 Opportunity | Equity | Youth and Family Voice | Access | Action
United Healthcare and Cam Jordan Team Up to Support Vulnerable Families
With support from United Healthcare and Saints player Cam Jordan, the Office of Youth and Families (OYF) was thrilled to be able to distribute over 100,0000 infant and feminine hygiene products to families in partnership with various organizations such as Birthmark Doulas, Saul's Light and Training Grounds. The grant also funded laptops for teens who participate in OYF’s Pathways program, which pairs system-involved youth with internships and work readiness training.
$500,000 in Cash Assistance Distributed to Immigrant Families
 The Mayor’s Office of Youth and Families and Forward Together New Orleans partnered with several community-based organizations including El Pueblo Nola- NOLA Village, FREE ALAS, ElCentrola, Our Voice - Nuestra Voz, Familias Unidas en Accion, ECCO, and the New Orleans Worker's Center for Racial Justice to distribute $500,000 to 500 immigrant families in need of cash assistance. Funded by the Open Society Foundations (OSF), this program aims to provide, immediate relief to individuals overlooked for assistance from the federal and state government.
Poster Contest Winners Encourage New Orleanians to Mask Up!
 The Mayor's Office of Youth and Families, together with City Council Vice President Helena Moreno, led a Mask Wearing Poster contest for youth and children. In total, 81 young people, ranging from fourth grade to college students, submitted poster designs. The winning designs were announced at the end of July and will be featured in a citywide campaign to promote mask wearing sponsored by Ochsner. The winners are Dai’Ja Alford (4th -8th category), Mauro Nunez (Foreign Language category), Izzy Harrell (9th-12th grade category), and Raeann Koehler (college category).
Free Vaccines for Kids at Citywide Feeding Sites
A CDC report released in May 2020 found a troubling drop in routine childhood vaccinations as a result of families staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, we teamed up with the New Orleans Health Department, NOLA Public Schools and LCMC Health to implement childhood vaccines at three different school feeding sites. Stay tuned as more schedules and locations are announced! All required and recommended vaccines for children under age 18 will be available.
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25,000 Thermometers Doled out to Individuals Across the City
Health guidance affirms that symptom detection is an important tool to identify COVID-19 and stop community spread. In June, OYF partnered with healthcare technology company, Kinsa, to distribute over 25,000 smart thermometers to 125 different sites across the city including schools, Head Start and early learning centers, senior living centers and housing developments.
 OYF Releases Tools to Track Child Well-Being and Investments in Youth
In partnership with the Children and Youth Planning Board (CYPB), New Orleans Youth Alliance (NOYA), and the Children’s Funding Project, we are excited to release a series of interactive tools and data that will assist with the creation of the citywide Youth Master Plan.
The first tool is a fiscal map - a comprehensive inventory of public investments in children and youth. With funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, New Orleans is third in the country to complete a citywide fiscal map. The tool revealed that in 2020 the city invested a total of $40 million in youth ages 0-24 and $361 per youth, per capita. City leaders and residents alike are urged to utilize this tool to draw connections between investments and outcomes. Visit the Office of Youth and Families website and check it out!
Alongside the fiscal map, the New Orleans Youth Well-Being Data Dashboard, produced by NOYA, provides an updated picture of how children in New Orleans are faring across six priority areas including (1) economic stability, (2) health & well-being, (3) learning, (4) safety and justice, (5) space and place and (6) youth voice. The six priority areas are derived from the work of the Forum for Youth Investment and used in previous data reports on youth published by the Data Center in New Orleans.
Applications Open for Mayor's Youth Advisory Council
We are excited to announce a second year of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council (MYAC). Youth can submit applications to serve on the Council through August 19, 2020. The purpose of MYAC is to advise and propose action items to the Mayor of New Orleans on matters relating to the youth of New Orleans. MYAC meets monthly and is open to all youth grades 8- 12. Preference is given to first-term MYAC members as well as individuals who have participated in the Junior Civic Leadership Academy as a prerequisite.
