Kansas City, KS is the lesser known twin of the city of the same name just across the border in Missouri. The two cities join each other at the Missouri/Kansas border, the junction of the Missouri and Kansas rivers. Being a river town, Kansas City is a port of entry for farm products and is a large commercial, industrial and agricultural seat of the Midwest. With a community tagline of “Kansas City: Change Your Perspective”, it is clear that Kansas City would like to climb out of the definitions it has had to bear over the years. Poor economy, unemployment and low median income coupled with high dropout rates, increasing teen pregnancy and homelessness makes life difficult for many Kansas City residents. In fact, amongst the homeless population in Kansas City, 56% are families with children. Your group can show the love of Jesus through a variety of work projects and ministry to children.

Demographics

Kansas City survived many nicknames in its early days, including “Possumtrot”, “Kawsmouth”, and the very creative “Town of Kansas” before attaining the official name of Kansas City in the late 1800’s. However the Kansas City area was home to the Kansa Native American tribe originally and was an area that Lewis and Clark explored in the early 1800’s. The area was settled by fur traders around 1821, and later formally incorporated as a city in 1850. Hallmark Cards got its humble start on the streets of Kansas City in 1910 when a young girl named Joyce Hall began selling her homemade cards out of a shoebox. Kansas City is known for a number of things, including its music (namely jazz, blues and swing) made popular in the 1930’s. Also known for its barbecue (“KC’s Masterpiece”), Kansas City has more barbecue restaurants per capita than any other city in the nation! Another major claim to fame is that the inspiration for Mickey Mouse is said to have happened in Walt Disney’s ‘Laugh-O-Gram’ Kansas City studio in 1928. Despite the cultural and historical roots, Kansas City has been a struggling community in many ways, which may be why they’ve adopted the tagline “Kansas City: Change Your Perspective”. Kansas City has had to own unfortunate statistics such as an over 40% high school dropout rate and a teen pregnancy rate of 27%. With a median household income of nearly $10,000 less than the Kansas average, Kansas City has a number of residents struggling financially. With the recent downturn in the economy and a climbing unemployment rate, families are struggling in many ways. Over 20% of Kansas City residents live below the poverty level – this is 10% more than the state average.

About the Ministry

Participants serve in a variety of ways during a YouthWorks mission trip. Students may spend all week at one ministry or switch between ministries during the week. Ministries that your students may participate in are Kids Club and Work Projects. Kids Club is a hands-on program led by your youth offering high-energy games, crafts, skits, songs and interactive lessons all designed to help kids learn about Jesus. Whether we’re painting houses, performing minor home repair, cleaning up debris, volunteering in community gardens or other projects in the community, the projects students work on will serve as our way of blessing people in need. We cannot confirm until all groups arrive exactly what ministries your students will be a part of during the week. We ask that you come with a willing and flexible spirit!

Activities

Evening activities during a YouthWorks week are designed to give participants an insight into the lives of local residents and the culture of the area. Your group will have the opportunity to enjoy the city, spend time with the community and spend time together as a large group. We try to arrange for free evening activities, but from time to time, an additional cost may be required for an activity. Please plan to bring an additional $10 per person to cover any extra costs. We will confirm the details closer to your trip.

Ministry Week

Kids Club and Work Projects.

Mileage

Kansas City, KS is located approximately 30 minutes from the Kansas City, MO International Airport

Transportation & Travel

Each group is responsible for transportation to and from the site, and during the mission week. Kansas City can only accommodate standard 15 passenger vans or smaller.

Additional Information

Read more about Kansas City at http://www.visitkc.com/this-is-kansas-city/index.aspx