Spring Initiative Information

Spring Initiative is a long-term youth development organization in Clarksdale, Mississippi, walking alongside young people from first grade into adulthood. We believe every young person deserves to be fully seen, deeply loved, and continually challenged and supported to be all they dream to be. Our approach is grounded in three pillars: Relationships. Opportunity. Consistency. Through five daily programs for students in 1st–12th grade and continued College & Career support after high school, Spring provides the kind of sustained investment that young people need to thrive. Our students spend more than 15 hours each week at Spring, building strong relationships with adults and peers while receiving academic support, enrichment opportunities, therapy, experiential learning, college and career preparation, and the everyday consistency of people who keep showing up. We call this our 16-Year Promise: a commitment to walk alongside young people from first grade through high school and into the years that follow. Founded in 2011 with 12 young people, Spring now serves 105 students through long-term programming with a team of 24 staff. And we are continuing to build for the future—including the development of a new home for Big Spring, our high school program, in downtown Clarksdale. We know there is no single program, relationship, opportunity, or intervention that determines a young person's future. But we believe deeply in what can become possible when young people have people in their corner, access to opportunities, high expectations, space to heal and grow, and the assurance that they will not have to navigate the journey alone. Spring is here. Every step of the journey.