With funding from Lilly Endowment Inc., Indiana youth serving intermediaries announces a multi-year, phased plan to support youth serving professionals across the state

The Indiana Coalition of Youth-serving Intermediaries (The Coalition) announces a four-year, $20 million investment to implement solutions that will transform the lives of youth workers, their agencies, and Hoosier youth and families. Funding for this initiative is made possible through Lilly Endowment Inc.

Support for youth workers will include access to telemedicine and mental health counseling, peer support groups, and leadership development programming. Services to improve working conditions will include grant programs for trauma-informed workplaces DEIB work and educational programming about innovative employee benefit programs.

“Without adequate insights about the challenges nonprofit employees face and a comprehensive approach to address them, nonprofit organizations could be undermining their ability to achieve their mission” ~David Westenberger

Indiana Youth Services Association launches pilot project to address nonprofit youth workers’ challenges

Disengaged, burned out, overwhelmed. Those are the adjectives often used to describe nonprofit employees in today’s work environment.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the voluntary nonprofit employer turnover rate is at a historic high — outpacing the turnover rate in the overall labor market. In 2022, the nonprofit industry had a turnover rate of 19 percent, compared to 12 percent for the overall labor market.

The challenge of retaining and recruiting nonprofit employees in a highly competitive labor market also comes at a time when nonprofit organizations are dealing with increased demands for services, changes in fundraising, and higher costs driven by inflation.

However, the well-being of nonprofit employees must take a priority, according to David Westenberger, CEO, Indiana Youth Services Association (IYSA), a statewide association of 30 Youth Service Bureaus in about 70 counties.

“Within our field, we haven’t done a very good job of taking care of our own people doing the work,” said Westenberger, who has been raising awareness about the need for nonprofit employers to support their employees beyond pay raises and title changes.  “In the field of youth work and social services, people in the field over a long period of time eventually mirror the population they serve more than retain the overall wellness and health that they had early on.”

Without adequate insights about the challenges nonprofit employees face and a comprehensive approach to address them, nonprofit organizations could be undermining their ability to achieve their mission, Westenberger said.

A comprehensive approach to employee wellness

Earlier this year, Westenberger and the IYSA team, launched a pilot project that addresses the overall wellness of nonprofit youth workers. The framework for the project includes the Eight Dimensions of Wellness outlined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) and insights from ACEs (adverse child experiences) training.

During each year of the three-year initiative, representatives from four Youth Service Bureau organizations undergo monthly training that addresses one of SAMHSA’s eight dimensions of wellness — emotional, occupational, social, financial, environmental, physical, spiritual, and intellectual. Each month, participants hear from experts in each of the eight fields reflected in the dimensions of well-being. The also collaborate on supportive strategies and ideas that are later integrated in their workplace employee programs.

IYSA provides the participating organizations with stipends to support the initiatives that help their staff members grow in each dimension.

“For emotional well-being, one of the organizations contracted with a local agency to offer mental health counseling services for their staff,” Westenberger said. Other proposals included providing employees with gym memberships, implementing walking meetings, giving time for employees to be active during the day, and serving nutritious food during meetings.

The participants, who regularly report on their progress in implementing employee programs around the eight dimensions, will serve as mentors to the other eight organizations that will undergo training in 2023 and 2024.

Addressing a cycle of trauma

The IYSA pilot project follows extensive research that revealed numerous challenges for nonprofit workers in the field of youth services.

The association, which also supports numerous youth-focused initiatives, including increasing awareness about human trafficking, ACEs (adverse childhood experiences), medical amnesty related to underage drinking, launched surveys to gain insights about the challenges faced by youth workers on a day-to-day basis.

A financial analysis revealed that 78 percent of survey respondents experience moderate to significant financial stress, 67 percent are in debt, and 46 percent hadn’t save enough to cover an emergency. It also revealed that employees spend an average of 1.1 hours dealing with their personal finances while at work.

