Workshop Details

E4: Identifying Programming that Moves the Needle for Indiana Youth Workers

Presented by Cassie Wade & David Westenberger

Located at

Workshop Description

In late 2021, the Marion County Youth Commission, Indiana Youth Institute, Indiana Afterschool Network, Indiana Youth Services Association, and IARCA began collaborating on a planning process for a project that would build supports for our state’s Youth Workers. A year later, IYI received a $20 million grant to fund this work.

This workshop will cover how we went from an idea to an approved grant. We’ll share the process we went through to build an effective collaboration between five organizations, identify a broad range of needs Indiana youth workers have, hire consultants to facilitate our process, bring together an Advisory Committee from around the state, and boil all of our findings into a successful grant proposal.

Learning objectives:

• Build understanding of effective multi-agency collaboration
• Develop a sense of the components of a multi-month planning process
• Learn about how to translate findings from a process into a grant proposal

Presenter Bios:

Cassie Wade: As the inaugural Vice President of Youth Worker Well-being, Cassie is responsible for leading initiatives to support the well-being of Indiana’s Youth Workers. This includes increasing access to virtual telehealth and telemental health services, supporting peer learning, professional development opportunities for leaders of color, improving the working conditions of youth workers, and supporting strategies that improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within youth-serving organizations.

Cassie has more than 15 years of human service experience in child welfare, early childhood education, prevention, and youth services. She has an MPA from Ball State University, a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Indiana University/Purdue University, and is a Certified Child and Youth Care Worker Professional. Cassie enjoys being involved in her local community, spending time with her family outdoors, and reading a good book.

David Westenberger is the CEO of Indiana Youth Services Association and has a great deal of experience and understanding of the challenges and rewards of leading a youth serving organization having been the Executive Director of Foundation for Youth, in Columbus, Indiana for almost two decades. David has a degree in Psychology from Millsaps College and Master’s Degrees in Administration and Education from Indiana University. David is also an accomplished Instrument Rated Pilot, and lover of music, serving as the Treasurer of the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation.