The Guadalupe Centers' Life Skills Program is for youth ages 10-15 who reside primarily in Kansas City's Westside and Northeast neighborhoods as well as to the students of Our Lady of Hope serving students residing in KCMO's midtown. COMBAT funds are be used for a Youth Awareness Coordinator and a Youth Worker, supplies, the evidence-based and culturally appropriate Lions Quest curriculum, incentives in the form of gas cards to encourage parents/guardians to attend trainings and nominal mileage expenses. Guadalupe Centers will serve 180 adolescents and youth, providing tools and support to make healthy choices when considering alcohol, tobacco and other substance, use as well as bullying, dating violence, and peer and family relationships.

The program utilizes the Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence curriculum, an active learning, evidence-based social and emotional learning program addressing the physical, emotional and social consequences of alcohol and other substance use. This curriculum provides vital life skills that support youth through the challenges of their adolescent years, including positively managing emotions and improving peer and family relationships. Lions Quest releases regular curriculum enhancements and the Guadalupe Centers program can now address additional topics, including dating violence, bullying including cyber bullying, and other challenges with interventions designed to promote healthy, positive outcomes.

 Through a partnership with the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA), programming content related to dating violence, healthy relationships, and bullying are provided free of charge to the target population. Guadalupe Center's Youth Awareness Coordinator facilitates the students' progress through a series of 24 interactive and multimedia lessons that address risk and protective factors and guide individuals through development of practical social, personal and intellectual skills they can draw upon to make positive choices.

Youth completing the program demonstrate strengthened self-esteem, improved behaviors, and deepened community connections, while feeling confident they have the knowledge and skills to make healthy life choices. The program offers students opportunities to develop as leaders through service-learning projects such as: Neighborhood beautification; Drug-free campaigns, and Food pantry distribution.Curriculum is delivered during the school year within groups of 15-26 middle school students attending the Guadalupe Middle School, Our Lady of Hope school, and to those who present at the Guadalupe Centers dropin, after school program. 

Each group meets for 8-12 one-hour sessions. Another 4-8 hours of service-learning projects round out the program. Pre- and post-testing measure knowledge acquisition and attitude changes. 

Engaging parents and guardians is another component of Guadalupe Center's programming.

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.