Wichita Initiative Gives Second Chance to Teens in Juvenile Justice System

Second chances don’t come often, but on Monday night, four Wichita teenagers were celebrating new beginnings.

They’ve completed the One Heart Project, a program that provides young people in the juvenile justice system with the tools to change their lives. The program is a first of its kind in Wichita. 

At the Urban League of Kansas (Wichita, KS), the four teens received their certifications, not just as graduates, but as proof that transformation is possible.

The One Heart Project partners with Sedgwick County Juvenile Justice to help young people rebuild their futures like Chyna’s.

“Like I would be at home and one of the words that we would learn was like ‘accountability,’ and I would just go home and basically like tell my mom like, ‘I’m taking accountability for stuff now,'” Chyna said.

The program teaches life skills, job readiness, and re-entry support.

“Her classroom leaders, they said that they have never seen such a turnaround in her participation, her attitude, behavior, and I’ve noticed that at home as well in her school work. Chyna is a senior this year,” Fiorella Dozier, Chyna’s mother, said.

Local leaders say that kind of hope is what this program is all about.

“We are seeing youth criminal behaviors on the increase, and I think a big reason for that is that we’re not seeing a lot of opportunities for them to jump in from where they are in their community,” Janice Wright, the Kansas state program director for the One Heart Program, said.

The journey doesn’t end here for Chyna; she says it’s just the beginning of a brighter path forward.

The program’s next cohort starts on Oct. 6 in Wichita, with a cap of 12 students. It will be held at Marshall Middle School and Sowers Alternative High School.

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