TV REVIEWS : Teens ‘Gettin’ Over’ and Turning Their Lives Around

Too jaded for some good news? If not, tune in to the next two segments in the “Gettin’ Over” reality series hosted by Tony Danza, airing back to back at 7 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday on ABC (Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42).

With youth crime skyrocketing, it is remarkably refreshing to watch former teen gangbangers, prostitutes, druggies and just plain hapless and hopeless kids find their way off the mean streets through several innovative programs run by dedicated adults.

In the first program, 17-year-old Brewster gets a second and third chance to turn his life around at the experimental Penikese Island School, a rehab center for youth offenders. It is run by George Cadwalader, a tough, compassionate and surprisingly optimistic ex-Marine drill sergeant who teaches his charges life lessons, particularly that every action has a consequence.

In Baltimore, meanwhile, Kathy Levin’s 13-year-old “Magic Me” program pairs up troubled youth with handicapped children and the elderly in nursing homes. The young people clearly learn to feel compassion for others and respect for themselves as they help those in need. For some, the experience is all they need to get back on track.

The second “Gettin’ Over” visits two schools where at-risk kids get a break. In one unusual institution in the heart of Harlem, the average student age is 19; almost one-third are parents. They are the mainstream school system’s rejects, yet 70% go on to graduate from “Last Chance” Westside High because a committed teaching staff gives many of the teens a safe haven from the brutal reality of their lives and, most important, their first taste of real family.

At Glenbard West High, in a comfortable Illinois suburb, the staff goes the extra mile for a boy who has quit a vicious Chicago gang and is trying to turn his life around, despite death threats and attacks from gang members. It would be easy to write him off, but the teen gets moral support and extra classroom help and winds up graduating.

No claims are made that everyone is a success story, but these innovative programs are clearly making a difference--and that’s good news. For a change.