KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Lyrik’s Institution wants to be part of the solution to the crime problem in Kansas City. The nonprofit thinks change needs to start in teens.
Many of the programs at Lyrik's Institution focus on using art as a positive place to channel energy. The organization tries to make sure young people exposed to violence in our city are exposed to something positive as well.
Artez Thomas is graduating from a Lyrik's program. Now he even has an internship with the organization where he works with young teens.
“Pretty much everybody needs to take in and soak some of this knowledge up. I just feel like everybody needs to just keep in mind too, that we can't do nothing alone... We got to do it together, it's nothing wrong with leaning on one another or asking for help. So, you know, never be, never be too big to ask for help,” said Artez Thomas, Lyrik’s Institution program graduate.
The founder Kyle Hollins wants to make sure young people exposed to violence in our city are exposed to something positive as well. He says the teens who participate often come from hardship. Lyrik's gives them the space and guidance needed to forget about what's happening outside and focus on themselves.
Thomas says the program helped him learn the magnitude of real-world skills, how to stay away from crime, and how to handle crime around him.
“I’ve been in situations where I could have, I could have went left instead of going right, and I could have been in a whole different place. Who's to say I would even be able to be here? Because, you know, I'd probably be going through something else. So, with me having the mindset that I already got... I'm already putting pieces of the puzzle together,” said Thomas.
Thomas believes young people from all backgrounds could take something away from Lyrik's programs. That’s why the organization is hosting a gala Thursday to raise money to reach more young people in KC, and to build a Lyrik's Institute Center where they’ll have a dedicated space to host all of their programs on site.
KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.