Guiding Youth Toward Positive Futures

Whatsoever Community Center is committed to changing the narrative for youth and young adults growing up in one of Kansas City’s most underserved neighborhoods. For generations, young people in this community have been surrounded by risk factors such as gang involvement, drug and alcohol abuse, negative peer influence, and chronic exposure to violence. The Whatsoever Youth Program was created to disrupt this cycle—offering safe spaces, caring mentors, and opportunities for youth to grow into strong, capable, and confident adults.

The Challenge: A Life Surrounded By Risk

For many youth and young adults near Whatsoever, dangerous behavior and social instability have become a normalized part of everyday life. Growing up in environments where antisocial behavior is common, where few positive adult role models are present, and where educational achievement is often out of reach, these young people face steep uphill battles.

Common Risk Factors

The youth served by Whatsoever regularly encounter:

• Favorable attitudes toward harmful behaviors, including substance use and violence
• Friend groups involved in criminal or antisocial activities
• Early and persistent behavioral issues
• Gang affiliation and recruitment pressures
• Lack of academic support and school success
• Limited or absent access to positive adult guidance

These influences contribute to a persistent cycle that places young people at risk of incarceration, substance dependency, and long-term poverty. The need for intervention is urgent and undeniable.

A Proven Approach: Mentorship, Engagement & Support

Whatsoever’s Youth Program focuses on reversing these negative influences through mentorship, academic support, and structured, pro-social group activities. Serving 30 to 50 youth per day year-round, the program is a consistent, trusted resource for young people seeking stability and support.

Central Focus: Mentorship

At the heart of the program is mentoring. Every young participant is encouraged to form a trusting relationship with a caring adult. These mentors provide consistent guidance, helping youth navigate life’s challenges, make positive decisions, and build confidence in their ability to shape their own futures.

Whether it's offering a listening ear, setting boundaries, or celebrating accomplishments, these adult mentors act as reliable anchors in lives that too often lack stability.

Educational Support & Success

Academic achievement is another core goal of the program. Staff and volunteers provide tutoring, homework help, and guidance through educational challenges. Youth are encouraged to set academic goals, stay engaged in school, and envision a future that includes graduation—and beyond.

Whatsoever works to strengthen each participant’s belief in their own ability to succeed, especially when educational achievement has previously seemed unattainable due to disrupted learning, under-resourced schools, or low expectations.

Positive Peer Engagement

The program also provides a powerful alternative to negative peer influences. Through organized group activities, youth experience healthy, supportive peer relationships. They learn to collaborate, communicate, and resolve conflicts respectfully.

These experiences foster a sense of belonging and purpose—crucial protective factors that help buffer against the pressures of gangs, drugs, and violence.

Our Goals: Breaking The Cycle of Despair

The Whatsoever Youth Program is grounded in evidence-based protective factors that reduce the likelihood of risky behavior and promote long-term well-being. These include:

• Opportunities for pro-social involvement
• Positive adult relationships
• Resistance to negative peer pressure
• Success in school and personal development

The ultimate goal is to help youth recognize their worth, understand their potential, and see a path toward a life that is healthy, meaningful, and productive.

A Community In Need Of Hope

The challenges facing this community are not theoretical—they are real, generational, and deeply felt. Violence, addiction, poverty, and disengagement are part of a lived reality for many families in the area. But Whatsoever believes that with the right environment and support, this can change.

Decades of neglect have made risk factors seem like an unavoidable “fact of life.” Whatsoever’s mission is to show youth that a different life is possible.

A Vision For Transformation

Whatsoever envisions a future where the community’s youth are no longer defined by the risks they’ve grown up around, but by their strengths, their choices, and their dreams. The organization is not just investing in individual young people—it is investing in the long-term health and safety of the entire neighborhood.

By providing mentorship, educational support, and a space for positive peer interaction, the Whatsoever Youth Program helps young people learn how to cope, grow, and eventually give back. When young men and women are empowered to change their life paths, they inspire others to do the same—creating a ripple effect that uplifts the entire community.

Measurable Impact & Daily Commitment

Each day, Whatsoever opens its doors to dozens of youth, many of whom rely on the program for structure, encouragement, and basic support. Whether it’s help with schoolwork, advice on handling a personal crisis, or simply a safe place to be after school, the program plays an essential role in the lives of its participants.

• Daily program attendance: 30–50 youth
• Year-round operation: Consistent presence through all seasons
• Mentorship hours logged: Hundreds of one-on-one and group sessions
• Educational improvement: Regular feedback from schools and families
• Decreased engagement in risky behavior: Reported by parents, teachers, and law enforcement

A Call To Believe

The program’s most powerful message is simple: We know our participants can succeed—we want them to know that too. For youth who have been told repeatedly what they can’t do, Whatsoever tells them what they can.

Every interaction, every conversation, every activity is designed to build self-worth, resilience, and hope. When youth begin to see themselves in a new light, the future becomes something to reach for—not something to fear or escape.

Building A Better Community, One Youth At A Time

Whatsoever’s Youth Program is more than an afterschool service. It is a lifeline, a second chance, and a steady hand for youth trying to find their way in a difficult world. By replacing despair with hope, and risk with opportunity, the program is building the foundation for a stronger, safer, and more vibrant community.

With the continued support of mentors, volunteers, and funders, Whatsoever will keep pushing forward—because every young person deserves the chance to thrive.

Locations

Click on the window icon (upper right corner) of the map below to expand. List of all program locations is included with expanded view of map. Locations are also listed on this page below the map.