The focus of the Jackson Teams was on youth work. In 2000, the three teams pooled their resources to run a residential summer camp for 40 fourth through eighth graders at Tougaloo College.
They hired 45 high school and college students to serve as facilitators and managers. Youth were paired in groups of five for classroom activities. One class assignment was for each class to graphically design a compact disc cover. Students used Adobe Photoshop software for graphic designs. They used digital cameras to design marketing and promotional materials.
In 2001, Young People's Project (YPPA) conducted a three-week computer training workshop at Lanier High School for middle school students. For the summer of 2002, a joint training (YPPA and Duck Hill groups) was planned at Tougaloo College.
One highlight of this work appears to be the digital storytelling activities. The digital storytelling training allowed students to tell their own stories about their involvement in MIRA related activities. Students also designed a web page and reserved a domain site. The YPPA web site is not currently active, but the team is revisiting the idea of getting it running again.
Partnerships
The MIRA teams worked with local middle and high schools to complete their MIRA projects. They also worked with local Parent-Teachers Associations and the Algebra Project. The information and techniques learned during this project are being used all the time as a component of the Math Literacy Workshops that are conducted in the local communities.
Leadership
The decisions were made by the young people who organized themselves and decided who had what responsibilities regarding project implementation. Youth met at least weekly to review training plans and to develop meeting agendas. Having the young people take over the leadership aspects of the project rather than having the Steering Committee make decisions for them is probably what made this project a success.
Young people who helped to create and design this project are becoming community leaders by helping to bridge the gap between youth and elderly and across geographical boundaries by connecting urban youth in Jackson with students in the rural areas of Duck Hill.
