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BOYS & MEN
FAILURE TO LAUNCH
Improving the Education, Employment and Wellbeing of Indiana's Boys & Men
Too many young men in Indiana are struggling to launch into flourishing adulthood — falling behind and disconnecting at exactly the moment they should be gaining momentum. Sagamore Institute’s research examines the forces pulling boys and young men off track and how civic, private, and public sector leaders can invest in solutions.
This work is grounded in abundance, not scarcity. Focusing on boys and men isn’t about shifting attention away from women and girls — it’s about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
This research is part of Sagamore Institute’s Workforce: 2040 initiative.
Mentoring Leaders for Tomorrow
Many of today’s urban youth lack the support and guidance from an adequate mentor, resulting in alarming school drop out and incarceration rates. Likewise, formerly incarcerated individuals often lack a positive social support network after release, leading to high re-offend and recidivism rates. Sagamore has operating partnerships with the following organizations that provide mentoring to at-risk youth or adult ex-offenders.
High School Hustle empowers mentors to guide high school students in creating successful hustles today. They provide a unique program equipping these young entrepreneurs with the tools and mentorship they need to run a profitable business and find success doing it. Students learn how to start a business, scale it to generate real profits, and so much more.
High School Hustle is on a mission to empower 1 million high school hustles by 2034.
Students living in low-income and underserved areas are facing a complex set of experiences and circumstances. Urban youth lack positive relationships in their life, and this lack of support and guidance results in unacceptable graduation rates across the country. The unemployment rate of high school dropouts is 26.8% higher than graduates. Moreover, 75% of people incarcerated at the state level and 59% of people in federal prison are high school dropouts.
Elevate builds long-term, life-changing relationships with Indianapolis urban youth by connecting students to positive and caring adults who can ensure they don’t have to navigate life’s toughest challenges alone and equip them to thrive and contribute to their community.
At the heart of this work is Elevate Indy’s Pathways to Purpose Program, which pairs urban youth with trained adult mentors for sustained, one-on-one relationships that extend well beyond a single school year. These mentors show up consistently — helping students navigate academic setbacks, family stress, and the uncertainty of planning a future — so that young people have a steady, trustworthy adult in their corner when it matters most. Rather than a one-time intervention, the mentorship model is built for the long haul, walking alongside students from adolescence into early adulthood as they work toward graduation, college enrollment, or career readiness. It’s this consistency of care, more than any single program milestone, that helps students build the confidence and connections they need to break cycles of disconnection and thrive.
One Heart Project’s mission is to rescue, restore and rehabilitate incarcerated youth through an integrated strategy of programming, services, and social enterprise. Their goal is to create an innovative and collaborative solution that will change the current approach to juvenile justice and transform individual lives through character building, skill acquisition, and resource equipping.
The One Heart Project was born following an inspiring Texas high school football game between a wealthy and white suburban Christian school and a team from the nearby youth prison. Watch the video for the backstory and click on the links below to learn more about the mission.
The Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) transforms the lives of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men through their In-Prison Leadership Academy and post-release services and support. Their vision is to expand a community of accountability and encouragement until every inmate who is truly committed to change has the choice and the chance to reboot his life.
PEP builds this community with an army of volunteers who share a passion for education, mentoring, and entrepreneurship. These volunteers offer extensive post-release services to program participants, including housing, transportation, regular counseling and advice, a support network, social events, and emergency financial assistance.