YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Summer and After School Program (SAS)
Summer and After School (SAS) -SAS is a summer and after school program which provides educational enrichment, life skills development activities and multi-cultural experiences to low-to-moderate income children of the west Jackson area. The program is structured to provide after school services during the regular academic session and six weeks of activities during the summer. During the regular academic year, students participate in the program 2: 15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. each week day. A second group of low-to-moderate income children participate in the program for six (6) weeks during the summer from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. To date, approximately 7,500 West Jackson youth have been served.



The Parenting Center
Hinds County Families First Parent Resource Center is funded by the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The Center is comprehensive in scope, providing effective programming to participants in several critical areas, including teen pregnancy prevention, children’s after school services, effective parenting skills, abuse and neglect prevention, and GED and employability skills training. The Center houses a Parent Resource Library and has programs housed at 1060 Lynch Street, Jackson, MS.



Drug- Free Communities Support Program
The Drug Free Communities Support Program is a federally funded project designed as an alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs prevention/invention program. Through collaborations with local community and faith based agencies, the Drug Free program offers a variety of projects and activities to defray youths in the west Jackson area from participating in destructive behavior.

Abstinence Education
Abstinence program provides abstinence education to more than 200 elementary, middle, and high school students and out-of-school youths. This education encourages them to choose abstinence from involvement in premarital sex activities as a continuing way of life. It also teaches them the limitations and other harmful effects that out-of-wedlock children and their parents encounter, as well as the economic and social costs. To date, approximately 3,000 students have been served.

Partnership For A Healthy Hinds County
The Tobacco Prevention program provides information and intervention regarding the danger and effects of tobacco use to Hinds County residents. This program has been refunded and expanded to include Hinds County. More than 7,350 school aged children combined with young adults have been served. It promotes a healthy and safe (smoke-free) environment.

Public Safety
The West Jackson Public Safety program, funded by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety is designed to provide youths between the ages of 15-17, opportunities to obtain their GED, develop employability skills, and receive life skills training. Students participate in a wide range of activities, including: field trips, college orientation, professional and personal development, abstinence education, and drug and tobacco prevention education.

Public Safety students participate in a program at Hinds Community College.