Youth Ambassadors – Looking At Poverty Through The Eyes Of Children

Youth Ambassadors – Looking At Poverty Through The Eyes Of Children

3,000,000 – TEENAGERS DROP OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL EACH YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES
10% – ONLY 10% OF THESE TEENAGERS WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR TODAY’S JOB MARKET
80% – OF THE INCARCERATED POPULATION ARE HIGH SCHOOL DROP OUTS

A great percentage of today’s teenage youth lack the academic and family support necessary for positive personal growth. Through the use of educational and creative programming, Youth Ambassadors provides a comprehensive youth development program that addresses these social and academic challenges. As a part of the YA program, students receive instruction in life skills, including business etiquette, anger management, crisis resolution, goal setting, time management, smart choices, healthy relationships, and recognition of impediments to success. Students also explore personal thoughts and feelings through therapeutic art and journal writing. In addition, the Youth Ambassadors program is designed to be a “first job” experience. Through the receipt of a paycheck, Ambassadors learn banking skills and financial literacy, workplace parameters, and personal accountability.

Youth Ambassadors also produces materials by and for children of all ages that help educate the children of ways to remain safe in a dangerous world and inform adults to the true nature of the problems too many children face trying to survive in today’s world. Host Jamie Jackson talks with Paige O’Connor, Executive Director of Youth Ambassadors about their mission and some new media they have developed to help adults understand what some of the youngest children deal with, like a parent’s drug overdose, hunger in a house with no food and to Duck, Dodge and Roll when they hear gunfire in their neighborhood. They will be joined by Josie a recent graduate of YA who is going to start college at UMKC soon. He spoke about how his and others student’s experiences informed and shaped the videos, how YA helped him survive and thrive and he even read one of his poems. We will open up the phone lines for your questions and comments.

Lessons From My Neighborhood videos highlighted on this broadcast –

How To Tell When Mom’s Overdosing – https://youtu.be/0Hnam_BBG4k
What To Eat When You’re Hungry – https://youtu.be/6WarD0vlVAc
Duck Doge and Roll – https://youtu.be/e85dfneBUtw

Contact Youth Ambassadors –

Youth Ambassadors, Inc.
2803 E. 51st Street
Kansas City, MO 64130
(913) 485-8993
[email protected]

website – http://youthambassadorskc.org/
How you can help and get informed – http://youthambassadorskc.org/get-involved/

JoJR Calendar for the week of May 7th

The Criminal Justice Task Force will meet Monday, May 7th from 6:45 to 8:45 pm at the Church of the Good Shepard, 4947 Chouteau Drive, KCMO. The Criminal Justice Task Force mission is to lobby the Missouri State Legislature for sentencing laws that are fair and basic human rights of those that are incarcerated. For information contact Robin Johnson at 816-522-4081 or email: [email protected]
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Mothers of Incarcerated Sons and Daughters will have their monthly meeting Saturday, May 12th from noon to 2pm at the Waldo Branch Library, 201 East 75th Street, KCMO If you have a loved one that is incarcerated and need advice and support MISD has members that may be able to help.
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You are invited to the official launch of the Deportation Defense Legal Network on Tuesday, May 15th from 2-3pm at the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 4501 Walnut, KCMO. The Network’s mission is to provide free legal representation in immigration bond hearings, protect the dignity and rights of all immigrants and to eradicate prolonged and unnecessary confinement in immigration detention. You can join them to stand alongside our immigrant communities and commit to equal justice under the law.

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