MISSION

City Life KIX shares the love of Christ with youth & families, while also providing a safe place for young people to learn & grow in the Gospel. "Doing life" with kids & empowering them to change their community for Christ is key to our mission. We want to reach a critical mass of indigenous leaders who stay in, give back to, and transform their neighborhood.

HISTORY

In 1993, the City Life KIX neighborhood outreach program was established in West Homestead with the mission of offering help, hope, and wholeness to at-risk children and youth. City Life KIX has provided all-inclusive, free after-school services for urban children and youth eleven to ninteen years old for over 20 years.

Today, City Life KIX serves more than 300 children and youth in three locations of Miami-Dade County: West Homestead/Florida City; Goulds in Princeton (the nation’s largest Habitat for Humanity community); and North Miami, in partnership with Vive City Chapel. These communities are characterized by high crime and high levels of poverty, with 97% of students eligible to receive free/reduced lunch programs. At City Life KIX, at-risk children and youth receive fun, engaging, best-practice curricula, activities and individualized instruction including literacy, homework assistance, health/nutrition classes, physical fitness and life skills development.

In December 2013, thanks to the support of many generous donors, Miami YFC was able to purchase a building for the City Life KIX West Homestead site, making is possible to serve many more students than ever before.  In 2019, City Life KIX launched KIX Clubs, which are run by high school student leaders from the neighborhood and serve elementary youth.

Growing up, I didn’t have many adults who took the time to pour into me what I needed to grow in leadership and in godliness. I didn’t have many people calling out the good in me and all of the possibilities that could be. I did, however, have that once I started coming to Kix. Johanna, the high school director at the time, took me under her wing and invested time, love, and a lot of gas over the many car rides she’d give me home after programming ended. How she cared for me will forever be with me. Now, I get to pour out what has been poured into me, and I also get to encourage our young leaders to do the same.
- Brandi Charlot

Community Partners

Thank you to our community Partners.

City Life KIX is funded in part by The Children’s Trust. The Children’s Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County.

City Life KIX is thankful for the Ocean Reef Community Foundation Grants program.  Because of their continued generous support, we will be able to expand our Teen Indigenous Leaders development and employment mentoring program to include both of our sites, W. Homestead and Goulds.  It will allow us to add Leadership Coaches for each of our indigenous leaders and will help us add a middle school leadership program.  We are excited and grateful for their continued support!

(pictured left to right: Stacy Morales, City Life KIX Director, Jules Altidor, City Life KIX Middle School Director and Indigenous Leader, Mary Ann Draghi, Jordan Commons City Life KIX Site Director, Janie Sims, Ocean Reef Grant Committee Chair)

Indigenous Leadership Development Program

The Indigenous Leadership Development program develops leaders among the high school and/or college students who attend the KIX after-school program. The Indigenous Leadership Program consists of 4 Stages:

Stage 1 (Initial Relational Investment)

a) Timeframe: 0-12 Months
b) Develop a quality mentoring relationship with student(s)
c) Point young person to make a first time decision to follow Christ (if has not already)
e) See each student as a potential “Indigenous Leader”

Stage 2 (Turning Spiritual Corners)

a) Timeframe: 3+ Months
b) More time mentoring with the purpose of developing student spiritually
c) Provide leadership opportunities (volunteer opportunities)
e) Student makes higher commitment to KIX program

Stage 3 (A Call to Discipleship)

a) Timeframe: 9+ Months
b) Discipleship (vs friendship) is invited by adult and defined for student
c) Relationship is more structured and specific
e) Accountability and instruction are increasing, and so is encouragement

Stage 4 (A Challenge to Give Back)

a) Timeframe: 3-5+ Years
b) High level of trust has been developed
c) Student growing closer to Jesus and therefore demonstrating growing victory over moral and character issues. (Time in Word and Prayer significant.)
e) Youth are ready to begin relationships with other youth to intentionally take them through the mentoring/discipleship process.

Our leadership program prepares students for their future by providing trainings in professional development, personal empowerment, and enrichment activities, as well as employment and service opportunities and a leadership coach.

The funnel outlines the culture of our model of Leadership Development which cultivates students in three different levels of leadership in our Hammond Indigenous Leadership Program (ILP): potential leaders, emerging leaders, and student leaders (Kaleos). Indigenous Leaders are first identified, then move through the following pipeline: