MOSS POINT — Children on the Mississippi Gulf Coast will have a chance to attend what organizers describe as the region’s first mental fitness camp during a free four-day program in Moss Point. 

The River City Kids Mental Fitness Camp will be held July 6-9 at the Family Education Center, formerly West Elementary School. The camp is open to children ages 7 to 12. 

The camp is a partnership between the City of Moss Point, Moss Point Parks & Recreation and Uplift Council LLC. 

Founded by mental performance coach James Moye Jr., Uplift Council is a Moss Point-based organization that focuses on mental performance and wellness for athletes and young people. 

Moye said he developed the camp based on his experiences as a student-athlete and his work with young people facing challenges on and off the field. 

“There’s a lot of things that athletes go through on a day-to-day basis that they have to deal with on and off the field or on and off the court, and a lot of times they don’t have the support or they don’t have the mental capacity to handle those things,” Moye said. 

Moye said he created the Uplift Council to expand access to mental performance resources beyond competitive athletics and make those skills available to young people throughout the community. 

“The whole purpose of creating Uplift Council was just to bring something to the community that they haven’t had access to before,” Moye said. 

The camp is free and open to children from across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Families need to register only once to participate in all four days of the program.