A project in Mississippi equips children with a futurist mindset

Trying to make sense of the future, and preparing for different eventualities, are generally perceived as responsibilities for the grownups. But why should thinking about tomorrow’s big issues be the sole domain of adults? Children of all ages will spend more time in the future than their elders, and benefit from greater access to information, data, and analysis than any preceding cohort of minors since the beginning of time.

Indeed, those who make the decisions about the education and skilling of primary and secondary school students have an obligation to teach them about tools that can help them navigate a world filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Staff at Jackson Medical Mall in the capital city of Mississippi have embraced this perspective.

In January 2020, the mall launched the “Young Futurists Project” as an after-school program. Participants are students between the ages of 13 and 18 years old during the academic school year. (The mall also provides healthcare for underserved populations and promotes economic and community development through a variety of strategic partnerships).

During the summer, participants from the 3rd grade through 12th grade have a chance to participate in the Young Futurists Project summer camp. Most participants attend public middle schools and high schools in Jackson. Many live in low-income families. There is no charge for public school students to participate.

The youth-driven project addresses the culture of health through technology, social solutions, and creativity. It utilizes an approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking. The project offers academic tutoring and homework assistance, coding, robotics, virtual reality, drug and violence prevention, and craft-related activities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the project operated virtually or in a hybrid fashion. Between academic years, the project has operated as a summer camp. During the first summer camp, held on a virtual platform in 2020, the project introduced a group of 4th graders, mostly ages 9 or 10, to futures thinking.