Youth Link Recognizes IU Southeast Partnership with Champion for Children Award

Youth Link Executive Director Tricia Wall presents IU Southeast Chancellor Debbie Ford with the Champion for Children Award.IU Southeast was recently recognized by Youth Link with the Champion for Children Award. The award honors IU Southeast’s commitment to its partnership with Youth Link and the school’s outstanding leadership within Youth Link programs such as the 21st Century Community Learning Center. Chancellor Debbie Ford attended Youth Link’s annual meeting and accepted the award.

“The work that we do with Youth Link, it is the future of our community. I may see someone in elementary school, middle school, or high school, but really what I see is a future IU Southeast graduate who is a future leader in our community. It is a partnership that matters to us and we look forward to what is next,” said Chancellor Debbie Ford.

According to Youth Link’s annual report, IU Southeast has been an invaluable partner to Youth Link throughout the organization’s history. The School of Education works closely with the 21st Century Community Learning Center programs to provide professional development training for staff as well as college and career readiness opportunities for students. Students in Youth Link’s middle and high school 21stCCLC programs have taken field trips to IU Southeast to check out the campus. IU Southeast was one of the title sponsors for our Play Like A Kid event and has two faculty members who serve on the Youth Link Board of Directors, School of Education professor Dr. Sau Hou Chang and School of Natural Sciences professor Dr. Sridhar Ramachandran.

IU Southeast Faculty Senate President Dr. Susan Popham, School of Education professor Dr. Jackie Singleton, and School of Education Dean Faye Camahalan accept the Champion for Children Award."“Receiving the ‘Champions for Children’ award is a testament to the strength and impact of our partnership. It is an honor to see our collaborative efforts recognized in this way, and it reinforces our commitment to supporting Youth Link’s mission and the communities we serve,” said Ramachandran.

IU Southeast Board of Advisors member and School of Education faculty member Jacquelyn Singleton says working with Youth Link is an excellent opportunity for teacher candidates.

“It’s a wonderful chance for my students to share what they’ve learned in class…Our teacher candidates have worked after school care jobs, volunteered to read with English Language Learners, and just pitched in where needed. I value our partnership with Youth Link tremendously – it’s a great opportunity for my candidates to get hands on experience while also giving back to the community,” said Singleton.

Youth Link Southern Indiana began as Communities In Schools of Clark County in 2002 to improve school achievement. Youth Link Southern Indiana partners with all four school districts in Clark County and New Albany High School in Floyd County, providing resources, support, and programming to 19 schools. Services include tutoring, mentoring, basic needs resources, mental health services, as well as before and after school programming. Youth Link Southern Indiana’s model of services ensures that the whole community comes together to support students. Data from the 2021-22 school year shows that more than 1,400 students were served by Youth Link with 89 percent of those students maintaining a “C” average or improving their report card grades.

For more information on Youth Link visit https://youthlinksi.org/. To learn more about the IU Southeast School of Education visit https://southeast.iu.edu/education/index.html.