Metro Sponsoring Committee Working Together

During 2023, Working Together Mississippi: - developed and funded a staff of 5 full-time organizers, one part-time economic development staff member and a policy and development staff member. - we began to develop pre-sponsoring committees in harrison, hancock, jackson, copiah, oktibbeha, lee, lafayette and desoto counties. These groups of voluntary leaders from local institutions began the work of developing chapters of Working Together Mississippi that address local issues in their communities. - conducted educational work around the state engaging leaders around the issue of healthcare access and the issues of rural hospitals. Conducted in person and virtual meetings on this subject with over 500 leaders participating. - assisted Working Together jackson and neighborhood economics in developing a local economics conference in jackson with over 200 participants. We recruited 70 local leaders who participated. - began work in rural hinds county training and developing leaders for a non-partisan get out the vote effort in the rural areas of hinds county. We engaged over 100 leaders in this process and contacted over 20,000 registered voters. - worked with the center for populations studies at the university of Mississippi and Mississippi today in beginning to develop a study on brain drain, the loss of population, particularly young people from the state. - gather over 35 religious and non-profit leaders and our board to hold the first annual meeting of Working Together Mississippi.