discovering possibilities class comes in. Many teens are court ordered to come here, but it is a safe place to learn.
Whitney Hardman: "It makes me feel like I have support, and if I need help, they'll help me."
Because more than anything else, troubled teens, just want someone to listen.
Jessica Hernandez: "I think a lot of people, a lot of kids, well my own peers, don't really know where to turn to when they're having problems anymore."
The girls we spoke with also say they've noticed a change in their attitude ever since becoming involved in the program. It's hard to pin down why female teenage violence is up, but again, it's something being taken seriously...