A 2022 IYSA survey related to the eight dimensions of health revealed the following:

• 40 percent of survey respondents rated their emotional wellness as fair, poor, or very poor.
• 36 percent rated the quality of emotional wellness support from their organization as poor or fair.
• 43 percent rated their physical wellness as fair, poor, or very poor.
• 29 percent rated the physical wellness support programs from their organization as fair or poor.
• 64 percent rated their financial wellness as fair, poor, or very poor.

Survey respondents who rated their organizations as supportive with emotional wellness provided these comments about their employers:

• “I am always taken care of and am constantly being checked up on to see if I am okay.”
• “My employer is understanding and willing to listen and support and encourages us to take care of our minds as well as our bodies.”
• “The employer does check-ins on staff to see how well we are doing or if we have any questions about programming or suggestions.”
• “We can take a quick break if we are overwhelmed.”

Some suggestions provided by the survey respondents included providing employees with a quiet place so that they can relax for a minute, being supportive and listening to concerns, counseling, mental health check-ins, and an easily accessible platform for scheduling counseling and therapy.

Westenberger said that the surveys revealed the need to engage in a more comprehensive wellness strategy.

“In the field of youth work and social services, we have employees who, emotionally and financially, mirror the population they’re serving,” he said. “About 60 percent of the people working in the youth services field have their own trauma because they entered the field because of their childhood experiences. They have a passion to make things better for young people — to change the system and circumstances for children.”

A history of childhood trauma coupled with the demands of working with a traumatized population during pandemic is detrimental for many youth workers, Westenberger said.

“Like most other things, the pandemic brought to the forefront how much secondary trauma there is,” Westenberger said. “So, you’ve got people with high ACE scores where it is part of their intrinsic drive to do the work. And they’re working with populations who are experiencing high levels of abuse and neglect.

“We are asking, ‘What are some of the things in your workplace culture that could change to support employees and how can you provide resources to support them?’,” he added.

Indiana Youth Services Association announces the request for proposals for the 2023-25 YSB Fund. All electronic submissions are due by 5 pm Eastern time, October 21, 2022 to rdonaldson@indysb.org. Please see the attachment for more details.

• YSB Fund RFP 2023-25
• Updated 2022 FAQs

Youth Work Newcomer of the Year
Youth Work Advocate of the Year
Youth Work Supervisor of the Year

Youth workers are often the unsung heroes of the youth within our communities. They have a direct impact on the lives of our youth and often wear many hats- mentor, educator, counselor, and friend. Indiana Youth Services Association (IYSA) is pleased to support three annual Youth Work Awards. Please join us in honoring our colleagues in the field by nominating someone for these awards. By nominating, you are recognizing an individual who is improving and shaping the lives of youth and youth workers in our state. A monetary gift will accompany all IYSA awards.

The awards categories are:

Youth Work Newcomer of the Year (less than 5 years in the field): This award recognizes those new emerging leaders in the field of youth work whose passion and contributions have made a positive contribution to the lives of youth and families, or their co-workers, programs, or agencies.

Youth Work Advocate of the Year: This award recognizes an individual who gives voice to the needs of youth and families, or their co-workers, programs, or agencies. This professional serves as an advocate and has provided unselfish service to the youth and field of youth work.

Youth Work Supervisor of the Year: This award will honor a supervisor who serves as a guide or mentor
to staff, encourages the growth and development of individual youth workers as they grow and
develop innovative programs to best meet the needs of young people.

Guidelines

Who is eligible for nomination?
Any paid staff members (full-time or part-time) currently working in Indiana youth organizations. Volunteers are not eligible. Teachers are only eligible for nomination for their paid involvement in non-school based programs.

Who can nominate a youth worker?
Anyone can nominate a youth worker – youth, parent of youth, supervisor, co-worker, and community members! Self-nominations will not be accepted. Any person may nominate more than one youth worker for each award.

How do I submit my nomination?
Complete this online nomination form – https://indianayouthservicesassociation.formstack.com/forms/youth_worker_nomination_form

Nomination Deadline: Monday, October 25, 2021

IYSA supports the professionalization of youth care work through CYC Credentialing. Certified CYC Practitioners are professionals who have demonstrated commitment, experience, skills and knowledge that exceed current regulatory standards in five core competencies: Professionalism, Cultural and Human Diversity, Applied Human Development, Relationships and Communication, and Developmental Practice Methods. For more information, please see https://indysb.org/credential/.

