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| COMBAT-Supported School Attendance/Truancy Programs |
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ArtsTech Violence Prevention
ArtsTech’s Integrated Arts and Tech Violence Prevention Program uses the power of creativity, culture, and connection to prevent violence and substance abuse among youth in Kansas City’s most affected neighborhoods. Combining evidence-based practices with structured art, technology, mentoring, and wraparound support, this program engages young people where they are—emotionally, culturally, and developmentally—and gives them the tools to envision and build a safer, healthier future. Drawing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report "Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: Leveraging the Best Available Evidence (2019)," ArtsTech takes a six-pronged, strength-based approach to youth development, particularly for young people living in high-risk zip codes and neighborhoods identified as violence "hotspots."
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Calvary Community Teen Safe Spaces & Outreach
Kansas City faces significant challenges related to violence, impacting its youth. The urban core experiences high levels of violence and homicides, which contribute to serious health disparities and reduce life expectancy. This ongoing violence creates an environment of trauma, limiting safe spaces for youth to socialize and grow, and posing a critical public health and equity issue. The Calvary Community Outreach Network (CCON) has developed a comprehensive Teen Safe Spaces and Outreach Program designed to provide safe, supportive environments for at-risk youth. The program partners with local churches to establish Safe Spaces during non-school hours. These spaces offer mental health interventions, socio-emotional learning opportunities, and positive peer engagement in neighborhoods that otherwise have limited resources. The program aims to reduce youth exposure to violence, improve mental wellness, and empower teens with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate challenges.
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Community Assistance Council
Since 1976, the Community Assistance Council (CAC) has been a vital resource for low-income families in South Kansas City, providing essential services that promote health, stability, and self-sufficiency. Serving approximately 80,000 residents in the Hickman Mills, Center, and Kansas City portions of the Grandview School Districts, CAC offers emergency rent and utility assistance to prevent homelessness, food distribution to combat food insecurity, diapers and hygiene products, and “next steps” case management designed to help families overcome challenges and build stronger futures. CAC operates in a part of the metro area marked by significant economic and social challenges. Many neighborhoods within its service area display classic signs of urban distress. The population served by CAC is predominantly low-income and underserved.
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DeLaSalle Education Center Block37
The Block37 program at DeLaSalle Education Center offers high school students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on internship experience, develop critical skills, and build meaningful relationships in a safe and supportive environment. Serving students from grades nine through twelve, and select eighth graders during the spring session, Block37 focuses on social-emotional growth, career readiness, and academic success through structured internships, mentorship, and comprehensive support. DeLaSalle students often face considerable adversity, including poverty, community violence, trauma, houselessness, and systemic racism. Approximately 75% of Block37 participants have struggled in traditional academic settings, placing them at risk of not completing high school. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and many experience high levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which can contribute to long-term health, mental health, and behavioral challenges.
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Eastern Jackson County Youth Court
The Eastern Jackson County Youth Court (EJCYC) offers a vital intervention program addressing juvenile delinquency through a peer-led, restorative justice model. Located within the Blue Springs School District building, EJCYC serves youth ages 7 to 18 who have exhibited risky behaviors such as violence, drug use, and status offenses including truancy and curfew violations. The court meets monthly for adjudication hearings overseen by a Municipal Court Judge, where trained youth volunteers (ages 13-18) participate alongside adult mentors to hold their peers accountable in a supportive environment. EJCYC is nationally recognized as a promising juvenile prevention program by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and is one of Missouri’s longest-running peer courts. This model emphasizes positive peer pressure, leadership development, and accountability through restorative sanctions.
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Girl Scouts Outreach Program
Over 27% of the girls served by Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas & Northwest Missouri (GSKSMO) live in low or moderately low-income households. As the number of girls living in poverty continues to rise, GSKSMO has adapted its programs to address barriers that prevent many girls and their families from fully participating in Girl Scouts. Through a range of supports—from financial assistance for membership dues and supplies to troop leadership by trained staff, volunteers, and teachers—GSKSMO strives to make Girl Scouts accessible and impactful for all girls, especially those from underserved communities. Girl Scouts provides exactly a safe, nurturing and structured environment where girls can connect with peers who share similar experiences and feelings. This sense of belonging and peer support is essential to helping girls manage emotional challenges and grow stronger mentally and socially.
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High Aspirations
High Aspirations is a vibrant mentoring program dedicated to supporting African American males ages 8 to 18 living in Kansas City’s urban core. Operating every Saturday, High Aspirations provides structured and engaging sessions designed to build leadership skills, self-confidence, and positive community involvement. The program actively addresses educational disparities, economic challenges, and community safety concerns facing Black youth in the area. Each Saturday, with guidance from a program specialist, interns, a Concerned Mothers Group, mentors, and community volunteers, High Aspirations hosts two one-hour sessions serving more than 70 boys per session.
