Every young person deserves a place to belong and grow.
Through martial arts, mentoring and mental health support, we help young people build focus, confidence and purpose, and help their families and community thrive alongside them.
In our sessions, we saw how much some youth needed a place to talk, connect with peers and feel heard. So we made space for group conversations alongside movement and learning.
By pairing structured activities with trusted mentors, we help reduce isolation and strengthen the relationships that help young people thrive.
Our story began with Sudanese and Chadian neighbors helping families settle in Indiana. Today, Discipline serves the wider community, with youth development at the center of our local work.
Community-rooted from the start
The spirit behind Discipline goes back to community organizing in 2003. The nonprofit was founded in 2021 to carry that work forward.
Our programs are supported by the Lilly Endowment and the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, with program space provided by local business partners.
The State of Indiana holds millions of dollars in forgotten bank accounts, uncashed paychecks, deposits and insurance payouts for their rightful owners. Our volunteers let neighbors know when the state may be holding money in their name, and show them how to claim it for free.
Supporting families in Chad, Sudan and South Sudan.
Many of our members came to Indiana as refugees from these three countries. Today they power our international programs, giving, organizing and staying connected to families and trusted partners back home. Our long-term goal is to help them become partners in the development of both their home countries and Indiana.
From neighbors helping neighbors to building strong communities together.
Our purpose
Strong communities are built together.
Discipline Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving Allen, Marion and Hamilton counties. We bring people, skills and resources together to create opportunities for youth and strengthen communities.
Our programs are open to everyone. We focus on meaningful relationships, practical learning, personal growth and local collaboration.
Mission
Support people. Strengthen communities.
We create opportunities for young people and families through education, mentorship, health and well-being activities, and community partnerships.
Vision
Thriving, connected and safer communities.
We envision communities where young people have the relationships, resources and opportunities to shape their futures.
Two decades of neighbors showing up for one another.
2003
Community organizing begins
The Sudanese Chadian Community organization began supporting newly arrived families in Indiana.
2007–2010
Support expands
The community broadened its help to include more newcomers, language support, employment guidance and youth activities.
2012–2020
Neighbors keep showing up
Without a formal organization, community members kept supporting one another informally, proving how strong the need and the commitment were.
2021
Discipline Inc. is founded
Discipline was created to give that community spirit a lasting home and reach more people.
Today
Building the next chapter
Our local work centers on youth development, belonging, learning and community support.
Board of Directors
Governed by leaders around the world.
Our board brings together attorneys, nurses, surgeons, humanitarian professionals and community leaders in the United States, Sudan, Chad, South Sudan and beyond.
Executive Committee
Mohamed IzadineChairUSMC VeteranIntelligence Analyst, Crisis24CEO, Lannes Systems
Zaharah IdrissTreasurerCritical Care Nurse (CCRN)Eskenazi Health and John Muir Health
Eric CunninghamSecretary
Shareef LesanAttorneySudanese Archive
Mahmoud AbdallahLawyerGD Alliance
Amira ZakariaMarketingBiomainten
United States
Esmaeel AndusaSurveyorApex Consulting and Surveying
Evelyn MendozaNurseCommunity Health
Tonya LaceyCommunity Health
Sudan
Dr. Mohammed Khair LissanSenior Surgeon, FRCSSecurity Forces Hospital, Makkah
Marwa AlkananiAttorneyLegal Aid Center
Mawahib TagodNurseSurplus.nl, Netherlands
Mohamed AzhariLegal AdvisorEthiopian Embassy
Yosra ElyassLawyerJALCA
Buthiena MalikMercy CorpsKadugli, Sudan
Chad and South Sudan
Peter LukaPetro South Sudan
Iman NassourChad
Nidal ArjaSouth Sudan
Advisory Council
Our advisers share their expertise and guidance with Discipline. They do not serve on the board or vote on board decisions.
Dr. Ethar Khalil IbrahimAdviserUnited Kingdom
Tomboye Ibrahim ItnoAdviserSafitel-Chad
Our people
Rooted in the communities we serve.
Discipline is guided by its board and leadership team and heavily supported by volunteers: parents, professionals and community members who give their time because they believe in young people.
