Kids as young as eight or nine are saying they aspire to become gangsters as a career choice, something that is alarming police and youth workers.
Sgt. Shinder Kirk of B.C.'s Integrated Gang Task Force says the problem is not being taken seriously enough by kids.
"It hurts me to hear that and somehow it makes me feel that the message we've all been talking about, whether as parents or society, is not filtering down and not resonating with youth," Kirk said.
In a Surrey classroom, youth worker Rob Rai talks about the current selling price of a kilogram of B.C. bud versus U.S. cocaine. And some of the grade 10 and 11 students already know the answers.
Rai says interest in gang lifestyles is skewing alarmingly young.
"What's frightening for me is little kids as young as grade six or seven [say] 'Yea I love Scarface, that's what I want to be when I grow up, I'm going to be gangster,'" Rai said.
"That's scary."
Some of the students say they've already been scarred by gang violence, both locally and in big cities like Toronto.
"My friend just got shot two days ago, like my best friend," one boy told CTV. "And I just heard that. I was really sad for awhile."
It becomes more discouraging when talking to students about whether they think their friends can get out safely.
"I don't think I can do that -- it's too late," one said. "They are not going to go around shooting anybody or anything -- they are not going to go that far."
But the student did admit they worried about their friend becoming a victim of violence.
"Oh yeah, yeah I do but I can't do anything about it."
"We actually lost a family member to gang violence a few years ago so it's pretty sad," one girl told CTV.
"He tried leaving and they stopped him and they killed him, because that's the way it goes."
Experts say gang interest can begin in kids as young as elementary age.
"The youngest person I've seen going down the wrong path was probably in about grade four or grade five -- eight or nine-years-old," Rai said.
"They've already started to fill themselves with all these other pieces of criminality and the gangster lifestyle."
But educators say parents often don't believe that interests in gangs can start as early as grade four.
Taryn Dixon, and elementary school principal in Chilliwack, says its time for parents to get a reality check.
"Whether they like it or not, gang life is out there and there are lots of negative choices our kids can make."
With a record number of drug and gangland executions in B.C.'s Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley, police and educators trying hard to get the attention of students.
Last week in Abbotsford, Police Chief Bob Rich sent a warning to students: Drug deals, even in the smallest amount, can make you a target for death.
In just the past five months, 36 young men and women have been murdered --and the age of the victims continues to get younger and younger.
In the most recent, Abbotsford high school students Joseph Randay and Dilsher Gill were gunned down on May 1 after allegedly selling a small amount of drugs in rival turf.
The boys, just 18 and 17-years-old, were due to attend their graduation ceremonies on Thursday.
Watch "Gang Related" on CTV News at Six this Tuesday and Wednesday to find out what parents can do.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Julia Foy
