The Rev. Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, will speak about his organization’s work with Los Angeles gang members at Eckstein Hall’s Appellate Courtroom Wednesday night.

The event, “Tattoos on the Heart,” is sponsored by the Center for Peacemaking. In conjunction, the Center will also host a forum, “Connecting the Dots: Linking Community Resources for Youth,” on Thursday in the Alumni Memorial Union.

Homeboy Industries is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that provides gang members with training and work experience, according to its website. Its subsidiaries include Homeboy Bakery, Homeboy Merchandise and Homegirl Café.

Boyle, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, first created the program “Jobs For A Future” in 1988 to provide positive alternatives for youth who were involved with gangs. Soon after, he created Homeboy Bakery in 1992, before it became Homeboy Industries in 2001.

Homeboy Industries is a national model for intervention programs and is the largest organization of its kind, its website said.

Claire Cushing, secretary of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit Honors Society, will introduce Boyle on Wednesday.

Cushing, a senior in the College of Health Sciences, said in an e-mail that Boyle created the organization to provide jobs and encourage young people to work together and “learn the mutual respect that comes from collaboration.”

She has heard Boyle is “very inspirational” and a “great speaker.”

“He is very laid back, and is often called ‘G-dog’ and ‘Homie’ by his congregation,” she said. “I think his decades of service will resonate with many students at Marquette.”