KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Community partnerships in Missouri are working to help young people, either in or aging out of foster care, connect with resources they need to start their independent lives, and the pandemic has brought added financial hardship for many.

DeWayne Bright, Sr., youth advocate for the Local Investment Commission (LINC) in Kansas City, works with the local Chafee Independent Living Initiative. It links young people with life and work skills and job placements, and helps them pay for things like transportation and work attire.

Bright said the pandemic has had a major impact on many of the kids he works with.

"They were working in situations where their hours were cut," Bright explained. "Many of them already had unstable housing situations. It really hit our kids terribly. And so, we're just trying to help them really find some stability."

He added LINC and Chafee Services also help young people access state and federal funds that are available to them, such as helping them fill out financial aid forms, or education and training voucher applications to pay for college.

Robyn Wolfe, director of youth development for the Community Partnership in Rolla, said a big part of the Chafee Independent Living Program is being a voice to help youths advocate for themselves. She added their individual needs may be very different.

"For one, it may be the things related to employment and housing, and aging out," Wolfe noted. "And then for another, it may be soft skills, like I need to learn how to make better decisions and how to control my anger. Then you might have the ones that are very tangible: I want to learn how to do laundry; I want to learn how to cook a healthy meal."

The partnerships also support foster families.

Tom Dugger, executive director of Families and Communities Together in Hannibal, said their donation programs for foster families have items ranging from household goods, clothing and school supplies, to cribs, mattresses and car seats.

"We have a car seat tech, and the car seat tech can make sure that the seat is installed properly in their car," Dugger emphasized. "If they have an old seat, we can do a check on it."

Families and Communities Together, as well as LINC and the Community Partnership in Rolla, are affiliated with the Missouri Family and Community Trust and Missouri KIDS COUNT. All are working to improve outcomes for kids and families in the state.

In early August, fall registration opens at several South Dakota locations offering a national program geared for grade-school-age girls. It combines social and emotional skill building with physical activity.

Girls on the Run is a nonprofit, which built the youth development curriculum. It is carried out by roughly 200 councils in North America, with trained volunteer coaches leading spring and fall seasons.

Jasmina Nelson, program coordinator for South Dakota for the group, said they want to help the target age group navigate new situations they encounter, such as bullying.

"We want the girls to understand that who they are is very unique and special and that they should be confident in who they are and their unique abilities," Nelson explained.

This after-school activity lasts for 10 weeks, capping the season off with a noncompetitive, celebratory 5K run. There is a registration fee, but organizers say they are willing to work with families on overcoming any cost barriers to ensure access to the program. The South Dakota locations with upcoming registration can be found on the local chapter's website.

Nelson pointed out they also thrive on volunteers and encourage interested adults to learn more about helping out. She added the running component is just a catalyst for the mission, and the girls are not pressured to become track stars.

"It's all about the movement," Nelson noted. "They can hop, skip, jump all the way across their finish line, or they can run whatever their pace is."

The program is designed for girls in grades 3-8. Most of South Dakota's sites are for the younger grade levels. A study by the University of Minnesota found 85% of program participants improved in areas such as confidence, caring and connection to others.

The summer season and violent crime can fuel narratives by the public and the media about safety in urban settings. But in Minnesota's largest city, an emerging effort aims to show that some youth want to firmly establish peace through communication.

Like many other places, Minneapolis has seen increases in violent crime in the past couple of years. On the north side, a group called Nonviolent Peaceforce is scaling up its Community Peace Builders program.

Will Wallace, a local mentor for the initiative, said a handful of young adults are trained in risk-assessment and de-escalation.

"I just think your tongue is your worst enemy," said Wallace. "They got this thing where they say, 'Oh, this summer is going to be hot, there's gonna be a lot of killing.' Well, we need to erase that."

The training emphasizes terms such as "listen" and "affirm." Peace Builders who are recruited are young adults who have overcome past issues tied to conflict in the streets.

Beyond easing tension among peers, they also provide unarmed security at local events.

Elijah O'Neal, one of the local Peace Builders, said he hopes to stifle narratives that area residents are only capable of violence.

He said he wants his peers to know they can overcome stereotypes and think about the bigger picture.

"We're not used to talking," said O'Neal. "All we're used to doing is yelling and screaming and trying to get somebody to hear us. But I'm trying to get them to understand that we could talk it out without getting so violent."

Fellow Peace Builder Markess Wilkins said one challenge is overcoming skepticism among his acquaintances. But he said he remains undeterred in convincing everyone about the path he chosen, hoping others follow suit.

"It kind of drains me a little bit," said Wilkins. "But at the end of the day, I know the work I'm doing. So, I don't ever let the putdowns get to me."

These Peace Builders began to hone their mentorship skills through the local organization EMERGE.

The training offered by Nonviolent Peaceforce has been used in conflict zones around the world.

Students may be settled into their summer break - but in Minnesota, some remain focused on setting a peaceful tone ahead of their return to school this fall. Those involved with an emerging Minneapolis program hope it becomes a model elsewhere.

Through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant, the group Nonviolent Peaceforce has teamed up with the district for the Building Peaceful Schools project at two city high schools.

Student advisory groups work with peers and administrators on things such as relationship building and de-escalation.

Jassani Bland is a recent graduate of Roosevelt High School. She said she appreciated student-led discussions about certain scenarios, and gave examples.

"If your friend tells you they're going to be getting into a fight after school, are you going? Are you going to be the person that's recording?" said Bland. "And it created a big conversation, like, 'You're not a good friend if you're not going to be there for your best friend that's fighting. But then on the other hand, you're encouraging violence, you should be discouraging them.'"

She said having students lead the way allows peers to better understand each other's backgrounds, and how issues such as community violence factor into their lives.

Program leaders say after the July 4th holiday, they'll open a safe space for weekly discussions, while holding new training sessions. Others involved suggest additional grants would help to expand to other districts.

The project follows Minneapolis Public Schools' decision to no longer contract with the city's police department after George Floyd's murder.

Brandon Krona is the building peaceful schools project coordinator for Minneapolis Public Schools. He said some school resource officers were effective, but adds this new initiative puts students in the driver's seat.

"You're not going to be able to change everybody's opinion," said Krona. "But try to change minds and hearts eventually, and give these kids that opportunity to have a voice in what they want to see in their schools prevention-wise."

Sam Taitel, a program manager and community trainer for Nonviolent Peaceforce, said the project is a detour from bowing to personal pride and reputation amid tension within the student body.

"There are a lot of defense mechanisms to valid trauma," said Taitel, "and how to actually disrupt that cycle is difficult."

To get past that barrier, Taitel said students and staff are encouraged to show vulnerability.