INDIANA—Indiana Youth Institute (IYI) has awarded more than $1 million in grants to 84 Indiana youth-serving organizations, including local organizations, through the Youth Worker Well-Being Project.
The grant opportunities were made available for eligible organizations to identify potential gaps and needs in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) and trauma-informed workplaces and take steps toward improving workplace conditions for youth workers. This includes creating workplace cultures where youth-serving professionals are recognized and valued for their unique identities, abilities, backgrounds, cultures, and ideas and can better manage stress because of improvements in the workplace environment.
“Indiana’s youth benefit when youth workers are well cared for and supported,” said Tami Silverman, president and CEO of IYI. “And while many organizations aspire to create more trauma-responsive and equitable environments, they often struggle with the capacity to translate these aspirations into tangible actions. The grants offer organizations the financial support and resources needed to turn aspirations into reality.”
Activities funded by the grant include training and consulting services, assessing organizational practices, and creating workplace programs to foster safe and equitable workplace environments. The following Indiana youth-serving organizations received awards for initiatives to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and trauma-informed workplaces.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Grants – $772,097 awarded
- Bauer Family Resources – $20,000
- Boys & Girls Club of Wayne County Indiana Inc. – $17,600
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington – $20,000
- Boys & Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana – $15,000
- Brightlane Learning – $20,000
- City Life Center – $20,000
- Creating Avenues for Student Transformation – $5,000
- Crisis Center – $20,000
- Children First Center – $12,500
- Direct Employers Institute – $20,000
- Dunebrook, Inc. – $20,000
- Eclectic Soul VOICES Corporation – $20,000
- Family Ark, Inc. – $20,000
- Family Focus – $14,275
- Family Services of Bartholomew County Inc. – $15,450
- Firefly Children & Family Alliance – $20,000
- Freewheelin’ Community Bikes – $11,675
- Girl Scouts of Central Indiana – $20,000
- Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana – $20,000
- Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis – $20,000
- Girls Inc. of Wayne County – $20,000
- Happy Hallow Children’s Camp – $20,000
- Hawthorne Social Services Association – $20,000
- Healthy Communities of Clinton County – $10,160
- Holly’s House – $19,322
- Horizons at St. Richard’s Episcopal School – $12,000
- Indiana Youth Group, Inc. – $8,500
- Judah Ministries – $20,000
- Kids’ Voice of Indiana – $17,250
- Listen to Our Future – $15,000
- Logan Community Resources Inc. – $20,000
- Middle Way House – $10,500
- Project Leadership – $20,000
- Reach for Youth – $12,800
- SCAN, Inc. – $20,000
- The Children’s TherAplay Foundation – $13,300
- John Boner Neighborhood Centers – $20,000
- The STEM Connection – $20,000
- The Villages of Indiana – $20,000
- Turning Point Domestic Violence Services – $19,100
- Westminster Neighborhood Services – $20,000
- WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology – $8,080
- YMCA of Muncie – $20,000
- Youth Services Bureau of Jay County, Inc. – $14,815
- YWCA of Northeast Indiana – $19,770
Trauma-Informed Workplaces within Organizations Grants – $336,659 awarded
- Arts of Learning Indiana – $10,000
- Bauer Family Resources – $10,000
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington – $10,000
- Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County – $10,000
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County – $9,436
- Camp Tecumseh YMCA – $10,000
- Champions of Youth Inc. – $7,100
- City Life Center – $10,000
- Clarity of Central Indiana – $10,000
- College Mentors for Kids – $10,000
- WellSpring – $7,900
- Crisis Center – $10,000
- Damar Services, Inc. – $10,000
- Children First Center – $9,704
- Direct Employers Institute – $10,000
- Dunebrook, Inc. – $10,000
- Family Ark – $5,738
- Family Services of Bartholomew County, Inc. – $8,050
- Firefly Children & Family Alliance – $10,000Friends of Open Door Youth Services Inc.- $10,000
- George Junior Republic in Indiana – $10,000
- Holly’s House – $8,316
- Horizons at St. Richards Episcopal School – $9,990
- Indiana Center for Prevention of Youth Abuse and Suicide – $5,500
- Indiana Youth Group – $4,000
- Kids Dance Outreach – $15,000
- Kids Hope USA – $10,000
- Peace Learning Center – $10,000
- Playworks – $7,000
- Positive Character Girls, Inc. – $10,000
- SCAN, Inc. – $10,000
- Student Impact of Westfield – $10,000
- Susie’s Place Child Advocacy Centers – $10,000
- The Children’s TherAplay Foundation – $10,000
- The Diversity & Innovation Institute – $10,000
- The STEM Connection – $10,000
- The Villages of Indiana – $10,000
- Turning Point Domestic Violence Services – $10,000
- Youth Service Bureau of Jay County Inc. – $9,925
A second round of applications for grant opportunities through the Youth Worker Well-Being Project will launch in August 2024. Sign up for IYI’s Weekly Update at iyi.org/newsletters to stay current on grant application dates.
The Youth Worker Well-Being Project is a collaborative statewide effort to address individual youth worker well-being, workplace conditions, and root causes of stress in the sector to promote meaningful change in youth workers and invest in their well-being so they can provide the highest quality services for Indiana youth. Other recently launched programs include telemedicine and virtual mental health services, Peer Support Groups, and the Emerging Leaders of Color Fellowship.
The youth work profession includes staff from youth development organizations and service bureau staff, mental health counselors, child and family welfare professionals, mentors, family support clinicians, residential treatment staff, and others at community-based organizations. Through their work, Indiana’s youth-serving professionals impact more than 1.5 million children under 18. Children benefit when professionals are engaged, aware of the needs of youth and families, knowledgeable about best practices, and when they can cope effectively with stress.
Interested Indiana youth workers and youth-serving organizations can learn more about the next round of grant opportunities and other project initiatives at youthworkerwellbeing.org.
