The allure of joining a gang never seemed to appeal to Kym Mitchell while he was growing up in Gaffney.

Never feeling the "thug life" was for him, Mitchell looked on as many of his friends and peers formed gangs with "memberships" primarily based on the part of town where you lived.

"At an early age we had gangs; whether it be Tank Branch, Connecticut Village, Crestview or the many others that were around at the time," Mitchell said. "But for the most part I tried to stay away, feeling that would be a penalty to my upbringing."

Now a special education teacher at Spartanburg High School, the Gaffney native has made it a point to steer youths from gang activity, starting the M.A.L.E. Club (Mastering All Life Experiences) to give young males a positive role model. "By doing this in school, we're trying to give them an avenue to keep them there and finding particular things they enjoy and can lead to success in the future," he said.

However, Mitchell knows that is still not enough. Recently getting a reminder by watching news reports about gang and gun violence sometimes spiraling out of control in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties, he felt something else needed to be done.

For the past few months, Mitchell and coorganizer Don Mims have been planning a "1,000 Teen March Against Violence" in Spartanburg, walking in an effort to shed light on an issue affecting communities in the Upstate and others around the nation.

"I saw the string of deaths and crimes in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties, and it scared me. But it takes a community to deal with this, so we felt this was the best way to get that point across," Mitchell said.

Mitchell has advertised the march in communities around the Upstate and other portions of the Palmetto State, as well as parts of North Carolina and Georgia.

The march will begin at Mount Moriah Baptist Church at 445 S. Church St. in Spartanburg on Aug. 8 at 9 a.m., with walkers making their way to Barnet Park.

For more information, call Mitchell at (864) 621- 2035; or Mims at (864) 205-2000.