A statewide partnership announced on Nov. 6 seeks to address the stark disparity in youth sports participation where, by age 14, girls are leaving athletics at twice the rate of boys.
The collaboration between Voice In Sports (VIS), Indiana Sports Corp and the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana bring evidence-based wellness education and a dedicated digital community directly to girls in public schools in Indiana.
The endeavor, launching this school year, provides free access to the VIS platform for thousands of high school girls across the state. The program combines live, virtual Group Educational Sessions led by over 100 experts in sport psychology, nutrition and women’s health with a litany of digital tools designed to build healthy habits.
The core mission is to confront a critical gap in youth sports education: the lack of women-specific sport science. Chief executive officer of Voice In Sports Stef Strack believes that girls in sports deserve much more.
“Girls deserve a sports ecosystem designed for them,” Strack said. “Together with Indiana Sports Corp and Women’s Fund, we’re bringing world-class experts into Indiana public schools and translating science-backed research into fun, actionable learning inside the [Voice In Sports] App. We’re giving girls the tools, community and role models to build confidence, stay in sport and lead on and off the field.”
Key topics often absent from traditional coaching — such as menstrual cycles, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), proper fueling, sleep, recovery and mental performance — will be paramount to the curriculum.
The partnership represents a significant investment in the long-term well-being of young women in Indiana, framing sports participation as a route to broader life skills.
Vice President of engagement at Indiana Sports Corp Ashleigh Newbold hopes this investment into the well-being of young women athletes can pay dividends.
“As a statewide sports leader, Indiana Sports Corp believes keeping girls in sport is about more than participation; it’s about building pathways to confidence, leadership and lifelong well-being,” Newbold said. “Through this partnership, we’re expanding access to wellness services and mentorship that help girls care for both body and mind — investing in the next generation who will strengthen our communities.”
Thanks to the WNBA partnership, 20,000 complimentary Voice In Sports memberships are available at no cost to high school girls across Indiana.
With membership, users unlock the educational wellness group sessions, full app access and all platform content for one year.
President of the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, Tamara Winfrey-Harris, emphasized the organization’s commitment to solutions that create a measurable impact.
“By bringing evidence-based wellness education directly into public schools and pairing it with an engaging digital experience, we are helping girls claim their power in sport and in life,” Winfrey-Harris said.
The program’s structure provides an immersive and school-centered experience unforeseen until this partnership. The interactive group sessions, conducted via the VIS app, are designed to normalize conversations around female physiology, reframe harmful myths and build practical skills.
The VIS app reinforces live guidance. Participants have access to a daily mood check-in to track their emotional state and a VIS journal with guided prompts to turn session learnings into real-life habits.
Additionally, the platform provides a steady stream of research-backed articles, short videos and weekly podcasts, all translated into age-appropriate takeaways by VIS specialists.
A key component of the initiative is mentorship and visibility. Through a broader community partnership with the WNBA, girls in Indiana will have access to content and mentorship from professional athletes, including Indiana Fever standouts Aliyah Boston and Brianna Turner, who are featured on the platform.
Students and parents can learn how to claim membership on the Voice In Sports partnership page at voiceinsport.com/indiana.
Contact multi-media & senior sports reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on social media @HorsemenSportsMedia. For more sports, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver. He is also the owner and founder of Horsemen Sports Media.