Our refugee communities from Chad, Sudan and South Sudan remain at the heart of Discipline. With their support, we run humanitarian and community programs in all three countries.
Movement, conversation, learning and opportunity, designed around the whole young person.
Youth development in Indiana
One program can build many strengths.
We combine structured activities with chances to make friends, build confidence, explore interests and find support.
Signature program
Shaolin Kung Fu & Entrepreneurship
Every Friday and Saturday from 11am to 5pm, young people ages 9 to 24 train in Shaolin Kung Fu and meditation, then put that same discipline to work on hands-on entrepreneurship. They build movement skills, self-control, patience and focus, and turn their own ideas into projects.
Each session leaves time for reflection and discussion with peers and mentors.
Group conversations give young people space to talk through concerns, share experiences and build trust with peers and caring adults. The focus is belonging and supportive relationships.
Learning for a changing world
AI & STEM exploration
Young people ask questions about AI, talk about how it is changing work and society, and explore technology through problem-solving and hands-on projects.
Turning ideas into action
Supporting entrepreneurs & small businesses
We help aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners in our community turn ideas into thriving businesses. Young people learn to solve problems, pitch ideas and plan a business, while newer and immigrant-owned businesses get guidance, connections and encouragement to grow.
A stronger neighborhood
Violence prevention & mental health support
We work to prevent youth violence by expanding access to positive activities, trusted relationships and real ways for young people to take part in community life.
We also support young people’s mental health through meditation, peer support circles and caring mentors, and connect youth and families to professional mental health care when they need it.
Nursing scholarships
Supporting future nurses
We award scholarships to nursing students from our community. Past recipients wrote our nursing guide, and every copy sold helps fund the next student.
When businesses can't reach the owner of an old bank account, paycheck, refund, deposit or insurance payout, that money is turned over to the State of Indiana to hold until the owner claims it. Many people never find out it's there.
Our volunteers search the state's public records and reach out to let neighbors know when money may be waiting in their name or their family's. Then we walk them through claiming it directly from the state.
Discipline volunteers will never charge a fee and will never ask for your Social Security number, bank details or passwords. Claims are always filed directly with the State of Indiana at IndianaUnclaimed.gov, free of charge.
Heard from one of our volunteers and want to make sure it was us? Email info@adiscipline.org.
For youth. For families. For the community.
Alongside our youth programs, volunteers help adults and newcomers with navigation, educational support, community referrals and unclaimed property outreach.
Some young people in our activities were experiencing social isolation. We responded by giving them time to talk with each other and their mentors after Shaolin sessions.
Those conversations now shape how we approach wellness, mentorship, learning and youth development.
What our 2026 program included
Discipline's 2026 youth program combined physical training, meditation, goal setting, group games, career conversations and mentorship.
Movement & focus
Sessions encouraged healthy activity, concentration and self-discipline.
Conversation & belonging
Young people shared concerns and built supportive friendships with peers.
Skills & aspirations
Goal-setting and career activities helped youth picture and plan their future.
International programs
Refugee communities in Indiana, supporting families in Chad, Sudan and South Sudan.
Community-powered
Supported by the people who know these places best.
Discipline began with Sudanese and Chadian families who resettled in Indiana. Those refugee communities, together with families from South Sudan, are still the backbone of our international work.
They give, organize fundraisers and keep close ties with relatives and trusted local partners at home. That means support travels through relationships people already trust, to the needs communities themselves identify.
Members in Indiana and supporters across the U.S. contribute funds, supplies and expertise.
Trusted partners on the ground
We work through local contacts and community organizations in each country who understand the needs firsthand.
Families receive help
Support goes to emergency relief, clean water, food, health, education and protection for those most affected.
Our long-term goal
Strong ties to home. Deep roots here.
Over the long term, we want to help our immigrant and refugee communities strengthen their ties to their home countries and become partners in the development of both the countries they came from and the communities they now call home.
Back home
The education, skills, careers and resources our members build in Indiana can support families, schools, businesses and recovery in Chad, Sudan and South Sudan.
Here in Indiana
Their cultures, languages, global connections and resilience strengthen Allen, Marion and Hamilton counties as neighbors, workers, entrepreneurs and leaders.