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OYF Launches Pathways Youth Internship Program
Despite challenges with COVID-19 and school interruptions, OYF was proud to launch the Pathways Youth Internship program on June 15th which is supported by funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Pathways is a year-round workforce readiness program for system-involved youth administered through community-based partnerships with local businesses and wraparound organizations. Currently thirty youth are engaged in paid work experiences throughout the restaurant, cosmetology and entrepreneurship fields.
Celebration of the City's Inaugural Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI)
 In June, twenty parent leaders from across the city gathered with Mayor Cantrell virtually to celebrate their culmination of a 20-week intensive training program called the Parent Leadership Training. Parents and caretakers learned how to become stronger advocates for children by acquiring the civic leadership skills necessary to engage with government, analyze civic issues and bring about change. The Office of Youth and Families plans to accept applications for the next cohort in September 2020.
Community Learning Hubs to Support Students in Need
To support student learning this school year, OYF has designed Community Learning Hubs for children ages 6-18 in partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC) and the New Orleans Public Library (NOPL).
Learning Hubs provide families with safe spaces for their children to engage in supervised independent learning. These spaces will provide youth with access to the internet (as well as devices in some locations) and offer enrichment activities based on age group and host site. The free program will pilot August 17th with one-hundred students spread across various recreation centers and libraries. Check back for more information!
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Parents: Sign Up to Receive Tips from Bright by Text!
OYF has teamed up with Bright by Text, a national parent texting program, to put expert tips, games and child development information directly into the hands of parents and caregivers with children 8 years and under. A resource like this is especially useful now as children are learning from home and parents are trying to do it all! The texting service provides tips about brain development, healthy habits and incorporating literacy and learning into everyday moments. These short messages are personalized based upon your child’s age and your location. To sign up, parents and caregivers can text the word NOLA KIDS to 274448*.
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Still Enrolling Residents for Citywide Meal Assistance Program
We remind residents to take advantage of the City’s COVID-19 meal assistance program, which engages local restaurants to provide meals for eligible New Orleanians experiencing food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meal assistance program is offering 2 meals a day for seniors, people with medical concerns, COVID-positive or quarantining residents, homeless individuals, and kids under 18. You can sign up for free meal delivery by calling 311 (504- 658-2299) or visiting Nola311.org/MealAssist.
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Geaux Girl! Magazine Summer/Fall 2020 Issue
Geaux Girl! magazine just released its new issue and we encourage all NOLA teen girls and educators to check it out. You can peruse their Summer/Fall 2020 issue here or get your free print copy at many locations all over the city. Can't get your hands on the new issue or want a large quantity to give to girls? Contact info@geauxgirlmagazine.org to learn about distribution sites or request copies for your organization.
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NEW ORLEANS WILL LAUNCH COMMUNITY LEARNING HUBS AT LIBRARIES AND REC CENTERS TO HELP STUDENTS WITHOUT INTERNET ACCESS
THE JUVENILE JUSTICE INTERVENTION CENTER (JJIC) ANNOUNCED LAUNCH OF THE IN-HOME COMMUNITY INTENSIVE SUPERVISION PROGRAM
CHILDHOOD VACCINATIONS BEING OFFERED AT NEW ORLEANS FEEDING SITES
YOUTH ADVOCACY TEAM CO-HOSTS FORUM WITH NOPD
NEW ORLEANS PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL TAKE HYBRID APPROACH TO RETURNING TO SCHOOL AMID PANDEMIC
MAYOR CANTRELL ANNOUNCES $750,000 COMMITMENT TO IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES FOR COVID-19 RELIEF
CAM JORDAN'S DREAMBUILDER FOUNDATION PROVIDED LAPTOPS TO BRIDGE DIGITAL GAP
NEW ORLEANS DRAFT YOUTH MASTER PLAN ANNOUNCEMENT TO GUIDE THEIR FUTURE
NEW ORLEANS LAUNCHES 30 DAY MEAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
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