National Signing Day isn’t just about athletics, it can also provide valuable lessons off the field. WISH-TV contributor Emil Ekiyor joined News 8 to discuss how the community can make a difference.

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Inner Beauty Program Inc. and New Breed of Youth Inc. mentoring programs are preparing to host their 2024 Fight For Joy Christmas Extravaganza weekend celebration. The event will kick off Friday with a free “guns down, gloves up” youth boxing showcase with a dinner provided.

On Saturday, the annual Inner Beauty and New B.O.Y. holiday awards ceremony will highlight and affirm community leaders and young people in the organizations’ mentorship programs.

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s the holiday season approaches, one of Indianapolis’ most pressing challenges continues to be homelessness.

There are also issued raised around affordable housing. The city’s struggle with housing instability has only deepened, affecting thousands of people, including families.

WISH-TV contributor Emil Ekiyor joined News 8 anchor Dakarai Turner to discuss the scope of this issue and for a closer look.

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From planting seeds to planning careers, agricultural education is cultivating more than crops: It’s growing tomorrow’s leaders.

Indiana FFA, in partnership with National FFA, launched its new initiative Grow With Us, which aims to give Indiana students the opportunity to learn a wide variety of skills and make connections.

Agricultural education includes classes that can lead to over 350 careers in fields like STEM, business, education, communications, and policy.

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George Washington High School is helping students prepare for life after graduation by hosting an assembly with an organization dedicated to empowering the next generation.The event is all about giving students in grades 10-12 the tools and inspiration they need to succeed after graduation.

Trendsetter Foundation’s event, called ‘The 3E’s: Enrollment, Enlistment, Employment,’ helps high school students explore a wide range of post-graduation opportunities. Founder John Gaiters says he was inspired to start the foundation four years ago.

The assembly is designed to introduce students to a variety of career and education pathways, from enrolling in college, to enlisting in the military, or jumping straight into the workforce. Skills taught include the importance of networking, advocating for themselves, and exploring their options.

The event wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of sponsors like Wade Davis, The DuJuan and Tina McCoy Foundation, and the Gina Radke of Galley Support Innovations.

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The nonprofit Indy Health District is taking action to improve heath outcomes for underserved communities on the near north side of Indianapolis.Indiana University Indianapolis has been named the lead evaluator of the program.

Metrics include data on people’s quality of life, social determinants of health, and an increase in life expectancy for the community.

According to Indy Health District, data from the latest U.S. census said people who live within the district’s footprint die 20 years sooner than people in surrounding neighborhoods.

The evaluation effort is conducted in partnership with IU Indianapolis’ The Polis Center and the nonprofit Health by Design. Some of the variables that IU Indianapolis will evaluate are crash hot spots for pedestrians and bicyclists; green spaces; and access to prenatal and long-term health care.

Data will be updated every year, and community surveys will be conducted every other year.

The first official community gathering event for the Indy Health District will be held Nov. 20, where Yeager and other organizations hope to get public feedback.

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While American military veterans are a collective of people called to defend our country, they are also a from various ethnic backgrounds.

News 8’s Cody Adams sat down with multicultural contributor Bibi Heredia to highlight the rich history of Latino service members.

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WISH-TV has taken bold steps to bring more diversity to newsrooms across the country, and is continuing this effort by launching its second year of the Multicultural Media Producing Program.

The program is more than just a semester-long college course – it’s an investment in the future of journalism. Students learn everything from building a newscast to understanding the fast-paced environment of a newsroom.

The Multicultural Media Producing Program was first launched in 2023 by WISH-TV owner and CEO DuJuan McCoy, along with JPMorgan Chase and the DuJuan and Tina McCoy Foundation.

Applications for the program are now open for the spring semester, which starts in January.

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A national nonprofit organization known as Right to Start has launched a new initiative aimed at fostering entrepreneurship across Indiana. Dubbed the Indiana Starters Coalition, this effort seeks to position entrepreneurship as a civic priority and drive economic growth within the state.The Indiana Starters Coalition celebrated its launch earlier this month with an event held at 16 Tech Innovation District in Indianapolis, featuring business leaders and entrepreneurs.

WISH-TV contributor Emil Ekiyor joined News 8 anchor Dakarai Turner for a conversation, giving deeper into the coalition’s objectives.

Ekiyor says promoting entrepreneurship is essential for creating jobs and improving overall economic conditions in the state.

Click here to learn more about the Indiana Starters Coalition and Right to Start.

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Indianapolis is at a pivotal moment in its economic development, setting an ambitious goal of creating 41,000 new tech jobs by 2030. The initiative presents a unique opportunity to ensure that the state’s approach to growth is genuinely inclusive, particularly for Black Hoosiers, who have historically been underrepresented in the tech sector.

Emil Ekiyor, a contributor for WISH-TV, joined News 8 anchor Dakarai Turner to discuss a partnership between InnoPower and TechPoint.

The collaboration aimed to address the critical needs of Black professionals in the tech industry.

Ekiyor emphasized the importance of equitable access to opportunities in the tech field.

The discussion is part of a larger conversation taking place at the TechPoint Mission 41K Summit, which is scheduled for Thursday at the Indiana State Museum.

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