A community is only as strong as its youngest members. Young people impact the community in more ways than one and in a much broader way. They are those who take to the streets to play and represent the neighborhood, but they are also the future of the community and society as a whole. It is the responsibility of the older generation to do their best to provide the best resources to ensure that young people grow up to be respectful and responsible members of society. There is a serious drug problem among today's youth that leads to drug-related crimes and it is something that can be reduced with the right tools. Of the three proposed courses of action, one appears to be the most beneficial not only for stopping crime but also for preparing today's youth to become tomorrow's leaders. By helping fund diverse youth literacy programs, youth will be less likely to become involved in drugs and prepare them to succeed in their lives. While there is evidence to support both propositions, literacy will be best suited and impact the greatest number of students. Learning to read and write is a basic skill that is used in everyday life to the point where it is almost difficult to function. without. People read many things during the day; everything from the menu to the street signs along the side of the road. While it is possible to live without knowing how to read and write, it is not possible to be successful. Better literacy skills will be used not only to perform well in school, but also to obtain well-paid jobs that lead to a good life. According to LA Curtis, these types of programs, which empower youth, are “more effective at reducing crime than traditional community crime prevention.” (2)......half of the paper......was drugs and is not effective in trying to prevent crimes from happening. While all proposals would help the community in their own unique ways, the literacy program would help in more ways than just protecting the neighborhood. It will turn into a lifelong skill that will help today's youth find jobs and live a good life. The DARE program is a good idea but still needs to be modified to do the greatest good in a community as it has little impact on today's youth. A surveillance program would help prevent drug crimes in certain neighborhoods, but it wouldn't stop them from occurring. It would instead push them into different areas that will soon have the same problems. Literacy also has the widest reach with eight schools and will be able to impact youth and the community in the strongest way possible.