For Immediate Release:
March 3, 2022
(Jackson, Miss.) – The City of Jackson is proud to join a new peer-learning cohort led by the National League of Cities (NLC) to support reengagement efforts with other city leaders and partners across the Southeast and Southwest United States.
Jackson joins eight other cities from across the nation to engage in monthly peer-to-peer virtual learning opportunities and receive tailored technical assistance from NLC’s staff and national content experts to help advance the City’s efforts in reengaging Opportunity Youth.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to make real, positive change and I am committed to making that happen,” said Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba.
The City’s Office of Economic Development has proposed a comprehensive plan that identifies four ways to engage and elevate the lives of those who have left high school prematurely.
The Reengaging Opportunity Youth initiative of the National League of Cities Institute for Youth Education and Families (YEF Institute) addresses the urgent need to develop community-wide approaches to reengage opportunity youth in education, employment and beyond. This initiative provides expert assistance to support cities and partners to create new or expanded infrastructure in the form of reengagement centers or programs.
This cohort program runs from February 2022 through August 2023 and is supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
For more information about the program, please contact the City’s Deputy Director of Economic Development, Jhai Keeton, at 601-960-1993 or jkeeton@jacksonms.gov.