INDIANAPOLIS — Navigating parenthood can be challenging, but Nigel Long says he and his 8-year-old son, Jamison, are learning together every day.
“I enjoy that they help you to keep track of your goals,” Long said.
That support is why they connected with Listen to Our Future, a nonprofit on Indianapolis’ near east side that helps prepare young people for the future.
“Here is a space where kids can come for learning and where they really matter,” Long said. “This place is good because I don’t have to worry about anything,” Jamison said.
Co-founded by former Indianapolis Public Schools teacher Lillian Barkes, the organization serves youth ages five through 24. It recently moved into a new building on East Washington Street, but continues its same mission with the help of more than 30 tutors.
“We employ young people to go out into our community,” Barkes said. “We’ve trained over 250 college-age students to be tutors and build relationships, just investing and reinvesting in the next generation and closing those generational gaps.”
Barkes and co-founder Brandon Street say they’ve lived in the neighborhood most of their lives and understand the challenges local youth face.
“We’re asking students, ‘What are some of the issues you want to solve in your community?’” Street said. “A lot of them say homelessness, sexual assault, violence in the community. I ask if it’s something they’re actually seeing or just seeing online, and they say, ‘No, this is something we see in real life,” Street said.
Barkes said that reality underscores the need for safe spaces.
“We need to be with our students, we need to be in the community because home is not always a safe place for people,” Barkes said. “Our kids need safe adults in their lives, and they weren’t getting that.”
Long said he believes in the organization’s mission.
“We have to empower the next generation to be the change that we want to see in order for us to ever get to anywhere that we want to be,” he said.
For more information on Listen To Our Future, click here
