介绍:
“With nowhere else to go, he fights”.
“无路可走，只能格斗”。
That was the headline two weeks ago, when I wrote about De-rek, a 15-year-old orphan from Guangdong province who wants to be a mixed martial arts champion.
这是我两周前一篇文章的标题，写的是一名广东的孤儿德瑞克，今年15岁，梦想成为一名散打冠军。
He lived alone in a rough neighborhood, with barely enough money to buy food. He would fight in underground clubs whenever he could. Recently, he was dangerously knocked out by an older, stronger opponent.
他一个人住在脏乱差小区，生活穷困潦倒，有机会就去地下俱乐部格斗。最近一场比赛上，一个年轻力壮浑身肌肉的对手把他打的很惨。
Such fights are illegal, I've been told. Derek told me about the gamblers, the raucous crowds, the booze and the bikini-clad girls who prance around and fawn over the fight winners. Yet he views the octagon as a temple. He sees it as his ticket to a better life.
我被告知，这种比赛是违法的。德瑞克告诉我，俱乐部的赌徒形形色色，人潮涌动，个个举杯豪饮，比基尼女孩更是眉飞色舞的对获胜选手一通谄媚。他把拳台当成神殿，把比赛当成通往幸福生活的门票。
In China and elsewhere, there are many at-risk youth like Derek — kids at the margins of society with little to live for. Hopelessness can lead them into criminal gangs, drugs, prostitution, violence, prison and even suicide. Derek himself carries the scars of self-inflicted knife wounds from the time he tried to take his own life and failed.
无论在中国还是其他国家，有很多像德里克这样处于危险中的问题青年，他们生活在社会边缘，几乎无法谋生。绝望让他们走向团伙犯罪、毒品、卖淫、暴力、监狱、甚至自杀。德瑞克身上留有多处自杀未遂的疤痕。
Bottom line: When there's nowhere else to go, it's easy to go nowhere.
无路可走，容易走向极端。
The vicious cycle can only be broken by caring people. In the United States, it's police departments that have taken the lead with at-risk youth. As society's first line of defense, officers see firsthand the problems of people like Derek. At hundreds of Police Athletic League centers in every US state, officers volunteer to mentor kids and point them in a positive direction.
有人关心他们才能打破这个恶性循环。在美国，警察率先带头帮助这些问题青年。作为社会安全的第一道防线，警官深知德瑞克这种人问题出在哪儿。美国每个州都有数百所警察体育联盟中心，工作人员自愿成为孩子的导师以及灯塔，指明他们前进的道路。
The league was founded in 1914 by a visionary police captain, John Sweeney, in New York City's poverty-stricken Lower East Side. The idea was to give youth a place to go and to help them build character through athletics. Today there's hardly a city of any size in the US that doesn't have a PAL affiliate or similar program. Millions of kids' lives have changed for the better.
1914年，一位远见卓识的警长约翰•斯威尼，在纽约贫困的下东区成立了该联盟。旨在为年轻人提供一个去处，通过体育运动塑造其个性。现在，在美国任何城市，都不难找到类似联盟的项目。数百万儿童的生活因而变得更美好。
Some PALs offer boxing and martial arts training, which would appeal to Derek. But that hardly scratches the surface of what they do. The national PAL association lists well over 100 ac-tivities for youth — a long lineup of sports, to be sure, but also training in life skills, the arts and academics; from cooking to computers, pottery to theater — all provided free of charge. Adult volunteers from all walks of life are welcome. In some places, police officers even help kids with their homework.
有些中心提供拳击格斗训练，这会非常吸引德瑞克。但训练内容还很基础，跟俱乐部不能相提并论。联盟提供青少年超过100种活动——一长串的体育活动、生活技巧、艺术和学术修养；从烹饪做饭到电脑编程，从做陶器到戏剧，五花八门，包罗万象且全部免费。热烈欢迎各行各业的成人志愿者加入其中。某些地方的警察甚至帮孩子做家庭作业。
The PAL mission remains unchanged after more than a century: to keep young people out of trouble by channeling their energies into constructive pursuits.
联盟目标100多年没有变过：培养孩子追求积极的事物，帮助孩子走出困境。
The personal relationships with police officers are crucial. Ex-perience in the US shows that when the officers are known and respected, respect follows for the laws they enforce. That's worth a serious look.
和警察的私人关系也很重要。美国的经验表明，如果警察知名且受尊敬，那么他们执行的法律也会受尊敬。这值得我们深思。
An old slogan rings true: It's better to build a boy than to mend a man.
老话说的真对：“孩子易养，大人难改。”
P.S: Since my last column, Derek was offered a home by a caring family. He's getting regular meals. He has started school. I convinced him to go to bed at 9 pm and rise at 5 am.
附言：上次采访完，德瑞克就找到一家富有爱心的家庭。饮食也慢慢规律起来，也开始上学了。我让他9点睡觉5点起床。
“How do you feel now?” I asked. He answered: “Rebirth.”
“现在感觉怎么样？”我问。
“就像重生”。他回答。
译者：郑潇
上一期： 面目全非——北京胡同的变迁All change: moving on from the hutong
下一期： 惬意的伦敦文化生活London’s cultural scene more relaxed than I expected
下一期： 惬意的伦敦文化生活London’s cultural scene more relaxed than I expected
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