At the beginning of 2025, KC Common Good highlighted some of the many dedicated organizations working to help serve our young people. This summer, those organizations and more from across Kansas City showed up for our young people with job opportunities and internships, family-friendly events, and safe spaces for young people to learn, experience new things, and simply have fun together.
We know that programs that provide structure, mentorship, and opportunity for young people can promote peace for our young people and the community at large. Studies of summer youth employment programs and community-based mentoring initiatives have shown reductions in youth arrests and violent crime among participating youth.
In this blog, we will recap some of the events and programs from our KC 360 partners that engaged young people across our region. These programs help promote peace, present opportunities to try something new, and simply give the youth– and their families – peace of mind by providing a place to safely enjoy their summer.
Hot Summer Nights
Throughout the summer, Guadalupe Centers of Kansas City and Youth Ambassadors hosted Hot Summer Nights, a Saturday night safe space for young people to get together. The organizations opened their doors and served approximately 200 youth, establishing pro-social behaviors and promoting positive activities every weekend.
Each week, the organizations gave the young people free range in their event spaces and gymnasiums with all sorts of activities. Some weeks featured water balloon competitions, sports and video games, while others featured karaoke, arts and crafts, and a DJ.
We are proud to support organizations like Guadalupe Centers of Kansas City and Youth Ambassadors as they create opportunities for our young people to safely enjoy themselves while school is out.
Guadalupe Centers
Founded in 1919, Guadalupe Centers’ mission is to improve the lives of Latinos in the Kansas City region and remains the longest continuously-operating organization serving Latinos in the United States.
Guadalupe Centers operates out of 12 facilities throughout Kansas City and provides community-based services in the areas of Health and Human Services, Education, Youth Recreation, Workforce Development & Adult Education, and Summer & After School. Through their programs, Guadalupe Centers serves over 20,000 individuals annually.
Youth Ambassadors
Youth Ambassadors is an educational employment program designed to empower underserved teenage youth with important life skills, soft job skills, creative expression, and adult mentors, helping them become future community leaders willing and able to work for positive change.
The organization operates a year-round education employment program. Since 2021, Youth Ambassadors has served more than 1,400 young people in the Kansas City region.
Sunday Funday at the Throttle Dome
Cash Cars recently opened the Throttle Dome, a safe and legal space for car culture enthusiasts to perform and enjoy sideshows with car tricks like burnouts and doughnuts under supervision, with rules, insurance, and security. The project aims to tackle illegal street racing and give teens and young adults a safe outlet for car culture.
This summer, the Throttle Dome opened every Sunday afternoon and evening specifically for young people to enjoy the show along with food, drinks, music, good vibes, and general entertainment. The program turned the traditionally illegal and unsafe behaviors associated with car culture into a safe and summer youth engagement.
Linwood YMCA
Located at Linwood Boulevard and Cleveland Avenue, the Linwood YMCA/James B. Nutter, Sr. Community Center offers programs for young people of all ages throughout the year. This summer, the Linwood YMCA hosted the Fusion STEAM Camp as well as Tween and Teen nights.
Fusion STEAM Camp, sponsored by T-Mobile, is a month-long experience for young students in 6th-8th grade designed to present learning activities in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. The program taught the scientific basics of model rockets, windmills, cooking, coding, snap circuitry, and urban gardening through interactive lessons and practice activities. This summer, the Fusion STEAM Camp had 60 participants.
“In the summertime, there is a lot of programming across the city for elementary and high school students. We are proud to offer middle-school-aged students opportunities to keep them engaged with education throughout the summer while exploring STEAM concepts that might interest them as they take the next steps in their education.” – Wesley B. Triplett, Executive Director, Linwood YMCA
The Linwood YMCA also hosted Tween and Teen Nights, opening up their facility to more than 150 young people throughout the summer. At these events the YMCA served as a safe space for kids to come and swim, participate in arts activities and sports with friends and dance the night away with a private DJ.
ProX
ProX is a youth workforce development program that connects Kansas City area high school students with paid internships and work-based projects. Through these opportunities, students gain essential skills, explore career paths, and build a brighter future; all while contributing to the local workforce.
This summer, ProX placed more than 700 high-school-aged students in summer youth jobs with companies across all industries, from engineering and accounting firms to banks and nonprofits. Through ProX, young people across the region have a unique opportunity to try their hand at their potential future career and get paid while they do it.
There is so much good happening in Kansas City every day that goes unnoticed. From summer internships and educational camps that help prepare young people for their future education to engaging activities that turn traditionally danger hobbies into productive, community-building ones, we are proud to share the good from Kansas City.
If you want to stay up-to-date on all the youth engagement events in our community, check out our community calendar.
