Indianapolis youth violence prevention efforts expand with YATVAC campaign, IndyGo partnership, and resource hub

A new citywide push focused on prevention and access

Indianapolis’ landscape of violence-prevention initiatives has expanded with a multi-platform public service campaign aimed at steering young people toward alternatives to crime and conflict. The effort, called Youth Alternatives to Violence and Crime (YATVAC), is backed by a $2 million annual commitment from Circle City Broadcasting, the local company that owns WISH-TV and WNDY-TV.

The campaign is structured as a public-awareness and connection strategy: directing youth and families to services, amplifying messages about curfew rules, and promoting programming intended to reduce the likelihood of violent incidents involving minors.

How the campaign is designed to reach teens and families

YATVAC’s rollout includes broadcast and digital public service announcements, recurring curfew reminders, and short segments highlighting individual success stories. A central element is a digital resource hub launched as a beta product, designed to function as a searchable directory of opportunities and services for youth and caregivers.

Circle City Broadcasting has said the campaign targets youth under 17 and the adults responsible for them, including parents, grandparents, and other caretakers. The campaign also includes quarterly town halls intended to be solution-oriented and aired statewide.

• Nightly curfew reminders distributed through TV and digital channels
• Public service announcements promoting nonviolent choices and support services
• A digital resource hub intended to connect residents to local programs
• Quarterly town halls focused on community responses and prevention strategies

IndyGo partnership extends messaging into neighborhoods through 2026

An additional component is a partnership with IndyGo, intended to broaden reach across Marion County. The collaboration includes bus wraps and public service announcements running on selected routes through the end of 2026. The partners have framed the transit system as a high-visibility channel capable of repeatedly reaching residents across many zip codes during daily commutes.

How this fits into broader public-safety and prevention funding pressures

The launch comes as Indianapolis weighs competing public-safety priorities under financial constraints. In 2025, city budgeting discussions reflected pressure tied to state property tax changes and their projected impacts on municipal revenue. In that context, local violence-prevention funding has been discussed as an area where reductions could be proposed alongside other agency cuts.

At the same time, YATVAC is positioned as a privately funded communications and coordination effort that depends on partnerships with community organizations and public institutions. Its practical impact will largely be shaped by whether residents can access programs with capacity—such as mentoring, behavioral health supports, employment pathways, and family services—once they are directed to them.

YATVAC is structured around awareness, outreach, and referrals, pairing broadcast messaging with a centralized resource directory and community partnerships.

What to watch next

Key indicators for the initiative’s next phase include the expansion of its resource hub listings, the continuity of its town halls, and the breadth of organizational partnerships that translate campaign visibility into on-the-ground services. The campaign’s stated timeline includes continued transit-based messaging through 2026, keeping youth violence prevention in regular public view while other local funding decisions evolve.