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Our Programs, Workshops & Events
At Adelante, we provide vital support for under-served families in Mississippi. Our programs range from academic tutoring and mental health arts to rapid response and essential needs assistance, ensuring no one is left behind.
At the heart of our work there is a simple but powerful belief: every child deserves the tools, the space, and the support to reach their full potential. Our programs are designed to meet children where they are — academically, emotionally, and creatively — and walk alongside them as they grow. Through education and the arts, we are building a foundation that will serve our young people for a lifetime.
Programs and Workshops
K to 6th After School Tutoring
A child who learns to read and write with confidence does not just perform better in school — they develop the self-assurance to pursue opportunities that might otherwise feel out of reach. That is the driving force behind our tutoring program.
We serve students from Kindergarten through 6th grade, meeting them three afternoons a week for two hours each session after school. To date, we have served 15 or more children, and that number continues to grow as more volunteers join.
Our tutors reinforce the foundational concepts children have been introduced to in school — reading comprehension, writing skills, and core math — while also providing direct support with homework and any subject areas where a student may be falling behind. The goal is not simply to help a child complete tonight's assignment, but to strengthen the underlying skills that make learning easier and more rewarding over time.
This program is made possible through the dedication of more than 15 volunteers and the active involvement of trusted community leaders, including our partners at Grace Episcopal Church, who have been instrumental in helping us create a consistent, safe, and nurturing space for our students
Art Therapy
Academics alone do not make a whole child. Children also need space — space to imagine, to create, to feel, and to process the world around them. Our arts program exists to provide exactly that.
In our art classes, children are given a structured but open environment where self-expression is encouraged and celebrated.
For many of our students, these sessions offer something they may not find elsewhere: a place where there is no wrong answer, where effort and creativity are valued above perfection, and where they can explore their own voice.
The benefits of arts education extend well beyond the canvas. Studies have linked regular participation in creative activities to reduced stress and anxiety in children, improved focus and academic performance, greater emotional resilience, and stronger communication skills.
For children navigating difficult home environments or high-pressure school settings, a safe creative outlet is not a luxury — it is a necessity.
Like our tutoring program, our art classes are led by volunteers and community leaders who are committed to showing up consistently for our students and creating a sense of belonging and trust.
Food and Clothing Distribution
Basic needs do not wait for convenient hours, and neither do we. Our food and clothing distribution efforts operate on two fronts. From our main office in Jackson, we provide ongoing access to food and clothing for community members in need. For those who are elderly, disabled, or otherwise unable to travel, we go to them — delivering food and clothing directly to their homes so that mobility never becomes a barrier to receiving help.
On August 21, 2025, we organized a large-scale community giveaway held at Grace Episcopal Church in Canton, Mississippi. The event served the local immigrant community and offered free clothing, shoes, household items, and more. Recognizing that our community faces legal vulnerabilities that compound everyday hardship, we also facilitated powers of attorney at the event — ensuring that families could take a critical legal step to protect themselves and their children, right alongside receiving the tangible support they needed. Events like this reflect our understanding that material needs and legal needs are often inseparable for the families we serve.
Community Service and Crisis Response
Some of the most meaningful work we do cannot be scheduled in advance. When a member of our community faces an urgent and deeply human crisis, we respond.
We have provided food, clothing, and diapers to three children left behind after their mother was deported, ensuring that an already traumatic disruption did not also mean going without basic necessities. We supported a woman who had taken guardianship of her sister's sons — her sister struggling with addiction and unable to care for her children — by connecting her with professional resources to address the serious behavioral challenges the older child was exhibiting. We drove and provided interpretation services for a woman whose brother had been detained and was facing deportation, making sure she did not have to navigate one of the most frightening experiences of her life alone and without a voice.
These are not exceptions to our work. They are the heart of it. We believe that truly serving a community requires more than programs — it requires presence, flexibility, and a willingness to meet people inside whatever moment they are living through. We combine advocacy, direct services, and human compassion on a day-to-day basis, adapting to circumstances rather than asking our community to adapt to us.
Know Your Rights- Safety Campaign
Knowledge is one of the most powerful tools we can place in someone's hands. Through our Know Your Rights workshops, we educate community members about the legal protections available to them regardless of immigration status — helping families feel less afraid and more prepared. Our most recent workshop was held at Saint James in partnership with MCJ, bringing together community members, educators, and advocates in a space built on trust and shared purpose.
Alongside our workshops, we run an active safety campaign targeting families in high-risk and under-served neighborhoods. We inform residents about their rights in interactions with law enforcement and, we install free security cameras in their homes. For families living in unsafe conditions, this is not a small gesture — it is a meaningful, tangible step toward security and peace of mind.
Health and Nutrition
We believe that the well-being of our community is not only physical but emotional, mental, and social. Our health and wellness programming reflects that holistic understanding.
We have held yoga classes to support physical health and stress relief. Our nutritional education and healthy cooking potluck meet and greets teach families how to prepare nourishing meals, while fostering a place where people from different backgrounds can socialize. Through an ongoing social media campaign, we reach a broader audience with evidence-based information on nutrition, exercise, mental health, and preventive care — meeting people where they already spend their time and delivering content that can genuinely improve their daily lives.
Life Skills
Stability and self-sufficiency require practical tools, and we are committed to providing them. Our life skills programming currently includes Spanish language classes designed to foster cultural understanding and bridge divides within our diverse community. We offer technology workshops where participants learn to navigate and maximize the use of smartphones — a skill that is increasingly essential for accessing services, employment, and information. We assist community members with tax preparation, and we provide personalized support for resume writing to help individuals enter or re-enter the workforce with confidence.
This is only the beginning. We have many more ideas in development and are continuously listening to our community to identify the gaps where we can be most useful.