Free virtual after-school program for Hinds Co. and JPS students

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Just like adults, kids need something to help them wind down after a long day of learning.

The Jackson Medical Mall is offering a virtual after-school program and it’s free for students in Hinds County.

The Young Futurist Project is open to students 8 - 18 and includes tutoring services, virtual reality, coding, robotics, and more.

“They log on for 2 or 3:30-minute sessions after school,” said Fallon Brewster, chief planning and strategy officer for the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation. “We help them with their homework, they have a little fun and interact with our instructors.”

Brewster said the program has been a hit among families who have registered their children.

“We try to make the program fun and interactive because we know most students are going to school online, and you don’t want to log in after having a long day of school and have to do something that seems just like school all over again,” Brewster said.

“It’s very beneficial to their future," she continued. "Especially while they’re learning about strategic foresight, futurism, how jobs are trending in the future and they’re learning about coding. So, we just want to increase their capacity to and provide those entrepreneurial skills at this age.”

To register for the Young Futurist Program, contact Erica Reed or Jessica Lewis at 601-982-8467. Registration can also be completed online.

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