The Civic Leadership Academy for Girls is a pilot project designed to build civic leadership and to provide positive lifetime impacts for African American adolescent females residing in Kansas. Because we believe girls can change the world! An adolescent girl spends a great deal of her time making life altering decisions. If she stays in school, remains healthy, and gains skills, she will marry later, have fewer and healthier children, and earn an income that she’ll invest back into her family and community.
Her alternative is a life impacted by poverty. She’ll leave school early, marry too young, and miss the chance to reach her full human potential. Her tragedy, multiplied by the 6,838 African American adolescent girls throughout the state of Kansas – contributes to the endless cycle of poverty.
We know that building the civic leadership skills of adolescent girls and growing the next generation of Kansas leaders can aide in breaking this cycle, will build stronger Kansas families, and will ultimately improve the State of Kansas. Ten (10) participants residing in District 4 have been selected through a recommendation process to form the first cohort group. Host organizations are needed to establish cohort groups in Districts 1, 2, and 3. Participants will engage in the following civic leadership and advocacy activities:
- Monthly civic leadership training opportunities featuring prominent community leaders
- Quarterly opportunities to utilize skills gained in a hand-on leadership training and/or service learning event
- Tours of prominent historic Kansas sites, buildings, universities and organizations
- Culminating leadership role in hosting a statewide leadership conference for girls
- Recognition at the city, county and state levels of government
- Leadership Academy participation fee is free for all invited participants
Links to a Bright Beginning - The Topeka Infant Mortality Project is a collaborative project with the Topeka Chapter of Links, Inc. βThe purpose of this project is to help decrease health disparities and the infant mortality rate in Kansas. Since research has shown that preconception health is one of the most important and less emphazied aspects influencing birth outcome and maternal and infant, health, our education and outreach efforts will start earlier in the lives of our target populations. By working with Washburn and Baker University students, the Links to a Bright Beginning will provide peer education to women and men students and the community at large utilizing the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority health Preconception Peer Education Program curriculum. Those not actively seeking to start a family will be targeted as over 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned and it is imperative to provide all women and men with the information to make healthy and informed decisions about their reproductive futures.
The Bias Based Policing Community Advisory Board Training Academy is being created in response to SB 93 which prohibits a law enforcement officer from using racial or other biased-based policing, allows community advisory boards to be established, and requires written policies and annual reports, data collection, and procedures for the investigation and disposition of a racial or other biased-based policing complaint. Racial or other biased-based policing would be defined as the unreasonable use of race, ethnicity, national origin, socio-economic status, gender, or religion by a law enforcement officer in deciding to initiate an enforcement action. As it is recommended in the policy that community advisory boards receive training on fair and impartial policing and comprehensive plans for law enforcement agencies, the KAAAC is working with the Kansas Attorney General's office and the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center to develop this statewide training.
Restorative Justice Week
African American churches and community based organizations located throughout the State of Kansas are invited to participate in the KAAAC inaugural Restorative Justice Week (RJW) project. One of the most effective tools in advocacy is public awareness. The third week of November has been selected as the time to address one of our most pressing areas of equity, criminalization and social justice.
The purpose of this RJW project is:
- To raise public awareness about African Americans incarcerated in Kansas,
- To encourage congregations to explore the causes and consequences of crime,
- To advocate for solutions that are just for all,
- To encourage communities to become actively involved in helping offenders to successfully reenter society, and
- To encourage mentoring relationships through the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) and the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority (JJA) that enable return offenders to positively contribute to their community, actively engage in restoring their families, and earn a livable wage.
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βThe Governors Annual Martin Luther King Celebration is held to commemorate the life and legacy of this renowned civil rights leader. From the mid 1950’s until his assassination in 1968 Dr. King dedicated his life to service, created a legacy of combating racial inequity through non-violent civil disobedience, and fought to gain many of the freedoms we experience today. For his efforts an annual celebration and march is hosted by the Commission and the Governor of the State of Kansas.