Kansas City Public Library

The Kansas City Public Library, in Missouri, in partnership with Science City at Union Station, will plan and design the components for a Learning Lab to be housed at Union Station and a mobile outreach component that will serve teens throughout the metro area. Throughout the process, the partners will establish a leadership planning team composed of key staff from the two institutions, a project coordinator, teen leaders, and advisory members from the community. Middle school and high school youth in urban areas of Kansas City face a drop-out rate of 48% and struggle with issues of poverty and violence. This program will assist teens to create positive personal stories and become leaders through the opportunity to serve as peer mentors, engage in the planning and implementation of the Learning Lab, and receive valuable learning experiences from adult mentors.