Jackson, Mississippi
Overview
This is the first year Jackson has been recognized as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People. Jackson is committed to providing a solid education and venues for its young residents to get involved with civic work. Local partners work together to reduce dropout rates and ensure youth have a great learning environment. The Jackson Promise Coalition is working to improve local graduation rates and recently made strides by recruiting members and hosting a Drop Out Prevention Summit. Today, Jackson’s graduation rate is more than 60 percent. In addition, the Youth Leadership Jackson program provides sophomores and juniors an opportunity to learn group dynamics, public speaking, team building, decision making and leadership concepts.
To get young people involved in community civics, the Mayor’s Youth Council lets young people learn about the political system and city government. Overall, the city allocates more than $300 million in financial resources for youth programming. The Mayor also is directly involved by appointing high school students to be a part of the School Board Transition Team. The student’s role is to assess how effectively current policies address the needs of young people.
Community Programs
- The Mayor’s Youth Council gives youth the opportunity to learn about the political system and city government.
- The Young Peoples Project helps students from traditionally marginalized populations develop into learners, teachers, leaders, and organizers through math and media literacy, community-building and advocacy.
- The Jackson Promise Coalition is working to improve local graduation rates and recently hosted a Drop Out Prevention Summit.
- The Jackson Medical Mall is a comprehensive healthcare complex that serves Jackson’s low-income neighborhoods.
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Youth Leadership Jackson is a community-wide leadership program for high school sophomores and juniors designed to expose young leaders to the components that make a strong community.
Youth Voices
My city, Jackson, has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the many fine qualities that it has. Just recently, I participated in a state-wide youth leadership conference that was hosted by the City of Jackson’s Mayor’s office.
—Bryston
Perrico Institutes has partnered with the school district to provide entrepreneurial training and opportunities for high school students. Through this partnership, I have started two small businesses to save money for college.
—Laurin