Community Needs Assessment
The Kennedy Dancers, Inc. Inner City Youth

Parents/Guardians and students are assessed as they begin the program through The Kennedy Dancers, Inc., as well as the CDBG intake forms. They are surveyed regularly by staff to see if there is a change financially, physically, or emotionally. Surveys include questions about finances, school attendance, and physical and emotional needs. Every six months, parents/guardians and students are given a proficiency report monitoring the student’s artistic, emotional, and physical improvement, or lack thereof.

Through intake forms, one hundred percent of the students in the Inner City Youth (ICY) program are identified as low to moderate income by HUD standards and are at-risk for criminal activity, substance abuse, gang related activity, teen pregnancy, and domestic abuse. The program provides these vulnerable children with a place to go after school, a community of which they can feel they belong, and a focus for their creative energy and talent. This program is a clear indication of how the organization has adhered to its mission to offer arts training in response to the needs of the community. This program provides elite skills in dance, as well as music and theater – most of which is non-existent in public schools. Currently, only two schools offer dance in Jersey City.

The Kennedy Dancers, Inc. ICY also provides assistance to its young members with conflict resolution and social development skills. Students who express interest in a career in the performing arts meet with The Kennedy Dancers, Inc. ICY faculty members who can assist with identifying suitable college applications and increasing confidence and self-esteem, and building socialization skills needed to work with others.

Unfortunately, there is little training in the performing arts in public schools, especially in dance, so The Kennedy Dancers, Inc. ICY program is filling a great need in Jersey City. Since its inception, over 500 children have participated in The Kennedy Dancers, Inc. ICY program. Many children have moved on to find a position within the workforce or in higher education as a result of responsibilities and skills acquired in The Kennedy Dancers, Inc. ICY program.

Quickly becoming the largest city in New Jersey, Jersey City has few enrichment, artistic or quality of life programs for children. Struggling for funding for the arts & caught in the crossfire of funding between Newark & New York City, Jersey City receives little to no funding from the Federal Government.

The State of New Jersey gives only The Kennedy Dancers, Inc. & Scholar Canturom funding for their programs. In the past 42 years only, two non-profit arts organizations have received small grants to serve Jersey City’s youths, yet Newark received over 40 million dollars for a multitude of after-school programs. The Kennedy Dancers, Inc. easily serves over 800 school & studio children & students yearly.

With help from some foundations, CDBG & NJ State Council on the Arts, we are able to continue our afterschool Inner City Youth Dance & Training Program; however, we carry on where 95% of our students are very low or low/mod income. These needs are assessed from statistics & intake forms of 800 Kennedy Dancers Students in 2017, documenting income, residency, age, etc. The Inner City Youth students attend here free of charge September through June.

With funding from your grant, more students can experience a performing and training program that usually they would be unable to afford.