January 9, 2019

Mayor Hogsett Announces New Mentorship Program

The program established by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett will also offer scholarships and grants to some low-income students. - Carter Barrett/WFYI

The program established by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett will also offer scholarships and grants to some low-income students.

Carter Barrett/WFYI

A new mentorship program is coming to Indianapolis this year.

Indy Achieves – which works to help Marion County residents get degrees and credentials beyond high school – announced a new mentorship program Wednesday. 

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett created Indy Achieves to help close the gap between jobs and the skills needed to get them. He says closing that gap is essential.

"Which is another tool in our toolbox that will help to ensure that so many of our city’s students that are so critically important to our city’s future don’t fall behind," Hogsett says. 

The new program aims to connect 100 community leaders with 500 high school seniors. The selection process starts as early as next month. These mentors will check-in with students and families to help with the college enrollment process and the start of the school year.

The program was created to address the “summer melt” – when students enroll in college, face challenges before school starts, then drop-out. Achieve Indy says nearly 2 in 5 unrepresented students will experience summer melt.

Indy Achieves will be one of several Indianapolis-based mentorship programs, including the Starfish Initiative and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

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