Last December, New Orleans was awarded a $500,000 grant by the Mayors for Guaranteed Income, which brings together mayors across the country to pilot guaranteed income programs. With COVID-19 exacerbating existing income inequalities, guaranteed income provides unconditional cash payments so that individuals can fulfill their basic needs. These programs build upon existing research that demonstrates the effectiveness of direct cash assistance as a critical anti-poverty tool.

Beginning this spring, the Office of Youth & Families will be deploying this grant to deliver monthly cash payments to opportunity youth (individuals ages 16-24 who are disconnected from work or school). Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming months!

Last month, the Mayor's Office of Youth and Families partnered with New Orleans Public Schools to encourage our youth to #wakeupandlearn. Mayor Cantrell was joined by NOLAPS Superintendent Henderson Lewis, along with NET Charter School Principal Justin Ross and parent, Ayat Al-Rahahleh to stress the urgency around all students staying connected to school every minute, every day. For helpful tips and resources, head over to our website at nola.gov/youth and explore the links in our community resources tab. 

With leadership from the Office of Youth and Families, Children and Youth Planning Board and New Orleans Youth Alliance, New Orleanians of all ages gathered over the past year to co-create the Youth Master Plan—a ten-year comprehensive roadmap for improving child well-being. 

Last month, we released the first phase of the plan--a series of solutions spread across six priority areas. The New Orleans City Council passed a resolution pronouncing their support. Over the next three months, representatives from dozens of nonprofits, city agencies and other organizations will meet to develop action strategies to move the plan into implementation!

The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council (MYAC) has been working diligently on producing a town hall for NOLA youth on the topic of mental health. The event is scheduled for April 24th at 12pm. Stay tuned for more details!   

Additionally, MYAC now has an instagram account:@MYAC_NOLA. They plan to launch their social media presence with a campaign that focuses on empowering NOLA youth to be better informed about upcoming elections, candidates, and ballot initiatives. 

On February 20th, members of MYAC joined Mayor Cantrell for the Office of Neighborhood Engagement’s Clean Up NOLA event at Hardin Playground. Thank you to all who partnered with members of this community to show the City of New Orleans that we care and respect where we live.

The Pathways youth internship program aims to mitigate youth poverty, unemployment, and recidivism by providing system-involved youth with paid work experiences. Pathways is also committed to ensuring that systems and people who work with vulnerable populations receive trauma-informed care training. To that end, our employer partners received training in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)--which describes all types of traumatic experiences that shape young people’s behavior and longer-term trajectories. To learn more about ACEs, visit ACE Educator Program | Partners for Family Health.

The City has been working to ramp up the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines as eligibility has been expanded to include the elderly, certain professions, and the medically fragile aged 16-64. For a full list of the eligibility requirements please click here. And call 311 or sign up here to be added to the waitlist.

For testing, NOLA Ready provides a list of testing sites and hours of operation for free walk-up and drive-through testing. 

New Orleans is now operating under modified phase 3 guidelines, which stipulate: 

• Indoor gatherings limited to 75 individuals, with masking and social distancing required.
• Outdoor gatherings limited to 150 individuals, masking and social distancing required.
• Indoor dining capacity 75% and bars is currently at 50% 

Finally, the City is still taking applications for the rental assistance program. Eligible households include those at risk of homelessness, families with incomes below 60 percent of the area median income and those that have experienced significant financial hardship. The application is available at Ready NOLA.

Youth Summer Camp Registration Now Open 

NORD partners with community organizations that provide quality programming for youth and teen summer camps as well as enrichment service providers. Summer camp registration and a full camp listing can be found here.

Register for Track & Field 

Track & Field registration is now open for youth ages 5-15. Registration forms available online at https://nordc.org/sports/track-and-field/ or at your local playground or rec center. Season starts March 13th.

Drive Thru Easter Celebration

Join NORD for their Drive Thru Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday, March 20, 2021 at the Lafitte Greenway, Joe W. Brown Park, and Behrman Park from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.  We will have bags with candy filled Easter eggs for youth.  One bag per child and children must be present in the vehicle.  Free and open to all youth ages 3-12. 

Spring Virtual FitNOLA Classes

Stay on track with your fitness goals by joining *FREE* virtual fitness classes via Zoom with FitNOLA! Classes for all levels.  

FitNOLA Run Club

Join the FitNOLA Run Club, now meeting on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:00 PM near the Brake Tag Station at the Lafitte Greenway.  FREE!  Open to all levels. Learn proper form and breathing techniques while running.  

For more information about any NORDC programs visit nordc.org.

Trellis offers Bachelors and Associate Degrees online through Southern New Hampshire University. It’s a fast paced, rigorous and affordable program with a dedicated support team that enables students to have individualized attention as they work towards graduation. To learn more, send an email to admissions@trellisnola.org OR visit trellisnola.org/get-started. They are enrolling every two months!