Wichita youth empowerment partnership: a community assessment of District 1

Abstract

District 1 of Wichita, Kansas is primarily formed by African American population and faces multiple economic and social challenges that require greater collaboration and improved capacity of local faith-based (FBO) and community-based organizations (CBO). The Wichita Youth Empowerment Partnership (WYEP) is an initiative facilitated by the Center for Community Support & Research (CCSR) and includes 10 partnering faith-based and community-based organizations (FBCBOs) that address youth violence and gang activity in the mentioned district. A participatory community assessment was conducted to obtain information and establish future directions for services and activities of the organizations, from the youth’s perspective. Community assessment was a participatory process that integrated mixed methods to collect information: youth survey, focus groups, photovoice, and archival data. Information obtained was quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. Adult collaboration and inclusion of a youth research team were central aspects.