 Opportunity | Equity | Youth and Family Voice | Access | Action
OYF is now on social media! Follow us on Instagram @oyfnola
 Letter from the Director
Dear Friends and Partners,
It has been an incredible honor to serve as the founding director of the Office of Youth & Families (OYF) over the past several years. As of December 9th, I am stepping down from this role and I am excited to announce that Asya Howlette, who has served as Deputy Director, will be taking over as Director of OYF.
One of the first actions Mayor Cantrell took in 2018 was to answer the community’s call for a dedicated office in city hall focused explicitly on children, youth, and families. Our vision for OYF has been directly informed by the voices and experiences of young people, parents, community organizations and systems dedicated to improving child well-being in our city.
I am so proud of the work we have accomplished together over the past few years. Since 2018, we published a citywide Youth Master Plan; worked to pass dedicated millages to expand park and early childhood access; created new workforce development initiatives that have reached 400 system-involved youth; raised millions of dollars to support families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic via vaccine campaigns, technology accessibility and food assistance; and created initiatives to make sure young people have a seat at the table through the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, Jr Civic Leadership Academy and annual Mayor for a Day writing contest.
I have the utmost confidence in Asya to lead OYF into this next chapter and want to thank all of you for being friends and partners of ours over the past few years. Happy holidays and happy new year!
Best,
Emily Wolff
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What Have We Been Up To?
Introducing "Youth Spend 2022": An Inventory of Investments in Children and Youth
Last month, OYF released ‘Youth Spend 2022: New Orleans Investments in Youth and Children’ demonstrating the City’s $53M investment in young people. Since 2020, the Office of Youth and Families has released this fiscal mapping tool on annual basis to increase transparency and accountability by analyzing all the City’s spending on youth and children services ages 0-24. Only three other cities in the country produce a tool as comprehensive as this one. The tool allows residents to view a snapshot of programs focused on prevention, intervention, basic services, and positive youth development. Take a few minutes to check it and share with your colleagues!
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OYF Presents 2023 Budget to City Council
Team OYF presented our budget to the New Orleans City Council on November 14th, joined by youth representatives, Damiah Lee and Malcolm Ferrouillet. Damiah, who is a sophomore at McDonough 35, spoke about her experience in the Pathways program where she was able to participate in an internship at a beauty salon and hone soft skills such as self-control and communication. And Malcolm, who is a Senior at St. Augustine, shared about his experience in the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council and the profound impact the program had on his leadership journey.
With the early childhood education millage taking effect next year and additional investments from American Rescue Plan, we are thrilled to see over $35M in new funding dedicated to children and youth in the 2023 budget. This is a huge win! Thank you to everyone who came out to make your voices heard throughout the budget process!
OYF, NORDC and OPSB Team Up to Host Mixer Focused on Increasing Collaboration
On December 6th, OYF partnered with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC) and the Orleans Parish School Board to host a networking mixer to promote collaboration between NORDC parks/recreational spaces and neighboring schools. The event brought together NORDC directors who specialize in programming that includes aquatics, multi-programs, and athletics with school leaders and athletic directors from across the city.
Our office has deep appreciation for the schools and school networks in attendance that included Collegiate Academies, Community Academies, Thurgood Marshall, among others. We are excited for our systems to work closer together in order for the youth of our city to reach their greatest potential!
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Signature Programs Updates
Pathways Program Expands to Engage Alumni
Pathways is expanding! The program is a 15-week program that combines work readiness training, personal development, conflict resolution, mindfulness and hands-on job experiences to provide opportunities for youth who have interacted with the juvenile justice system. Pathways graduates can now enroll in an additional 15-week module that builds on the skills gained from the internship experience and focuses on leadership training. Participants dive deeper into goal setting, master effective communication skills and create a working resume. They also become Pathways mentors for current cohort participants. The first alumni cohort celebrated their success with a networking dinner at Gallier Hall in the company of Mayor Cantrell, author Jared “The Dreamer” Green, and Mr. Perry Sholes with the New Orleans Black Chamber of Commerce, among others.
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Mayor's Youth Advisory Council Launches 4th Cohort
We are proud to announce that the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council (MYAC) inaugurated its 4th session in October! The MYAC November meeting included learning about Adverse Childhood Experiences, reflecting on the qualities of effective leaders, and developing priorities for the year to come. Participants also selected their executive committee leadership: Calcea Johnson, Chairperson, Ayonna Carruth, co-chair, Lee Tao, Secretary and Julien Weiner, social media liaison. This session’s members represent all council districts, public, private, and parochial schools, as well as the voice of various genders, ages, and cultural backgrounds.
