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Day in the Life of Luke’s Leaders

Luke’s Leaders is a weekly, after-school leadership development initiative developed by the Outreach and Justice Ministry of St. Luke’s. Since 2018, the Luke’s Leaders Program has developed a strong relationship with Washington Township Schools to provide every young person the opportunity to become a leader and make a positive impact in their community.

Here is a peek into what one of the six Leaders cohorts might experience during a typical Luke’s Leaders session:

It is week 4 of this year’s program, and ten 6th grade students attended the Eastwood Middle School session. The session began with several ice breaker/team building games. Then the group moved on to the main activity which focused on understanding growth and how we deal with mistakes and challenges. For this activity, each student received 2 small pieces of colored paper. They were then told to make an origami dog. No instructions were given. After about five minutes, students began discussing their frustration with attempting to make the origami without instructions. They were asked to talk about challenges they have faced but have overcome to accomplish the task. We discussed that learning is a process that means trying and failing, then trying again. After instructions were given, all students were able to complete the task.

Luke's Leaders is always looking for adult volunteers to mentor these students and to work with them during their weekly sessions. For more information about volunteering or about the Luke's Leaders Program, please click HERE. 

Freedom School 2024 - By the Numbers

Many of us know that Freedom School is a literacy enrichment program. This year, 89% of our scholars maintained or improved their reading and comprehension levels. But we aren’t as aware of the focus on building character, emotional and mental health, and making a difference.

Here are some of those results, as reported by our St.Luke’s scholars:

• 67% of scholars feel more confident that they can solve arguments without fighting
• 78% of scholars find it easier to ask for help when they feel sad or angry
• 82% feel less likely to give up when life gets challenging
• 91% or more:
  --feel more confident that they can make a difference around them
  --are more confident that they can achieve their goals
  --feel more proud of themselves

Parents also support these observations, with 100% responding that their child has more confidence and more strongly believes that he/she can make a difference, and that Freedom School helped prepare their child for school. But don’t take it from us! In their own words, parents are saying:

• “I am grateful that my children are much better at reading, they are more self-confident, and they have changed for the better in everything.”
• “He was very proud of his performance, and he wants to attend Freedom School again next year.”
• “We appreciate the focus on each individual student.”
• “We love it. Thank you for everything.”

 Those are numbers worth celebrating!

CDF Freedom Schools provides 6 weeks of summer enrichment through a research-based and multicultural program model that supports young people to excel and believe in their ability to make a difference in themselves as well as their families, schools, communities, country, and world with hope, education, and action. St. Luke’s Freedom School site is one of three in Indiana, and serves 80 scholars in grades K-8.

To learn more about St. Luke’s Freedom School program, visit stlukesumc.com/freedomschool or contact shelly.clasen@stlukesumc.com

Healing & Hope For Our Next Generation

Tuesday November 12 | 7-8:30pm | Christian Theological Seminary

Lower IREAD scores. Increased absenteeism. Worsening mental health problems. Historically high food insecurity. These and other indicators reveal just how profoundly Central Indiana children living in poverty are hindered in their pursuit of their most promising option for a better future: education.

Join Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III – a veteran pastor and advocate for public-private partnerships – along with Central Indiana community and congregational leaders to discuss and discover ways organizations, faith communities, and individuals can partner with schools to support youth facing poverty in their journey for educational attainment and overall well-being.

Shelton Auditorium: 1000 W. 42nd St Indianapolis, IN 46208

Click HERE to register!