January is National Mentoring Month, and organizations like MENTOR Indiana are making a difference in young lives.

MENTOR Indiana is part of the Indiana Youth Institute. For nearly 20 years, it has connected young Hoosiers with caring adults.

Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the institute, said mentoring changes lives and there is research to prove it.

"When a young person has a mentor, they're 55% more likely to enroll in college, 78% more likely to volunteer in their home communities and they're twice as likely to hold a leadership position," Silverman outlined.

She pointed out their work ensures young people get the support they need to succeed. Despite the benefits, one in three young people lacks a mentor outside their family. Silverman stressed the gap leaves millions without the guidance they need to thrive.

To help close the gap, MENTOR Indiana follows proven practices to build strong and lasting mentor-mentee relationships. The organization partners with schools, nonprofits and community groups to meet the diverse needs of Indiana youth.

"That can translate into helping them talk through difficult things in their own life," Silverman added. "Whether that's friends' interactions or school, or trying to find work or thinking about what they want to do when they grow up."

She emphasized their efforts also address broader challenges like education gaps, mental health struggles, and community violence.


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Indiana's third grade reading scores show progress but gaps remain.

The latest IREAD3 results show about 82% of students passed in 2024, up slightly from the year before. But scores are still below pre-pandemic levels. Special education students, English learners, and low-income children struggle the most.

Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute, said early childhood shapes literacy skills and many Indiana children lack access to quality early learning.

"We know that 27 of Indiana's 92 counties had proficiency levels below the state average," Silverman observed. "That's actually up from prior years, so that's five more than what it was."

Several programs help close gaps, including On My Way Pre-K, which gives low-income children access to preschool, Reach Out and Read Indiana promotes early reading and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library sends free books to kids. A $9.5 million Lilly Endowment grant will expand after-school and summer reading programs.

Indiana is aiming for 95% reading proficiency by 2027 but Silverman pointed out financial struggles create more barriers.

"Some of those financial hardships bring on stressors like food insecurity, housing instability," Silverman outlined. "All of those things inhibit early learning, including but not limited to literacy."


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Hoosier teens are nearly 3% more likely to have used cocaine, methamphetamines or heroin than other teens nationwide, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, and the types of drugs they choose are producing deadly side effects.

Indianapolis-based nonprofit Overdose Lifeline partners with other states to offer substance use prevention education programs.

Justin Phillips, founder and CEO of Overdose Lifeline, said young people are sharing prescription drugs like Adderall and Xanax with their peers and dying from suicide and overdoses at alarming rates. She stressed the numbers are preventable.

"Onset can be as early as 12, and it varies according to the substance that they're using," Phillips reported. "We have a lot of challenges around vaping right now, which is a nicotine and/or a cannabis vape."

Philips advocates for early intervention when abuse is identified to help prevent it from becoming chronic. She added research has shown when a substance is introduced to the brain before age 15, it is five times more likely to alter the brain structure and create an addiction.

Last year, more than 700 Hoosiers of all ages died of drug-related overdoses. Although rare, Phillips pointed out cases are appearing in Indiana of people mixing the animal tranquilizer Xylazine with fentanyl or other drugs. She noted it is especially dangerous, because Xylazine does not respond to the overdose drug naloxone and can cause other damaging side effects.

"Xylazine isn't really something someone wants to use, so people are really spending more time trying to avoid Xylazine through testing," Phillips explained. "It's the fentanyl that we have the biggest concern around with young people, because there's fentanyl and almost everything you purchase illicitly."

She added people are able to purchase unregulated drugs on social media and the dark web. Overdose Lifeline offers a chatbot known as "KATE," which stands for Knowledge, Advocacy, Trust and Education, which answers self-care questions if a loved one is using, what to do if someone overdoses and how to talk to someone who is using drugs.


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Indiana leaders are working to improve children's lives, as the state's national ranking for child well-being has slipped.

The latest report showed Indiana has fallen from 24th to 27th among states for overall child well-being, with food insecurity emerging as a major concern.

Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute, called results in the latest Indiana Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation "mixed," with nearly 20% of kids lacking consistent access to nutritious food, a figure worse than at the peak of the pandemic.

"We need to make sure we're leaning into some of our areas where we have the biggest challenges," Silverman urged. "We rank 32nd in the country for the health of our children, and that's physical and mental health. We're 15th in the country for economic well-being, but we're struggling as far as our kids' health."

Silverman emphasized addressing food insecurity requires focusing on basic needs like stable housing and reliable access to healthy meals. Neighboring states, including Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio, face similar challenges.

Another challenge is only 40% of three- and four-year-olds attend early education programs, resulting in learning gaps in language arts, math and other subjects later in school, which worry educators and parents.

Silverman argued such hurdles threaten children's future and demand immediate attention. However, she acknowledged the report also highlighted some bright spots.

"Teen birth rates are down," Silverman noted. "The ratio of dentists and mental health providers that are available for kids have improved. Median family income is on the rise."

Youth advocates are calling on both community leaders and policymakers to address the state's gaps in education and health to build on the progress. Silverman stressed caring for Indiana's children is everyone's job. She urged leaders to do more to push for a healthier, safer future for every child.


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