Join NJFC’s 2025 Summer Programs –Empower,Educate, Lead!
This summer, NJFC is calling students and families to be part of something powerful. Our programs are designed to inspire leadership, strengthen literacy, and build safe spaces for growth and transformation.
From conflict resolution to reading circles, from girls’ empowerment to community organizing — NJFC’s summer offerings support youth in becoming changemakers.
🗓️ Apply by May 15
📍 Serving students across Holmes County and beyond
Programs Include:
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Youth Leadership Development
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The Princess & Queendom Girls’ Empowerment Initiatives
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Scholars of Peace (Peer Mediation & Social Action)
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Love to Read & Read to Learn Literacy Program
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✨ Space is limited — apply now and build a better future with NJFC!
power is the
ability to make
something happen or not
Investigate
We begin by gathering information. This means digging deep — listening to the community, identifying the root causes of issues, analyzing power dynamics, and documenting lived experiences. Investigation lays the foundation for strategic action by ensuring we know who is affected, what’s happening, and why.
Educate
Knowledge is power. We believe in educating ourselves and others — about the issues, the systems at play, and the possibilities for change. Through workshops, meetings, and conversations, we build a shared understanding so that the entire community is equipped to lead.
Negotiate
Once we are informed and united, we move to negotiation. This step is about leveraging our power to advocate for real solutions. We engage decision-makers — from school boards to elected officials — to demand what our communities need. Negotiation means using strategy and pressure to win concrete change.
Demonstrate
When negotiations fall short — or when it's time to amplify our demands — we take action. Demonstration is the visible expression of our power. Through marches, rallies, press conferences, or peaceful protest, we bring the issue to the public and show we are serious about justice.
Our Model of Community Organizing
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Youth Leadership & Development
The Youth Leadership and Development Program engages middle and high school students, aiming to develop their leadership skills and foster personal growth. The program fosters the development of civic engagement, policy analysis, and student leadership opportunities at both the school and community level. The training program builds the capacity of young people to understand and use their collective power to impact policy formation and develop leadership skills directly related to the social justice movement issues. The program nurtures the development of power through community organizing to build high performing, high quality, healthy, safe schools and opportunity for student leadership. The program also offers an 8-week interactive summer camp where students gain skills in goal setting, community organizing, career and college preparation, budgeting, and social change. Students participate in peer-to-peer youth exchanges and convenings, broadening their perspectives beyond Holmes County and Mississippi.
Parent Education Training & Support
Parent Education Training & Support, PETS, provides education, training, and support to Holmes County parents to help them better understand and access education services for children at both the local district and state level. We work to enhance the capacity of parents to work in support of each other, to hold the local school board accountable to the formation and adoption of family-centered education policies, to hold school personnel accountable for implementing practices and policies that support the effective development of children and youth. The Purpose of Parent Education Training is to Empower parents with knowledge about their child’s specific learning needs and Equip parents with strategies to support children/student development and learning at home.
We help parents to become advocates by Understanding IEPs
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Overview of Individualized Education Programs(IEPs)
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Definition and purpose in supporting students with learning disabilities
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Legal framework and components of an IEP(504 Plan)
Benefits of our Parent Education, Training & Support Program
Positive impact:
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Improved parental involvement and engagement in education
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Enhanced understanding of learning disabilities and accommodations
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Better support systems at home leading to improved academic and social-emotional outcomes for students
Scholars of Peace
Scholars of Peace is a participatory action research project promoting socio-economic change in Holmes County. Scholars of Peace was established in 2012 in response to the rising violence in schools, homes, and communities in Holmes County. Staff, youth leaders, and organizers recognized the growing problem and created the initiative to address and reduce violence, promoting peace and positive change within the area. The program engages K-12 students, their parents and schools in learning activities, service-learning placement experiences; along with special-student-designed projects that address social and environmental needs. The SOP program explores and identifies resources that enhance strategic learning and offer effective strategies to resolving disputes and conflicts through our Peer Mediation and Conflict Resolution programs. Scholars of Peace focuses on teaching students valuable skills such as strategic learning, goal-setting, literacy enhancement, and conflict resolution. These skills are developed through various African stories and practices, offering a cultural perspective that enriches the learning experience and encourages personal growth and peaceful problem-solving.
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Princess & Queendom Initiative
The Princess & Queendom Initiative is a program dedicated to empowering Black girls from elementary through high school by creating a supportive environment for personal, academic, and emotional growth. The initiative focuses on providing "safe spaces" where girls can express themselves, engage in open discussions, and develop self-esteem. Through workshops, conversations, and activities, the program helps girls set goals and navigate challenges with confidence.
The initiative fosters a strong sense of community and sisterhood, offering events like monthly slumber parties, girl talk sessions, makeup workshops, dance contests, and team-building activities to promote personal development, creativity, and leadership skills. By creating meaningful connections, the program aims to inspire and empower the next generation of strong, independent Black women.
Reading Program
The Reading Program is designed to support children and youth from preschool to middle school, fostering a love for reading in a collaborative learning environment. Younger children benefit from reading alongside older peers, engaging in activities like reading aloud and being read to, which enhances their comprehension and encourages empathy, communication, and mentorship.
The program focuses on developing essential skills such as attention, focus, following directions, and social etiquette, which contribute to both academic success and personal growth. The program introduces children to books by African American and Latina authors, promoting cultural awareness, representation, and pride. By broadening their worldviews, the program not only improves literacy but also nurtures a love for books and diversity in literature.
Life, Liberty & Pursuit of Land: Community Gardens
Our Reading Program serves children and youth ranging from preschool through middle school. It is a cooperative learning environment in which young children read and are read to by older students. Children read for comprehension and to develop a love for reading. This program helps to ensure that participants develop skills in paying attention, focusing, following directions, and social etiquette. The program also works to expose children and youth to African American & Latinas authors§ illustrators.