Where we work
Three countries. One community.
Chad
Humanitarian assistance, health and hygiene, education and support for displaced families and refugees from Sudan.
Community-led assistance, humanitarian support and long-standing connections.
International / Chad
Our community ties
Our roots run to Chadian and Sudanese families affected by displacement and the Darfur conflict. Many of our founding members came from Chad, and their ties to communities there remain strong.
Chadian members of our community in Indiana help fund and guide this work, staying in close contact with families and local partners.
Today, eastern Chad is on the front line of the Sudan crisis, hosting well over a million Sudanese refugees in some of the country’s poorest provinces.
Areas of work
Humanitarian assistance
Support for displaced families and refugees, including essential items and community-based help.
Health, hygiene & WASH
Clean water, sanitation, basic health awareness and access to needed resources.
Education & livelihoods
Support for learning, skills and economic opportunity through local connections.
Women and girls
Health, safety and dignity-focused community initiatives.
The world’s largest displacement crisis. Our community is responding, and we need you with us.
What’s happening
A war now in its fourth year.
Since April 2023, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has torn Sudan apart. Cities have been besieged, displacement camps attacked, and hospitals, markets and farms destroyed. The UN has called it one of the world’s most forgotten crises.
11.3 millionpeople forced from their homes, inside Sudan and across its borders
33.7 millionpeople who need humanitarian assistance
19.5 millionpeople facing crisis levels of hunger, with famine in parts of the country
825,000children under 5 expected to suffer severe acute malnutrition this year
More than 11 million people have been forced from their homes. About 6.4 million are displaced inside Sudan. Millions more have crossed into neighboring countries, many arriving in places that were already struggling.
Chad, home to many of our own families, has taken in more Sudanese refugees than almost any other country.
Discipline’s founding community network formed in response to displacement caused by the Darfur conflict. Two decades later, Darfur is again at the center of the violence, and many families in our community have loved ones inside Sudan or in refugee camps across the border in eastern Chad.
Eastern Chad alone has taken in more than 940,000 Sudanese refugees since April 2023, on top of roughly 400,000 who fled the earlier Darfur war. Sudanese families in Indiana lead our response, raising funds and connecting us with trusted contacts on the ground.
How we’re responding
Emergency relief
Food, clean water, medicine and essential supplies for families who have lost everything.
Health & WASH
Hygiene supplies, maternal health and access to basic care where clinics have closed.
Food security
Help that meets urgent hunger while supporting families’ ability to recover.
Protection & education
Support for children, women and displaced families, including keeping kids learning.
How you can help
Every action helps someone survive this crisis.
Give to Sudan relief
Your gift goes through trusted community channels to families inside Sudan and in refugee camps in Chad. Choose “International: Sudan” when you give.
Sudan’s crisis rarely trends. Creators, influencers and community voices can change that. If you have an audience, we’d love to work with you to tell this story with care and turn attention into real help.
Humanitarian connections and support for resilient communities.
International / South Sudan
Our community ties
Members of our community have deep, long-standing connections to South Sudan. Our work there focuses on emergency response, education, basic services and local collaboration.
South Sudanese members of our community in Indiana help support and shape these programs alongside local partners.
Areas of work
Emergency response
Support and coordination for communities affected by displacement and crisis.
Water, sanitation & hygiene
Improving access to safe water and promoting hygiene.
Food security & livelihoods
Support for farming, essential needs and skills to help families recover.
Education & psychosocial support
Learning opportunities and care for the well-being of young people.
Helping future nurses from our community finish school, and giving back through what they’ve learned.
The Nursing Student Guidebook · 2027 Edition
A study guide written by nurses who’ve been there.
The Nursing Student Guidebook was written by students who received Discipline scholarships. They turned what helped them through nursing school into illustrated sketchnotes for the students coming after them, covering clinical concepts, memory maps and practice questions.
Every purchase supports our scholarship fund, so the next student can get the same start they did.
Get a practical study companion written by recent nursing students, and support scholarships with your purchase. It also makes a great gift for anyone starting nursing school.
How Discipline Inc. collects, uses and protects your information.
