NEMCC secures nearly $1 Million grant for youth development programs

BOONEVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A community college in our area is one of only two statewide that has been awarded a grant to establish development and enrichment programs for young people.

Things may be quiet now at NEMCC’s Booneville Campus, but next week, youth ages 12 to 18 will be at a Health and Fitness Camp. It’s the first in a full schedule of “Career Development Academy Summer Camps.”

“Young people need mentorship, guidance,  some type of adult leadership in their life, this provides that,” said NEMCC President Ricky Ford.

The camps run throughout the summer and cover topics such as career exploration,  Science, Engineering , Technology and Math, or STEM, community involvement, theatre and art.

There is no cost, because the camps are funded through a grant from Community College Board and Department of Human Services.  It will also help students stay focused on academics throughout the summer, and it provides tutoring when school starts back.

“During the summer, most of the time, children quit learning, quit reading, you have a lot of brain drain, so when they start school back in the fall, they’ve got to catch up again, so this program is designed to do tutoring all during the year,” said Pam Meeks, Grant Writer.

The camps will not only bring junior high and high school students to Northeast during the summer, but those camps will also expose the youngsters to everything the community college has to offer.

“The main purpose of this grant, in my opinion is to start recruiting earlier, to get students in the state to attend any college, but hopefully Northeast whenever they graduate high school,” said Beth Benson, YCDA Project Manager.

During the summer, the career development academy camps take place on the Booneville campus.  But during the school year, the program also includes NEMCC locations in Corinth and New Albany. Hinds Community College is the only other community college in the state to get the grant for the Career Development Academy programs.

NEMCC is partnering with area school districts who will provide instructors for the summer camps.

For more information, call Austin Beasley at 662 554 1049 or email at ambeasley@nemcc.edu