The Indiana Youth Institute (IYI) has received $25,000 from the Glick Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), to promote postsecondary academic success among high school students in Marion County.
The money will go toward providing 90 scholarships for Marion County school counselors to attend IYI’s 2014 Postsecondary Counseling Institute (PCI). This award will allow counselors at schools with high rates of free and reduced-price lunch usage to better counsel students on options for attaining education after high school.
Currently only about 58 percent of Marion County students pursue a postsecondary education, said Kate Coffman, college and career counseling program director for IYI, which created PCI.
“Providing school counselors with scholarships to the Postsecondary Counseling Institute will better equip them to assist their students in taking the right coursework, exploring their options and matriculating to a postsecondary program,” Coffman said. “We are so pleased the Glick Fund has partnered with IYI to allow more students in Marion County to get the critical education they need to pursue meaningful careers.”
The Glick Fund advisors focus on organizations, programs and opportunities that are supportive of CICF’s Community Leadership Initiatives, which include college readiness and success.
“We hope our grants will help address the immediate needs of the community while also building the long-term capacity of the organizations delivering services,” said Marianne Glick, director at the Eugene & Marilyn Glick Family Foundation and The Glick Fund.
According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, Indiana’s student to counselor ratio is 539:1, 8th worst in the nation. In addition, 90 percent of counselors responding to an IYI survey admit they don’t know all the information needed to help students succeed.
To help counselors be better informed and better serve Indiana students, IYI brings experts to Indianapolis for PCI. The institute’s focus is on increasing counselors’ ability to help students navigate the postsecondary education process. This year, the two-day conference attracted almost 300 people from across Indiana.
Designed for counselors, youth workers, mentoring organizations, teachers, youth ministers, family service providers and others who work directly with children, the sessions at PCI allow those who serve students to gain more knowledge on college applications, financial aid and pathways to careers, including certificate and degree programs that take less time to earn than a four-year degree.
The 2014 Postsecondary Institute Conference will be held June 19 and 20 at the Marriott North Hotel in Indianapolis. The cost will be $100 to attend. Registration will open Dec. 3. Continuing Education Units (CEUs), including Professional Growth Points and NASW Continuing Education Hours, will be available at no extra cost. More information about PCI may be found online at iyi.org/pci.
