The Summer Institute is a twelve-day immersion program during which students will identify an issue of inequality, injustice, or further asset development and propose a project that will promote dialogue and change around that issue with an identified partner community or more broadly.
Students will spend a portion of the program at the Shackouls Honors College at Mississippi State University where they will engage with faculty and guest lecturers from a range of disciplines to learn about issues currently challenging the people and the economy of Mississippi, including food insecurity, public health, education, and more. Substantive lessons designed to teach students about the workings and impact of different systems in the Delta will be intermixed with skills-based workshops designed to give students the planning, research, and advocacy skills necessary to begin developing their independent projects.
During the summer intensive institute, students be exposed to history of the multi-state Delta region, through museums and speakers. They will also participate in an Innovation Tour of the Delta, where they’ll have the chance to meet and learn from researchers, non-profit organizations, and community members who have worked to tackle difficult issues in their community through bold new approaches and community-led efforts.
While in the Delta, students will attend the Delta Regional Forum, where they will hear from a wide variety of presenters about current research and work impacting the Multi-State Delta region. At the end of the program, students will have the opportunity to present their own project proposals.
The program will begin on the evening of June 16th at and end on the evening of June 28. Program participants should tentatively plan to travel on Sunday, June 16th (arriving by 3:00pm) and depart from the conference on June 28. Scholars are responsible for transportation to and from the summer institute and some meals. Lodging and some meals will be provided during the institute dates.