Last updated: October 2026
Discipline Inc. (“Discipline,” “we,” “us”) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Indianapolis, Indiana. We respect your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect through adiscipline.org, how we use it and the choices you have.
Information we collect
Information you give us
Contact form: your name, email address, optional phone number, the topic you choose and your message.
Email updates: your email address and, if you choose, your first name.
Donations: gifts are processed by our donation platform, Givebutter. Givebutter collects your payment details; we never see or store your full card number. We receive your name, email, gift amount, any program you choose and any address or note you provide.
Purchases: orders placed in our online shop collect the details needed to process and deliver your order.
Volunteering and programs: information you share when you ask about volunteering or enrolling a young person in our programs.
Information collected automatically
Like most websites, our web host automatically records basic technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the pages you visit, for security and to keep the site running. We do not use advertising trackers. Some features load content from trusted partners, such as our Givebutter donation form and our Candid transparency seal, and those services may use cookies under their own privacy policies.
How we use your information
To respond to your messages and questions
To send email updates you signed up for
To process donations and purchases, send receipts and acknowledge gifts as required for tax purposes
To coordinate volunteers and program enrollment
To keep our website secure and working properly
To meet legal, accounting and reporting requirements
How we share information
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. We share it only with service providers that help us operate, such as our web host, email provider and Givebutter, and only as needed to provide their services. We may also share information when required by law, or to protect the safety of the people we serve.
Email updates
You can unsubscribe at any time by replying to any of our emails with “unsubscribe” or by writing to info@adiscipline.org. We will remove you promptly.
Children’s privacy
Our programs serve young people, but this website is intended for adults, including parents and guardians. We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has sent us information through this website, please contact us and we will delete it. Information about youth participants is collected from parents or guardians during enrollment, and photos of minors are shared only with a signed release from a parent or guardian.
How we protect and keep information
We use reasonable safeguards to protect your information, including secure connections and limited access. We keep information only as long as needed for the purposes above or as required by law, such as donation records kept for tax purposes.
Your choices
You may ask us to see, correct or delete the personal information we hold about you, or to stop contacting you. Email info@adiscipline.org and we will respond within a reasonable time.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last changed.
Contact us
Discipline Inc. 6330 E 75th St, Suite 214 Indianapolis, IN 46250 info@adiscipline.org
Partner with us
Schools, local organizations, businesses, community members and foundations all have a role to play.
Ways to collaborate
What could we build together?
Support a program
Help provide instructors, equipment, learning materials, space or other essential resources.
Share expertise
Contribute mentorship, professional skills, technology or staff training.
Collaborate locally
Connect youth and families with safe spaces, services and positive community opportunities.
Creators and influencers
Use your platform to amplify our youth programs and our response to the Sudan crisis. We’ll provide facts, graphics and stories, and help you run fundraisers with your audience.
Local businesses already make our program possible by providing space for young people. We're building the partnerships and capacity to reach more youth, and we'd love to talk about what we could do together.
Every skill can make a difference in a young person's experience.
Volunteers make our work possible.
Every session, conversation and project happens because someone chose to show up. Whether you have an afternoon a month or a skill to teach, there's a place for you.
Mentor & encourage
Support youth through group activities, goal setting and conversation.
Teach & share
Offer skills in technology, entrepreneurship, fitness, arts or career exploration.
Support the program
Help with setup, operations, supplies and family communication.
Community outreach
Help us let Hoosiers know when the state may be holding unclaimed money in their name. Volunteers research public records and make friendly, no-cost outreach calls.
Your support creates more opportunities for young people and their communities.
Support the work
Give to the programs you believe in.
With the help of our dedicated volunteers, your gift goes further, supporting activities, mentorship, learning materials, equipment and safe spaces for youth.
Prefer to give by check, through a donor-advised fund, or talk about a larger gift? Email giving@adiscipline.org.
Discipline Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN ). Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Give online
Donations are processed securely through Givebutter. Choose your amount, give once or monthly, and pick the program you'd like to support. You'll get an email receipt for your records.
Where it's needed mostYouth programsInternational: ChadInternational: SudanInternational: South SudanCommunity outreachNursing scholarships
