TKC BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! LOOK AT PART OF THE PLAN TO STOP KANSAS CITY SUMMER YOUTH VIOLENCE AND MAYBE PLAZA FLASH MOBS TOO!!! IT'S CALLED THE KC TEEN PLAZA PROJECT!!!

Take a look at a lot of Kansas City people getting together and working hard to do the right thing.

Given today's warmer weather forecast BREAKING that we're preparing for the Summer is encouraging . . .

CHECK OUT THE DETAILS OF AN UPCOMING EFFORT TO PROVIDE SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR KANSAS CITY YOUTH THAT WILL HOPEFULLY RESULT IN LESS VIOLENCE AND PLAZA FLASH MOBBING!!!



Kansas City Parks and Rec is working on this along with Generation Rap on KPRS.

Here's a nice summary of what's happening and the players involved . . .

"Parks & Rec in conjunction with Generation Rap, are having a focus group/forum for people ages 10-19 to provide input into summer programs and activities at community centers. The goal is to provide programs and activities that kids will actually enjoy with the hope of keeping them off the streets and out of trouble during the summer months. Prior to the focus group, there will also be a Generation Rap radio program focusing on the problem (increased youth crime during the summer due to inactivity, failure to get youth input in summer activities) and the solution (input from kids via the focus group/forum). Guests for the radio show will include Deputy Chief Cheryl Rose from the Police Department, and possibly Roosevelt Lyons or Genaro Ruiz from the Mayor's office, and Mark Bowland from the Parks Department. All this is occurring Feb. 4 at Carter Broadcasting. The radio program is from 8-9, and the focus group is from 9:30 - 10:30."

This looks like a rather massive undertaking . . . To wit, there's even MORE DETAIL about the focus group . . .

TAKE A LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE DETAILS OF THIS FOCUS GROUP PLAN AIMED AT CURBING KANSAS CITY SUMMER VIOLENCE AND PLAZA FLASH MOBS!!!

Check the details:


KC TEEN PLAZA PROJECT

The focus group is being conducted to get the input of young people ages 10-19 on what activities and programs appeal to them. The goal is to implement student selected activities and programs at city community centers, which will give young people a fun and constructive place to go, particularly during the summer. The Parks Department recognizes the need to get young people involved, rather than for adults to continue to select the programs and activities and for young people to continue to be disengaged.

The representatives from the surveying company, who will be conducting the focus group, will initiate a conversation with the participating young people and ask questions to elicit the participant’s thoughts and opinions. Teens should feel free and comfortable expressing their opinions – this is the whole point of the focus group. We aim to have 60 young people participate in the focus group. This group of 60 will be broken down into smaller groups of 10 for manageability.

The focus group will last from 9:30am-10:30am on February 4th. Young people under the age of 18 will have to submit a parent consent form prior to participating in the focus group, which is available at: http://www.kcmo.org/idc/groups/parksandrec/documents/parksrecreation/focusgroupparentconsent.pdf. The consent form can be turned in the morning of right up to when the focus group starts. We have also invited young people from Engage KC to participate, as well as we are pubbing the focus group (and written survey that will be available online) on air.

Prior to the focus group, there will also be the Generation Rap show on February 4th. The producers will need to get outlines to our guests ASAP (send them to me and I will send them out) – our guests are truly busy people. Our guests are either Roosevelt Lyons or Genaro Ruiz from the Mayor’s Office, Deputy Chief Cheryl Rose of the Police Department, Mark Bowland from the Parks Department, and Leigh Anne Knight from the surveying company.

The first half of the show should be dedicated to the problem, and should cover these topics:

- The events that occurred on the plaza last summer (shooting, flash mobs, Mayor’s involvement, and the temporary efforts to rectify the situation i.e. the curfew and use of community centers to house students violating curfew until their parents picked them up),

- The reoccurring problem of increased crime involving young people during the summer months (other instances of crime besides the Plaza events, statistics on crime during the summer vs. other seasons, types of crimes young people are involved in, etc),

- The city and parks departments past and current efforts to provide a safe and productive environment for teens (e.g., activities and programs that are currently available and have been available in the past e.g. night hoops, hot summer nights, community center hours of operation, etc.)

- And anything else the students come up with that is related.

All guests except the Leigh Anne will participate in the first half.

The second half of the show should be dedicated to the solution, and should cover these topics:

- How the focus group idea came about (Parks Department and Mayor’s office came together to discuss a long term solution to a systematic problem; realization that student involvement in the decision making process is critical),

- Why we are having the focus group (why student input is important e.g. coming up with programs and activities students will actually utilize and instilling a sense of ownership in students in the programs and activities, what is the end goal of the focus group),

- An explanation of a focus group (the methodology and analysis behind it, how it works, the pros of a focus group over other surveying methods, an explanation that a written survey will also be available online for young people to fill out and provide their input, etc),

- An on air appeal to students to come to the focus group and/or complete the survey.
#########

If you've made it this far . . . Tell us what you think . . . Will this work?