Across Wichita and Sedgwick County, organizations are working to interrupt cycles of poverty, violence, and disconnection before they become permanent outcomes.
One local nonprofit, Masters and Mentors: Youth Enrichment Strategies (YES), Inc., is addressing that challenge through a model rooted in mentorship, cognitive development, and lived experience.
Founded by Tony Ballard, Masters and Mentors was created to reach youth often described as “at-risk” or justice-involved—young people navigating school challenges, unstable environments, or early contact with the juvenile system. Rather than focusing solely on punishment or remediation, the organization centers on decision-making skills, critical thinking, and relationship-based mentorship.
A Framework Born Behind Bars
Ballard’s personal journey shapes the program’s design. He spent much of his early life cycling through juvenile facilities, foster homes, jails, and prisons, ultimately serving 26 years incarcerated. During long stretches of 23-hour-a-day lockdown, he encountered the game of chess.
“Chess was not just a game—it became a way to slow down, think ahead, and realize that every move in life has consequences.”
Over time, Ballard says, chess helped him organize his thinking, develop patience and planning skills, and confront the reality of consequences. What began as recreation became a framework for rehabilitation. He began applying that discipline beyond the board, studying personal development, addressing anger, and becoming what he describes as a lifelong learner.
Teaching Youth How to Think
Today, chess remains central to the Masters and Mentors model. Youth are taught to think ahead, evaluate risks, and understand that decisions carry weight. The structure of the game becomes a practical tool for impulse control and intentional thinking.
Ballard sees a gap in many youth services.
“What’s missing isn’t programs that tell kids what to do. What’s missing are opportunities that teach them how to think.”
In chess, no two games are ever the same. Players must adapt, analyze, and respond in real time. That process mirrors real-life problem-solving far more closely than rote instruction, requiring creativity, foresight, and accountability for every move made.
Mentorship from individuals with lived experience also plays a critical role. Ballard emphasizes that youth often respond differently when guided by someone who has faced similar struggles.
“When a young person sees someone who has lived what they’re living and still found a way forward, that’s when hope becomes real.”
From the Board to Real Life
The program operates in schools, community spaces, and during weekly visits to the Juvenile Detention Facility, where mentors teach chess and connect lessons from the board to real-world decisions.
Evidence of impact can be seen in small but meaningful shifts. Ballard recalls working with a student diagnosed with ADHD who struggled to focus for more than a few minutes. After engaging with chess and entering a tournament, the same student sat for over an hour analyzing moves—demonstrating focus that once seemed out of reach.
Strengthening the Model With Research
In addition to mentorship and chess-based cognitive skill-building, Masters and Mentors integrates Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST), an evidence-based prevention curriculum recognized by Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development. The curriculum builds self-management, responsible decision-making, communication skills, and resistance to peer pressure.
Research shows participation in LST can reduce drug use by up to 80%, alcohol use by 60%, violence by 50%, and tobacco use by 87%.
By combining research-backed curriculum with relationship-based mentorship and cognitive development strategies, Masters and Mentors connects theory to lived experience—equipping youth with practical tools they can apply in daily life.
Like many grassroots initiatives, the organization faces ongoing challenges related to staffing, funding, and volunteer support. It is actively seeking mentors, educators, and community partners to help expand its reach.
Ballard envisions a Wichita where early mentorship contributes to measurable declines in incarceration and substance abuse, alongside increases in graduation rates and long-term stability. For Ballard, lasting change is built through consistent mentorship, intentional thinking, and the belief that a young person’s path can always be redirected toward hope and success.
