Inspired by the thousands of demonstrators who protested police brutality in 2020, Lillian Barkes knew she wanted to find a way to talk to young people about what was happening.
The then-IPS elementary school teacher looked for programs that centered changemaking and social action in their youth outreach. But, she couldn’t quite find something that struck the right balance between education and empowerment, something she felt would spark a love for learning in her students.
“About 10 years ago, the conversation was like, ‘Oh, I don’t like reading, I don’t like math,’ and I was like, ‘OK, we can get past that,’” Barkes said. “But now, there’s this whole other roadblock of, ‘I don’t see the purpose of going to school. I don’t think that school is a place for empowerment. School is triggering to me.’”
So, after her research fell short, Barkes said, she decided to create that missing space. She and a friend came together to form the nonprofit Listen to Our Future. The nonprofit provides in- and out-of-school tutoring services as well as project-based learning curriculum support to classroom partners.
What started in 2020 as a small tutoring and school support program has since blossomed into a youth empowerment organization with 40 staff.
And, unlike other nonprofits that might home in on a specific age group, Listen to Our Future supports students through their entire academic career: ages 5 to 24.
It’s important for students to feel connected to their work, said Sabina Oxlaj, a tutor who leads the nonprofit’s project-based learning program. That program, which challenges kids to propose and develop solutions to big problems, has led to student proposals on gun violence, child hunger, pollution and bullying in schools.
“When we do projects, they are at their own liberty to do something that interests them,” Oxlaj said. “It’s all about students understanding that they’re important and their voices are important as well.”
And, this week, the group is celebrating the grand opening of its new Listen to Our Future Learning Center on East Washington Street.
If you go
Listen to Our Future grand opening
Learn more and register for the free events.
✂️ 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18: Ribbon cutting ceremony and learning center activities
📝 5-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19: Family night with attendance-focused parent forum and children’s activities
📚 2-6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20: Open house with book drive and basic needs supply collection
The center will be a space for meetings with tutors, community events and project coordination. Neighbors can check out the space, join a book-reading, attend a school attendance talk or donate to the nonprofit’s growing book drive as a part of Listen to Our Future’s upcoming events.
“It’s really about community,” Barkes said. “We can’t expect kids to learn if they don’t have a community where they feel comfortable to learn.”
Creating a space for youth
Barkes has had the keys to her nonprofit’s new learning center for about a year.
The building has allowed leaders of the nonprofit to spread out after previously sharing a cozy, one-room office in a COhatch coworking space.
A program manager and staffing coordinator have their own offices upstairs in the space formerly occupied by a violin store. Rooms on the first floor have been painted, refreshed and converted into a resource library, conference rooms, a kitchen and an idea lab with computers and a 3D printer.
The nonprofit didn’t need a large amount of space when it first began. Much of its work took place in the community — assisting teachers in their classrooms or meeting students at their schools for tutoring.
But, Barkes has visions of creating a safe place for teens and college students to hang out outside of class.
She specifically points to a lack of youth-friendly entertainment spaces in the city, suggesting that some arcade bars and bowling alleys nearby may be fun for adults but aren’t always affordable, or they come with a requirement to buy drinks.
“There aren’t a whole lot of spaces specifically curated for that age range,” Barkes said. “It’s like the things that were meant for young people — they don’t even have access to it.”
The nonprofit plans to have after-school open hours as well as to rent out its largest meeting room to other community partners in need of a weekly or monthly space.
And, this year, the group welcomed its first summer camps as part of a partnership with nearby Westminster Neighborhood Services. The nonprofit has also invited class field trips into the space.
During the visits, students read a book together and write their own stories. They learn about what it means to be a hero and make buttons as a reminder of the change they can make in their community.
Barkes hopes that some of these young students will someday come back and tutor young students themselves.
“I hear a lot of people say, ‘I wish that I had someone. I want to be the person that I wish that I had,’” Barkes said. “I want to change that narrative to be, ‘I want to be the person that I did have.’”
Being the role model kids need
Though Barkes is bullish on her young nonprofit’s growth, it’s heading into what could be a challenging year.
She said some schools have pulled back from partnerships with the nonprofit this year as funding for public education grows tighter.
The nonprofit has partnerships in place with two schools and runs three after-school programs this year compared to its 12 program partners last year. And, the nonprofit is limiting its hiring for tutors to only college students who are eligible for federal work study programs.
Despite this, Barkes said the nonprofit’s presence is needed now more than ever.
Last year, nearly 1 in 5 Hoosier students said they didn’t have many opportunities to talk with a teacher one-on-one, according to figures presented in the Indiana Youth Institute’s 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book.
And, Indiana’s school counselor-to-student ratio sits at one counselor for every 563 students. That’s far above the national average of 376-to-1 and more than twice the American School Counselor Association’s recommendation of 250-to-1.
“At the end of the day, our students need — they just need role models,” Barkes said. “They need people they can connect with.”
Art decorates a wall inside Listen to Our Future’s new learning center on Washington Street, Sept. 10, 2025, ahead of its grand opening. The eastside nonprofit provides in-school and after-school tutoring. Credit: Eliezer Hernandez for Mirror Indy 
A door displays a message inside Listen to Our Future’s new learning center on Washington Street, Sept. 10, 2025, ahead of its grand opening. The eastside nonprofit provides in-school and after-school tutoring. Credit: Eliezer Hernandez for Mirror Indy 
A “curriculum room” holds supplies inside Listen to Our Future’s new learning center on Washington Street on Sept. 10, 2025. The space is part of the nonprofit’s expansion ahead of its grand opening. Credit: Eliezer Hernandez for Mirror Indy 
A set of “essential cubbies” seen Sept. 10, 2025, outside Listen to Our Future’s new learning center on Washington Street, will be stocked with items like socks, gloves and other necessities for community members to take and use. Credit: Eliezer Hernandez for Mirror Indy 
Art decorates a wall inside Listen to Our Future’s new learning center on Washington Street on Sept. 10, 2025, ahead of its grand opening. The eastside nonprofit provides in-school and after-school tutoring. Credit: Eliezer Hernandez for Mirror Indy
The nonprofit is leaning into a new income-based tutoring program where students, independent of a school partnership, can seek support from trained Listen to Our Future staff.
The nonprofit travels to students to make transportation easy — meeting with kids in public spaces like nearby libraries or community centers — and offers an adjusted fee structure to ensure its services are accessible to all students regardless of household income.
And, Listen to Our Future is taking applications for its ambassador program — a group of at least 10 high school and college aged students who want to learn how to start their own micro-organization with a goal of bringing change to their community.
Participants will get support with establishing their mission, recruiting help and networking with community partners who can help them take on a cause they’re passionate about. The program costs $150 and runs throughout the school year. Listen to Our Future offers scholarships for those who demonstrate need.
For Oxlaj, Listen to Our Future has created positive change for more than just the students she tutors. The junior at Marian University joined Listen to Our Future as a freshman interested in studying education.
She now knows from her tutoring hours that she wants to work with students at the secondary level and that she wants to be the type of teacher that elevates student voice in her classroom.
“I wish that every single one of my peers could have the experiences that I’ve had,” Oxlaj said. “When I step into the classroom now, I’m a lot more prepared.”
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.
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