2021 COMBAT Mid-Year Funding: $18,295.00

in KC Common Good's Own Words

The purpose of KC Common Good is to unite the community to address the root causes of violence and instill hope. Serving as a backbone organization, KC Common Good has a high value for and experience in collective impact strategies. Over the past year, as KC Common Good had conversations with diverse community stakeholders, and a need was identified for a comprehensive approach to youth employment.

Many organizations had siloed programs serving anywhere from 5 to 200 youth each summer. The need existed to align organizations and create a shared platform, which has become known as Working For Youth.

Working For Youth’s founding objectives:

• Capacity build employment opportunities for east Kansas City youth with established internship organizations.

• Create a collaborative ecosystem that maximizes the youth's economic empowerment and bolsters workforce development through skills training and mentorship.

• Prepare career-minded youth in our community to make positive life choices, empowering them to fully maximize their potential through education and career opportunities.

• Expand youth employment opportunities in partnership with the business community.

Two short-term outcomes are to increase the number of employers with a greater understanding of trauma and increase opportunities for youth most at risk of violence. This will be measured through a survey of participating employers conducted in June at the beginning and August at the conclusion of the program. These responses will be evaluated in the fall, informing future year improvements, and will be tracked year over year.

Additional short-term outcomes are that youth gain greater understanding of oneself and one’s work, as well as increasing connectedness to others and their community.   This will be measured by a pre- and post-survey conducted among participating youth.

Mid-term outcomes will be tracked annually with measurable changes anticipated between years 2-5: decrease the amount of involved youth violence, increase graduation rates, and increase economic inclusion for east KC businesses. A variety of sources will be utilized to track mid-term outcomes, including data from the KCMO Health Department’s Community Health Improvement Plan,  KC Rising and the KC Chamber of Commerce, Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, and area school districts.

A lesson from the Omaha model is that five- to 10-year trendlines are critical to track, learn from and report on.

Long-term outcomes include decreasing rates of violence, increasing rates of wealth built and greater access to economic opportunity. Each of these outcomes are tracked in relation of historically marginalized communities to city, state and national averages. Sources listed in the mid-term outcomes will be utilized for local data. State and national research will be sourced from the Brookings Institute, other research institutions, census data and other governmental sources.