Ellington

[Verbatim] Jackson, MS- he Mississippi State Health Department and others will join the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation for a news conference on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at Center Stage of the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center to announce plans and activities for "Empowering Minds, Saving Lives" Teen Summit 2009. Partners will unveil the agenda that helps high school students develop prevention and intervention skills to deal with issues they face on a daily basis. A display of competing projects from high school students about their experience with the issues will also be revealed.

"Empowering Minds, Saving Lives" Teen Summit 2009 is February 26, 2009 from 9 a.m. until noon in the UMC Auditorium at the Medical Mall. It will feature social service professionals and high school students passionate in their fight to win back our young people at risk for dropping out of school, teenage pregnancy, violence and abuse, disease, and more. Students will have open mike for them to talk candidly with professionals about issues and problems as well as an opportunity to win prizes for themselves and for their school during a competition that focuses on the core issues. The teen summit is in conjunction with the Medical Mall Foundation's "Fresh Start" 2009 Career and College Fair.
For more information on "Empowering Minds, Saving Lives" Teen Summit 2009 or "Fresh Start" 2009 Career and College Fair, call the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation at (601) 982-8467 or log on to http://www.jacksonmedicalmall.org.

Teen summit partners include My Brother's Keeper, Inc., the Mississippi Department of Education, the Mississippi Urban Research Center, the Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition, Hinds Behavioral Health Services Children's Services Division, the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated Stork's Nest, United Way of the Capitol Area, Mississippi Children Home Services, the Perico Institute for Youth Development and Entrepreneurship (PRIYDE), MADDRAMA, PIP Printing, OurGlass Entertainment, Junior Achievement of Mississippi, and the Jackson Public Schools Safe & Drug-Free Division..