Circle 2: Economic Development

Concerns: 

  • Financial literacy
  • Young folks don’t know interview etiquette
  • Workforce training
  • Lack of community building
  • Need for individual mentors—primarily those who grew up in Holmes County
  • Leveraging businesses to be involved in the community, e.g. adopt a school
  • Young folks lack soft skills and employable skills
  • Entice businesses to establish here
  • Standards that businesses have in order to be established
  • Lack of sidewalks + infrastructure
  • Need a clean audit for two years in order to make improvements: have only three certified auditors in MS so Lexington gets passed up
  • How to market the school district to show great work

Solutions:

  • Financial literacy programs in the community; encourage businesses-learning tools
  • Workforce development and training, including interview etiquette
  • Community shift to encourage community-wide initiatives e.g. Holmes County community homework help
  • Businesses adopt-a-school, and the students intern at the business
  • Networking opportunities
  • Professional developments for adults, e.g. customer support

➡️ Read more stories from the Delta Bureau here.

The mission of the Mississippi Free Press, a new nonprofit journalism website and multimedia network that launched in March 2020, is to publish deep public-interest reporting into causes of and solutions to the social, political and structural challenges facing all Mississippians and their communities. Mississippians need to know each other across regions and share our challenges and solutions despite geographic and other differences. We are introducing Mississippians to each other through our deep accountability reporting and compelling people-focused storytelling, and by convening online and physical “solutions circles,” using our statewide networks to ensure inclusivity and representation.