KU-based initiative helps build safer community for Wyandotte County youth
LAWRENCE — New research from the University of Kansas shows promising results from a communitywide effort in Wyandotte County that brings youth, families and local partners together to prevent violence and create safer conditions for young people.
Wyandotte County is among the Kansas communities most heavily affected by gun-related deaths, with a rate of 30.6 deaths per 100,000, nearly twice the statewide rate. Guns are involved in the majority of homicides in the county, and youth bear a disproportionate share of that violence. Homicide is the leading cause of death among youth 15 and older in Wyandotte County, according to a 2022 report (PDF).
Through the Youth Violence Prevention Center-Kansas City, researchers directing ThrYve (Together Reducing Youth Violence), a KU research and community-based initiative, have studied effective ways to reduce youth violence in Wyandotte County. The KU researchers documented a 42.3% reduction in the rate of youth homicide within the catchment area served during the years of the program.
The research, “A Comprehensive Community Approach to Preventing Youth Gun Violence: A Longitudinal Study of the ThrYve Initiative,” was published in the July 19 edition of the journal Youth.
The research also showed that ThrYve youth participants saw positive improvements in three key risk factor areas associated with youth violence. They were less likely to perceive substance use as accepted in their community and were less likely to spend time with peers who engaged in risky negative behavior. Participants also reported improvements in family dynamics.
Study lead author Jomella Watson-Thompson, associate vice provost for community impact and professor of applied behavioral science, directs ThrYve and the Youth Violence Prevention Center-Kansas City. She also is a researcher affiliated with the Life Span Institute’s Center for Community Health & Development.
“The ThrYve initiative works alongside community partners to help ensure that every young person is afforded the opportunity to thrive in a safe and supportive community,” Watson-Thompson said. “These findings highlight the impact of youth-centered, collaborative efforts that bring together young people, families and cross-sector partners to create environments where youth are engaged, supported and able to envision their future in the present.”
Watson-Thompson said youth engagement is key to the success of the program, which saw its first class of participants graduate college in 2025.
"Preventing youth gun violence requires change to the immediate socio-cultural contexts in which young people are embedded and the broader structural conditions that shape their lives," she said.
ThrYve works by empowering youth and families within a safe and supportive community, connecting youth to opportunities to participate in programs, training and leadership, she added. More than 40 community representatives from neighborhood groups, faith-based organizations, schools, law enforcement, and more partner with ThrYve to support the initiative. Youth participants in the program help guide planning and identify opportunities to drive change.
From 2018 to 2024, the ThrYve coalition implemented 243 community changes in alignment with the identified strategies. These included out-of-school time supports, college and career readiness, individual and group-based support for youth and families, and safe and affordable transportation options to allow youth to join supervised recreational opportunities.
Partners of the ThrYve Systems and Youth Collaborative also collaborated to implement a hospital violence prevention program called REVIVE that connects with young victims of violence, visiting them in hospitals and helping connect families to ongoing support, including mental health care, legal advocacy, education, workforce supports and programmatic resources.
The outcomes of this study suggest “the value of coalition-based, systems-level, community- and youth-engaged strategies for youth violence prevention,” Watson-Thompson said.
The research publication co-authors are Valerie Thompson, Jerry Schultz, Jeanne Hayes and Lauratu Bah, all affiliated with the Center for Community Health & Development, and Kandace Fleming, senior research scientist and director of Research Design and Analysis at the Life Span Institute.