Indiana Youth Services Association (IYSA) deeply cares for the youth and ​their families of the state of Indiana. We are saddened by the illness, economic hardship and deaths caused by this pandemic. IYSA is grateful to be surrounded by people and agencies working tirelessly to help those in need. Our thoughts are with everyone during these unsteady, difficult times.

2020 has become a year of constant movement and flexibility. As of November 15th, IYSA’s Annual Recognition & Business Meeting has cancelled due to the current level of restrictions in the Indianapolis area. We want to do our part in keeping our agencies, youth workers and our partners safe during this pandemic.

However, until then we are working hard to create an announcement that recognizes the individual and agency winners in a fun and creative way. We are committed to honoring the award winners, as they have been so committed to this work, especially during these unusual times. We thank you for your patience in advance as we navigate how to make this moment special for all.

All good things come with time, please look for information of the announcement of this year’s winners early January 2021!!

Media Inquiries:
Kenneth Allen
kallen@indysb.org
317-909-7159

There has been an increase in interest surrounding Human Trafficking, especially child sex trafficking, in recent weeks.  The Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program is grateful for individuals desire to share information on social media. However, before you share we ask you to consider: Why are you sharing this information, is it accurate information, do you know what resources are available to help in your community, do you know what Human Trafficking looks like in Indiana, especially your local area? 

To properly combat the issue of Human Trafficking, keep in mind we must ensure we are sharing accurate information. As a community, we need to be careful when sharing posts on social media as many of these posts portray Human Trafficking in an incorrect and sensationalized way.  This is damaging to work intended to stop Human Trafficking as well as triggering to victims/survivors. Not all awareness is good awareness. 

The Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program (ITVAP) focuses on issues related to Human Trafficking throughout the state of Indiana.  The goal of ITVAP is to raise awareness of Human Trafficking, increase recognition and identification of victims/survivors and to develop a statewide network of service providers for trafficked youth. ITVAP is committed to educating any and all individuals on Human Trafficking and amending the sensationalized narrative that leads to misunderstanding about the topic and ultimately a lack of care for victims/survivors.

If you want to get involved in your community to combat issues of human trafficking contact your ITVAP regional coordinator to learn more about what human trafficking really looks like in most situations and about how you can help fight trafficking in your own community by asking what your community is doing and how to get involved. By working together, we can improve Human Trafficking in Indiana.  

If you suspect a youth under 18 is being trafficked call:

The Indiana Child Abuse Hotline at 800-800-5556 and mention “Human Trafficking”

For anyone 18 and over contact:

The National Trafficking Hotline at 888- 373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to 233733           24 hour a day, seven days a week.

Additional information can be found at www.indysb.org/itvap

REGION 1
(219) 230-6797
Amie Rainfish: Lake, Porter, LaPorte,
Jasper, Newton, White, Pulaski and Starke

REGION 2
(574) 205-9497
Ian Hurst: St. Joseph, Elkhart, Marshall,
Kosciusko, Fulton, Cass and Miami

REGION 3
(574) 213-1502
Jeremy Greenlee: LaGrange, Steuben,
Noble, DeKalb, Whitley, Allen, Wabash
and Huntington

REGION 4
(317) 214-0905
Morgan Donatelli-Bow: Benton, Carroll,
Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Parke,
Putnam, Tippecanoe, Vermillion and Warren

REGION 5
(317) 361-2631
Jessica Herzog-Hall: Howard, Tipton,
Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks, Marion
and Hancock

REGION 6
(646) 580-7051
Laura Donatelli-Bow: Adams, Blackford,
Grant, Delaware, Henry, Jay, Madison,
Randolph, Rush, Wayne, Wells,
Bartholomew, Decatur and Shelby

REGION 7
(765) 343-9459
Elaine Banter (Bottomley): Sullivan, Vigo,
Greene, Brown, Clay, Owen, Morgan,
Monroe and Johnson

