October 2018

MNA assisted in the preparation and conduct of BIG SEARCH Kansas City (BSKC) in October 2018.  Its purpose was to find missing children in the downtown KC area and build awareness of human trafficking in the local community.  In addition to assisting with BIG SEARCH planning and preparation, MNA provided operational support to the BIG SEARCH Command Center and participated in several searches for missing children. 

 

Most notable was the creation of a Lessons Learned Cell at the Command Center whose purpose was to determine what worked well and what improvements are needed for future events.   Its purpose was to determine what worked well and what needed improvement for future events. During a demanding and eventful three-day period, MNA established the cell and mentored the mostly volunteer staff on how to capture insights and observations, conduct interviews, perform basic trend analysis and prepare an initial impressions brief.  The Lessons Learned Cell collected Observation Worksheets from and interviewed over 100 BIG SEARCH participants. 

 

Immediately after the event, an Initial Impressions Report was provided to the BIG SEARCH leadership. Insights and observations are currently being collated and recorded for further analysis.  A final report is expected in January 2019.