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Bridge Leadership Outreach & Prevention
The Bridge Youth Violence Prevention Program (The Bridge YVP) is designed to prevent and reduce factors that put youth at risk of witnessing a violent crime, being a victim of violence and/or making unhealthy choices. The program consists of a series of life skills and leadership development workshops designed to help students develop and employ healthy strategies when dealing with conflicts in everyday life. Workshops topics include communication strategies, goal setting, healthy relationships, positive self-talk, basic self-care and healthy coping mechanisms. The Bridge also provides on-site psychologists who facilitate counseling sessions to address trauma, anxiety and stress, empowering youth to develop behaviors that foster safe and healthy environments for themselves.
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Child Protection Center
The mission of the Child Protection Center (CPC) is to build a healthier community by leading the response to the prevention, identification and treatment of child abuse and violence. The CPC accomplishes its mission by providing forensic interviews, family advocacy and mental health services to children 3 to 17 living in Jackson County, who are victims of sexual or physical abuse, or who have witnessed violent crimes. CPC also conducts interviews with the children's non-offending caregivers. The CPC ensures children who are victims of child abuse or witness to violent crimes are properly identified, that their statements are made through forensic interviews, and that they are ensured access to all necessary mental health treatments and social supports as soon as possible.
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Citizens of the World: Building Conflict Resolution Skills
Citizens of the World – Kansas City is dedicated to supporting students from pre-K through eighth grade by equipping them with essential skills and knowledge for success both inside and outside the classroom. A key focus of this program is to teach students how to mediate conflicts using peaceful, nonviolent strategies. Through this work, the school fosters a safe and supportive learning environment where young people can grow academically, socially, and emotionally. The 2023-2024 behavior data from Citizens of the World reveals a troubling trend: students were involved in 235 reported acts of aggression. These incidents include bullying and harassment, physical fights between students, and aggression directed toward both peers and adults. Such behavior reflects a broader challenge faced by the school community. Many students at Citizens live in a neighborhood identified as a violent crime hotspot. This environment exposes them to trauma and frequent experiences of violence.
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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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Guadalupe Centers Life Skills Prevention Program
The Guadalupe Center, Inc. (GCI) offers a comprehensive Life Skills Program designed to support adolescents as they navigate the transition to adulthood. Central to this program are two evidence-based curricula: Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence and Pathways to Resilience. Together, these programs provide young people with essential social, emotional, and personal skills that help them overcome adversity, make healthy choices, and build stronger connections within their communities. This evidence-based curriculum helps students understand risk factors while promoting protective behaviors that support positive development. Complementing this, Pathways to Resilience focuses on strengthening the ability of teens and young adults to "bounce back" from challenges—known as resilience. This curriculum guides youth in developing coping strategies that are practical and relevant to their everyday lives, empowering them to face difficult situations with confidence and hope.
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Heart of America BSA Be Prepared
Kansas City faces one of the highest rates of violent crime in the nation. According to Neighborhood Scout, residents face a 1 in 16 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime. For the city’s children, these statistics are more than numbers—they represent the everyday reality of walking to school, playing outside, or navigating peer pressure in an increasingly digital world. In response, this community-based initiative is grounded in a simple but powerful belief: our children deserve better. The program brings together youth, families and key institutional partners to promote crime prevention, drug education, digital safety, and abuse awareness—equipping young people with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to lead safer, healthier lives. The mission of this program is to educate, empower, and protect youth in Kansas City by addressing critical safety issues through early prevention and family engagement.
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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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Ivanhoe Safety & Resilience Initiative
Ivanhoe is committed to creating a safer, thriving neighborhood by partnering with community-based organizations, small businesses, and local stakeholders to provide vital resources and support. Serving the Ivanhoe community and its neighboring areas, Ivanhoe addresses critical gaps in social and city-wide services to promote social cohesion, foster healthy lifestyles, and improve key social determinants of health—especially those factors that contribute to violence. At the heart of Ivanhoe’s efforts is the “Healing While We Grow” program, a comprehensive violence prevention initiative focused on tackling the root causes of violence in the community. These root causes, often called social determinants of health, include physical and mental health challenges, food insecurity, lack of educational opportunities, and social isolation. By addressing these underlying issues, Ivanhoe seeks to reduce risk factors that lead to criminal and violent behavior among youth and adults.
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Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey
Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey’s AileyCamp and AileyCamp The Group stand as vibrant examples of how arts education can drive positive change. By combining dance, social-emotional learning, mental health support, and violence prevention, these programs provide youth with the skills and confidence needed to navigate the challenges of adolescence and beyond. Through creativity, connection, and empowerment, KCFAA helps youth transform adversity into opportunity—building stronger individuals and communities for generations to come. AileyCamp is a signature summer program held at Paseo Academy for Fine and Performing Arts. Designed for under-resourced youth ages 11 to 14, AileyCamp offers a unique blend of dance instruction and positive youth development that nurtures creativity while building essential life skills. Since its founding in 1989, AileyCamp has become a nationally recognized model for arts-based empowerment, serving youth in multiple cities across the country.
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Kansas City Youth Court
The Kanas City Youth Court began operating in Kansas City in 1992 and is a Peer Diversion Program based on a national teen court model that has been proven to reduce recidivism in the referred youth who participate in the program. Our student-run court receives referrals from the Kansas City Police Department, Jackson County Family Court and the Hickman Mills School District. We are a diversion program of the Jackson County Family Court that seeks to provide young offenders an opportunity to be mentored by their peers as they accept responsibility and make amends for the harm they perpetrated to victims and the community.
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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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WeCode KC
WeCode KC is addressing a critical challenge: the persistent lack of diversity in the technology sector. Despite rapid growth in the tech industry, opportunities for Black and Brown individuals remain limited due to longstanding economic and educational disparities. WeCode KC is working to change that narrative—empowering youth from underserved communities with the tools, training, and support they need to thrive in high-demand technology careers. WeCode KC was founded with direct input from the communities it serves. Community surveys and assessments conducted by the organization revealed that 70% of participants come from households earning below the poverty line. WeCode KC exists to bridge the opportunity gap by providing youth from Black and Brown communities with free or low-cost access to high-quality, hands-on technology education. By removing financial and systemic barriers, WeCode KC is helping to diversify Kansas City’s tech workforce while lifting families out of poverty.
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Whatsoever Community Center 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 Ambassadors
Youth Ambassadors (YA) is a dynamic program serving Greater Kansas City youth ages 14 to 18. Grounded in strengths-based principles, YA combines social-emotional learning, trauma healing, and violence prevention to help young people overcome significant challenges and become leaders in their communities. By providing specialized training in life skills, job readiness, health, entrepreneurship, community development, and creative expression, YA equips youth to thrive both personally and professionally. Mental health services are embedded into the program, offering free, onsite therapy as a vital support. Youth in Jackson County’s urban neighborhoods face deep and persistent hardships. These include poverty, community violence, food insecurity, underfunded infrastructure, and high rates of unemployment and incarceration within families. These conditions create an environment where youth are exposed to trauma and limited access to the support they need.
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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