The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council provides a platform for youth voice in city government to advise and propose action items to the Mayor of New Orleans on matters relating to the youth of New Orleans. Follow MYAC on Instagram at @myac_nola
Scholars Discuss Leadership and Future Goals with Mayor Cantrell
In alignment with the Youth Master Plan, and as part of her commitment to connecting with youth and to amplify their voice, last month Mayor Cantrell visited St. Mary’s Academy and Livingston Collegiate in New Orleans East. Scholars had the opportunity to engage with Mayor Cantrell on a variety of topics that included leadership skills, pathways to success and generating action-oriented solutions to make their communities better.
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Parent Leadership Training Institute Participants Learn About Systems Change
On November 29th, the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) welcomed Thelma French, President and CEO of Total Community Action as a guest speaker. The session focused on systems change and community leadership. Ms. French shared impactful points on the importance of having a clear mission and purpose when developing new initiatives and the value of succession planning for organizations.
PLTI is a signature program of the Office of Youth and Families that engages parents and caregivers in a free course to develop leadership and advocacy skills on behalf of their children. Are you a leader or mentor in our community that would be interested in supporting PLTI participants with their impact projects? If so, please reach out to Mischell Davis at Mischell.Davis2@nola.gov to learn more and visit www.nola.gov/plti.
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Tulane Social Work Interns Conclude Year-long Internship
The Office of Youth and Families is proud to partner with schools of social work across the city and state to serve as a field practicum site. To date, OYF has hosted 12 social work interns that have assisted our office with program support, research, and constituent services and have devoted over 8,400 of in-kind support.
We are grateful to Hannah Moran and Roberta Lambert from the Tulane School of Social Work for spending their practice year with us and we congratulate them on their future endeavors.
If you are interested in learning more about OYF’s social work internship, please visit www.nola.gov/youth and click on ‘Get Involved’ tab.
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Community Spotlights
Mic-Amped (Milne Inspiration Center)
The Milne Inspiration Center aka Mic-Amped has provided over 550 young people, in 7 cities, and 4 countries (United States, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe) with extensive and exciting culturally collaborative learning opportunities. Over the years, Mic-Amped has focused on creating more globally aware urban communities where youth of color can compete socially and economically.
Youth who participate in Mic-Amped engage in a clothing and up-cycled furniture training and social enterprise cooperative where they learn skills and business operations that facilitate workforce development and entrepreneurship. Participants learn how to communicate, develop critical thinking skills, hone their creativity, and become innovative social creators. Through this cooperative, participants also earn income, gain hands-on life skills and trainings, and above all, gain extraordinary and unforgettable experiences.
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The 18th Ward
In 2019, a group of parents in New Orleans could not find a high-quality, low-cost, and inclusive youth sports program - so they started the 18th Ward. In the first season, they had 40 kids. 18th Ward has now grown to serve over 4,000 kids per year and is projected to create at least 10,000 youth development opportunities by 2024.
18th Ward uses sports to advance positive youth development, promote gender and racial equity, and build a stronger community. They have a pipeline of youth development programs serving youth ages 3-24. The 18th Ward represents the diversity of New Orleans. Athletic participants (ages 3-12) come from over 80 different schools and 22 different zip codes. And workforce development participants (ages 13-24) are high school and college students that the organization hires, trains, and mentors to lead youth athletic programs.
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Community Resources
Mini Masters at the Library - Connecting Art and Early Literacy
Children ages 2-5 and their caregivers can connect art and early literacy at Mini Masters at the Library, presented by the New Orleans Public Library and New Orleans Museum of Art, Monday, December 19 at 10:30 a.m. Participants will engage in hands-on art-making activities and develop the skills needed to become ready to read. Space is limited. Register here: Mini Masters
Block Party at NOPL
The New Orleans Public Library’s new Block Party playdates promote early literacy and creativity skills through free play and the most epic set of blocks you have ever seen. The giant set of blocks are a perfect way to inspire open-ended questions and play techniques, two important skills needed to start reading. The library will host three Block Party programs every month –– first Fridays at Alvar Library, second Fridays at Nora Navra Library, and third Fridays at Central City Library. Follow the link for more info: Block Party
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Best Buy Teen Tech Center
Located on the second floor Main Library, the Best Buy Teen Tech Center is an interest-based learning environment for teens to experiment with and master various new technologies, with help from their peers and adult mentors. Membership is limited to ages 13 to 18, and all interested individuals must complete an application with signed permission from a parent or legal guardian in order to use the center. Follow the link for more info: Best Buy Teen Tech Center |
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Job Postings
Office of Youth & Families- Program Manager
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