REGION 8
(812) 493-5999
Meagan Cothron: Scott, Jefferson,
Switzerland Ohio, Dearborn, Ripley,
Franklin, Fayette, Union, Jackson
and Jennings

REGION 9
(812) 204-4053
Christina Wicks: Daviess, Dubois, Gibson,
Knox, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh
and Warrick

REGION 10
(812) 267-2113
Sheila C. Bobay: Clark, Crawford,
Floyd, Lawrence, Martin, Harrison,
Perry, Orange and Washington

Para publicación inmediata 21/8/2020
Consultas de los medios:
Kenneth Allen
kallen@indysb.org
317-909-7159

stas semanas ha habido un incremento en el interés acerca de la Trata de Personas (o Human Trafficking en inglés), especialmente Tráfico Sexual Infantil. El programa Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program está agradecido con todos quienes comparten información en las redes sociales. Sin embargo, antes de compartir, te pedimos que consideres: ¿Porque estás compartiendo esto? ¿Es información real? ¿Conoces qué recursos tienes disponibles en tu comunidad?, ¿Sabes cómo se ve la trata en Indiana, especialmente en tu área? 

Para combatir la trata de personas, debemos asegurarnos que la información que estamos compartiendo es real. Como comunidad debemos de tener cuidado con lo que compartimos en las redes sociales ya que mucha de esa información retrata la trata de manera incorrecta y amarillista. Esto daña el trabajo para detener la trata y también puede ser provocador y dañino para las víctimas y sobrevivientes. No toda concientización es buena concientización.

El programa Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program (ITVAP) se enfoca en la trata de personas en el estado de Indiana. La meta de ITVAP es concientizar acerca de la trata de personas, ayudar a identificar víctimas y sobrevivientes y desarrollar una red estatal de proveedores para ayudar a la juventud traficada.  ITVAP se compromete a educar a todos los individuos acerca de la trata y combatir toda narración sensacionalista que lleva a malos entendidos y falta de cuidados para las víctimas y sobrevivientes.  Si te quieres involucrar para conocer como se ve la trata de personas realmente y combatir estos problemas en tu comunidad y contacta a tu coordinador regional ITVAP y pregunta ¿Qué están haciendo y cómo te puedes involucrar?

Si sospechas que un joven menor de 18 años está siendo traficado, llama a The Indiana Child Abuse Hotline al 800-800-5556 y diga “Human Trafficking” 

Para mayores de 18 años: The National Trafficking Hotline al 888- 373-7888 or manda un mensaje de texto que diga  HELP o INFO al 233733

Puedes encontrar mas información en  www.indysb.org/itvap

Contactos regionales

REGIÓN 1
(219) 230-6797
Amie Rainfish
Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton, White, Pulaski and Starke

REGIÓN 2
(574) 205-9497
Ian Hurst
St. Joseph, Elkhart, Marshall, Kosciusko, Fulton, Cass and Miami

REGIÓN 3
(574) 213-1502
Jeremy Greenlee:
LaGrange, Steuben, Noble, DeKalb, Whitley, Allen, Wabash and Huntington

REGIÓN 4
(317) 214-0905
Morgan Donatelli-Bow
Benton, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Parke, Putnam, Tippecanoe, Vermillion and Warren

REGIÓN 5
(317) 361-2631
Jessica Herzog-Hall:
Howard, Tipton, Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks, Marion and Hancock

REGIÓN 6
(646) 580-7051
Laura Donatelli-Bow
Adams, Blackford, Grant, Delaware, Henry, Jay, Madison, Randolph, Rush, Wayne, Wells, Bartholomew, Decatur and Shelby

REGIÓN 7
(765) 343-9459
Elaine Banter (Bottomley)
Sullivan, Vigo, Greene, Brown, Clay, Owen, Morgan, Monroe and Johnson

REGIÓN 8
(812) 493-5999
Meagan Cothron
Scott, Jefferson, Switzerland Ohio, Dearborn, Ripley, Franklin, Fayette, Union, Jackson and Jennings

