How Relationships Create Opportunity for Young People

 

As CTS celebrates 10 years of the Faith & Action Project, we’ve been reflecting on what we’ve learned from a decade of listening, learning, and partnering with people across Greater Indianapolis who are working every day to create pathways out of poverty. 

Over the past decade, Faith & Action has served as a catalyst for action by bringing people together around research, best practices, and community-led solutions. We’ve heard from national thought leaders about the importance of safe and affordable housing, mental health, workforce development, and other pathways to long-term stability. But most importantly, we have listened to the people and organizations doing this work every day in our community. 

One lesson continues to rise to the surface: Lasting change begins with relationships. 

Last fall, economist Raj Chetty gave us a powerful way to understand what so many community organizations have demonstrated firsthand: opportunity is not created by resources alone. It is also created through relationships. 

His research on social capital shows how relationships and connections across lines of difference can influence educational opportunity, employment, and economic mobility. 

What if one of the most powerful drivers of opportunity isn’t just what we have—but who we know, who knows us, and who is willing to open a door? 

That question matters deeply for young people. 

For a young person facing poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, or other barriers, a caring adult can be the person who helps them see a possibility they could not see for themselves—and then helps them take the next step toward it. 

Relationships in Action 

Across Indianapolis, relationships are already creating opportunity and hope. 

Youth-serving organizations are helping young people feel seen, valued, and heard. They are showing up consistently, walking alongside young people through challenges, and helping them discover possibilities they may not yet be able to see for themselves. 

And they are doing it at remarkable scale. 

Relationships in Action: By the Numbers 

• 1,000+ youth mentored annually by Big Brothers Big Sisters
• 4,000+ students served by the Center for Leadership Development
• 400+ youth mentored each year by 100 Black Men of Indianapolis
• 1,000+ students in grades 3–12 served by Elevate Indy
• 700+ youth mentored annually by Dream Alive 

And these are just a few of the organizations investing in the next generation. TeenWorks, Shepherd Community Center, Heart Change Ministries, Purposeful Design, the YMCA, and countless others are helping young people build relationships, confidence, stability, skills, and connections to opportunity. 

These numbers represent more than programs delivered or young people served. 

They represent thousands of moments when a young person was seen, encouraged, challenged, connected, and reminded that they have a future worth investing in. 

From Connection to Opportunity 

For many young people, the path to opportunity isn’t straightforward. Poverty, food insecurity, housing instability, mental health challenges, violence, and other barriers can make it harder to imagine—or reach—a different future. 

Relationships do not erase those barriers. 

But they can ensure that a young person doesn’t have to navigate them alone. 

Outreach Inc., a Faith & Action Grant recipient in 2018, 2020, and 2026, is an organization walking alongside young people experiencing homelessness and housing instability. 

One high-achieving high school senior faced a significant disruption during her final year when her mother moved away, leaving her without stable support. Through Outreach’s ARCH coaching program, staff built a strong relationship with her, helped her remain on track academically, and supported her transition after graduation. She earned a full scholarship to New York University, was accepted into a study-abroad program, and Outreach staff and volunteers helped raise funds for her international travel expenses. Today, she is thriving in college and pursuing her goals. 

Her story illustrates what can happen when a young person has someone who knows them, believes in them, and stays alongside them. 

It is also an example of social capital—the networks, relationships, and connections that help people access information, resources, and opportunities that might otherwise remain out of reach. 

Relationships → Hope → Social Capital → Opportunity → Stability → Economic Mobility 

Indianapolis Has a Role to Play 

You don’t have to work for a youth-serving organization to make a difference in a young person’s life. 

Sometimes it starts simply by showing up. 

A volunteer software engineer and experienced Appalachian Trail hiker began serving as a trip mentor with Camptown after completing the trail. Through repeated outdoor adventures, he built meaningful relationships with young people while introducing them to outdoor skills, technology, and career possibilities. What began as volunteering became a consistent relationship—and a new window into what might be possible. Brent Freeman, CEO of Camptown, is grateful for the many volunteers and staff that are building relationships with the young people in his programs and changing lives as a result of it. 

And sometimes one connection can open a door to an entirely new network of opportunity. 

Luis attended a DREAM Alive networking event and met the CEO of a local engineering firm. That conversation led to a paid summer internship where Luis excelled and impressed the company’s leadership. The company is now helping him pursue engineering and college opportunities, expanding both his professional network and his vision for his future. 

One connection created another—and an opportunity that may once have felt out of reach became imaginable. 

These are the kinds of connections that build social capital. They don’t happen by accident. They happen when people choose to invest their time, relationships, resources, and influence in the lives of young people. 

What Role Will You Play? 

Every one of us has a role in creating a community where young people can thrive. 

• Mentor: Show up consistently and build a meaningful relationship. 
• Employer: Open doors through internships, jobs and career exposure. 
• Faith community: Create places where young people are known, welcomed, and connected to caring adults. 
• Neighbor: Notice the young people around you. Encourage them. Show up. 
• Community leader: Connect people, organizations, and resources around shared solutions. 
• Donor: Invest in organizations already building relationships and expanding opportunity. 

The question isn’t whether relationships matter. 

The question is what each of us will do with that knowledge. 

Register for the Faith & Action Fall Event 

The Power of Being Seen 

Join us October 27 for the Faith & Action Fall Event, The Power of Being Seen: How Relationships Create Opportunity for Young People, featuring #1 New York Times Best Selling Author, Jason Reynolds. 

Throughout his work, Reynolds speaks directly to young people with honesty, hope, and a deep belief in their potential. His own story—and the people who saw him, encouraged him, and opened doors along the way—offers a powerful reminder of what can happen when young people are truly known and supported. 

Our hope is that you will leave inspired by the power of relationships—and ready to act. 

Because every young person deserves to be seen. 

And every one of us has a role to play in making sure they are.