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Independence Youth Court Peer Diversion
The Independence Youth Court (IYC) serves as a vital community intervention program located in the City of Independence municipal building. Its office and courtroom provide a central hub where juvenile clients, families, and volunteers come together to address risky behaviors through a peer-driven, restorative justice model. At the Independence Youth Court office, juveniles and their parents attend intake meetings to begin the process of diversion and rehabilitation. Families can conveniently drop off or pick up court-required documents such as community service forms, counseling or treatment verifications, and educational projects. The actual court hearings and adjudications are held in the Independence Municipal Courtroom, with bi-monthly evening sessions directed by dedicated student volunteers alongside adult mentors, all supervised by the Municipal Court Judge.
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Kansas City Youth Court
The Kansas City Youth Court (KCYC) is a pioneering diversion program that offers at-risk youth a positive and constructive alternative to traditional juvenile justice proceedings. The program focuses on addressing disruptive behaviors while promoting accountability, personal growth, and better decision-making. KCYC works closely with local agencies to receive referrals for youth exhibiting troubling behavior but who may not require formal court prosecution. These referrals are carefully reviewed, and cases are prepared for Youth Court hearings, which take place 2 to 3 times monthly. During these sessions, youth are given an opportunity to resolve their issues by completing meaningful sanctions such as community service hours, writing reflective essays or creating educational videos, and attending classes that relate specifically to their offense. This approach allows young people to take responsibility in a supportive environment, emphasizing rehabilitation rather than punishment.
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KC Municipal Court Truancy Intervention
The Truancy Intervention Program works closely with the Kansas City Municipal Court to provide case management and outreach services to children and families involved in Truancy Court. Directed by the presiding judge, this program aims to identify and address the root causes of truancy among children ages 7 to 17, helping them overcome barriers to regular school attendance. Ultimately, the goal is to improve both school attendance and academic performance through coordinated support and community referrals. Each year, approximately 300 students appear in Kansas City’s Truancy Court due to challenges attending school consistently. While truancy is often seen as a disciplinary issue, the program recognizes that underlying factors frequently contribute to these attendance problems. These can include bullying, exposure to gang activity, difficult family situations, mental health concerns, and substance use.
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MINDDRIVE Collaborative Program
MINDDRIVE offers project-based, experiential STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs designed specifically for students from low-income families living in under-resourced neighborhoods of Kansas City. By combining practical, hands-on learning with real-world applications, MINDDRIVE exposes young people to exciting fields such as metal fabrication, electric vehicle systems, automotive steering and braking design, robotics, and automotive engineering. These courses are delivered in a supportive environment by adult volunteer mentors and professional staff facilitators. Many of the students who participate in MINDDRIVE face risk factors that affect their educational success and personal growth. These challenges include low school engagement and high truancy rates, persistent poverty, trauma exposure, low parental education levels, and high neighborhood crime and violence. The majority of MINDDRIVE participants come from families experiencing economic hardship.
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Operation Breakthrough Opportunity Internships
Operation Breakthrough’s Ignition Lab is a dynamic, safe, and supportive program providing meaningful before- and after-school, as well as summer activities for teens living in Kansas City. This initiative addresses the critical need to protect youth from the negative influences of the streets during times when they are most vulnerable and unsupervised. By offering educational and goal-oriented programming, Ignition Lab helps teens build skills and confidence that set them on a path toward success. The Opportunity Internship program, an integral part of Ignition Lab, provides a valuable springboard for students from economically challenged and often violent neighborhoods. Through social-emotional learning and peer mentoring, this program helps participants develop the interpersonal skills and resilience needed to avoid aggressive behaviors, increase school attendance, and improve family relationships. Studies have shown that such programs can reduce aggression by up to 32%.
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Urban Ranger Corps
The Urban Renaissance Center (URC) is committed to supporting young men as they navigate the complex path from adolescence to adulthood. Grounded in research and driven by compassion, the URC Youth Empowerment Program offers support to boys beginning in 6th grade and continuing through high school. The goal is to foster academic achievement, emotional resilience, healthy relationship, and community engagement. For many young men of color, the journey to adulthood is filled with unique challenges. Growing up in under-resourced neighborhoods, attending schools that lack adequate support, and enduring racial bias in academic and legal systems can have lasting effects on a young man’s potential. The URC Youth Empowerment Program was developed to provide a counterbalance to the negative influences and systemic barriers facing young men in the urban core. URC focuses on early intervention, mentorship, emotional support, academic enrichment and real-world preparation.
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Whatsoever Youth Services
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. 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.
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Youth Guidance BAM & WOW
BAM and WOW are vital counseling programs serving approximately 105 students each week in Kansas City schools. These programs provide weekly group counseling sessions, known as “Circles,” alongside individual support, crisis intervention, and drop-in check-ins. Beyond working directly with students, BAM and WOW counselors collaborate closely with teachers, school staff, and administrators to build a strong, student-centered support network that helps young people thrive both inside and outside the classroom. Many young people face significant obstacles outside school that directly impact their ability to succeed academically and socially. Poverty, exposure to trauma, and difficulties regulating emotions or behavior are common barriers for the youth BAM and WOW serve. These factors can lead to falling behind in school, engaging in risky behaviors, or even dropping out entirely.
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Violence Prevention Programs