REGIÓN 9
(812) 204-4053
Christina Wicks
Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick

REGIÓN 10
(812) 267-2113
Sheila C. Bobay
Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Lawrence, Martin, Harrison, Perry, Orange and Washington

Callie Main is one of the scholarship winners for the work she did to promote Make Good Decisions and the Indiana Lifeline Law at Batesville High School. Callie joined the Make Good Decisions committee this year and formed a small group at her high school, but they faced challenges initially because of similar groups in the area. However, this did not prevent Callie and her fellow students from creating fun ways to reach the students in her area. Callie lead her group to find unique ways to promote Make Good Decisions and spread awareness about the dangers of underage drinking. One event that she and fellow students established was a popcorn giveaway event. To promote the event her committee made posters and flyers, and they typed up information about Make Good Decisions and the Lifeline law to staple to the bags of popcorn. Posters were also placed on the tables so that people in line could learn while waiting. Additionally, Callie prepared a trivia game to play with the people waiting in line. Not many of the people participating were familiar with the Lifeline Law, so this was a fun and unique way to keep people entertained while also spreading education and awareness. The event was a huge success with all 300 bags of popcorn being gone and all attendees leaving educated about Make Good Decisions and the Lifeline Law.

Callie and her committee were also in the process of planning a game day in a local park to further spread awareness and education before COVID-19 occurred. Due to this, Callie was unable to hold the game day, but the plans for the event were still a fun way to engage kids and teenagers with information about underage drinking and prevention. Some of the games that would have occurred include a ball toss with goggles that simulate what it is like to be drunk, trivia focused on the symptoms and effects of drugs, and various competitive games to showcase how alcohol and drugs are not needed to have fun. Although this event was unable to occur, Callie did not let isolation stop her from trying to promote Make Good Decisions and the Lifeline Law in her community. She reached out to a local movie theatre and was granted permissions to put up a message on their marquis stating: “Suspect Alcohol Poisoning? Call or text 911. MGD IN LifeLine Law.” Callie truly appreciates the experience she has had educating and promoting awareness about underage drinking throughout her community.

Lekha Durai is one of the scholarship winners for the work she has done in promoting Make Good Decisions at West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School. Lekha was the vice president of her school’s drug awareness club REACH, and through this club she created several events to promote Make Good Decisions and the Indiana Lifeline Law. One event that she promoted Make Good Decisions and the Lifeline Law at was an ice cream fundraiser at the school’s homecoming football game. This is a yearly event that REACH puts on, but she altered the event to bring awareness to underage drinking. Lekha designed stickers advertising the Lifeline Law to place on the ice cream cups. Additionally, the first 40 buyers received Make Good Decisions wristbands. When kids and teenagers bought ice cream they also received candy if they could explain the Indiana Lifeline Law; the law was also explained to those who were unfamiliar with its purpose and function. 

Another way in which Lekha worked to promote Make Good Decisions and the Lifeline Law was through presentations given to eighth grade students. REACH members attended three health classes and taught the students about various topics including vaping, underage drinking, and marijuana usage. Lekha specifically created the slides used to teach the students about the Indiana Lifeline Law. This section of the presentation was taught subsequently with the presentation on underage drinking because of the relation between the two. Lekha made sure to include various aspects pertaining to the Lifeline Law in the slides she created. She made sure to explain how the Lifeline Law works and emphasized that underage drinkers will be protected if they cooperate. REACH educated the students on the dangers of underage drinking, but also wanted to make sure that if any of them were in such a situation that they would understand how the Lifeline Law works so they could stay safe. She also made sure to mention how the Lifeline Law can be used to protect victims of certain sexual crimes. To showcase how the law functions in real situations Lekha made sure to include a news segment from the Make Good Decisions website that explained how the Lifeline Law was used to save a student from Marian University. 

One of the last projects Lekha worked on was creating a Prezi presentation focused on what REACH members did to promote Make Good Decisions and the Lifeline Law. This presentation was created to be shared with other schools so that they could see the work that REACH members did. This presentation also included additional project ideas to inspire other schools to host their own events.