2024 Impact

It is the week before the holidays and staff are scurrying to wrap agency program outcomes into gifts to our funders -also known as final program reports. From the look of 2024, the staff of Reach For Youth had a bright and busy year. Helping to meet the needs of parents, youth, schools and community partners – particularly those who have had difficulty accessing necessary mental health – has been the hallmark of our efforts. In addition to mental health, our restorative justice services helped to lead the way for youth leadership, school stability, safety, and low recidivism in juvenile probation outcomes.

Here’s what we did:

More than 848 youth and parents were served across Marion and Johnson counties in mental health, education, and restorative justice services. 288 youth participated in our summer Empower YOUth emotional-social skills training series. Reach For Youth staff provided these services to community partners at Boys and Girls Club in Franklin, IN; Girls Inc. in Franklin, IN., Winding Ridge Elementary School, Greenbriar Elementary School, Boys and Girls Club at Finish Line, Wheeler Dowe Boys and Girls Club Community Center, and Young Men Incorporated. More than 2600 clinical sessions were provided to youth and parents in 2024. Our services are uniquely geared to provide parent/family involvement in the clinical and restorative services provided to youth. The demographics of these youth and families reveal 41% of youth/families are White; 31% are African American, 23% Multi-Racial, Other 5%. Latino families made up 39% of individuals served. Reach For Youth is viewed as an essential mental health provider of choice for La Plaza, an agency serving the basic and educational needs of Latino families residing in Marion County.

The impact of these outcomes points to the necessary work of community partnership and collaboration. Reach For Youth is a small, yet dynamic, agency that is successful in providing innovative and systemic services to greater numbers of people due to the broadening of its community outreach and partnerships. In 2024, school partnerships expanded in Lawrence, Washington, Warren, and Franklin Township schools in Marion County, and Indian Creek, Center Grove, and other schools in southern Marion and Johnson County. Exciting for us to report is the expansion of our academic enhancement, skills and employment readiness program known as R.E.A.C.H. In 2024 we introduced a R.E.A.C.H. sports edition for athletes – geared to address the unique needs of athletes in learning important skills necessary to connecting current goals to their future potential and addressing how to best achieve those goals. What we have found in our R.E.A.C.H. results since 2019 is 1. It Works! Consistently, youth score higher on their post-test scores across the ten areas of academic and skills knowledge areas. 2. Every school who learns about our R.E.A.C.H. program wants R.E.A.C.H. in their school. We cannot meet the demand. In 2025, we will focus the work of R.E.A.C.H. on employment readiness programs such as JAG programs in a few area high schools. It is poised to become a model program for these classes.

For 50 years, Reach For Youth has been providing essential mental health, restorative justice and prevention services to families. As we look forward to 2025, the growth and impact we have been able to demonstrate through the years will continue. New to our service provision in 2025 will be an emphasis on innovative training and education services that enhance the professional development of therapists, teachers, and those working with youth and families in our surrounding communities. Reach For Youth is talented with staff who provide these professional skills in other aspects of their career and will now help create approaches that offer new ways to address key needs that have been identified by our partners.

Happy Holidays! We are Reach For Youth! – where every youth and family has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.

President and CEO

Kendee Kolp