Opportunity | Equity | Youth and Family Voice | Access | Action
What have we been up to?
Moving Our Park System Forward
The plan has two driving principles:
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Equity—a commitment to a just, fair, and inclusive park and recreation system that is tailored to meet the unique needs of New Orleans’ communities, particularly those that are currently underserved.
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Resilience—harnessing the potential of the citywide park system to absorb stormwater, protect critical wildlife habitat, and support the city’s social fabric and cultural lifeways.
There will be multiple opportunities for residents and community groups to get involved in the planning process and provide feedback. We encourage residents to attend one of the in-person community workshops. Check out the dates in the flyer! Also please fill out the comprehensive survey to help us gather feedback and input.
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OYF Helps to Promote Third Grade Reading
Our office, along with the New Orleans Public Library, and the Louisiana Children's Museum (LCM) are excited to launch NOLA Readers 2.0, an innovative partnership that will offer local public school second graders an opportunity for an engaging literacy experience. According to the United Way of Southeast Louisiana, “a child’s ability to read by the end of third grade is an important predictor of future success. Children who read on grade level by the end of third grade are more likely to graduate high school and have higher earnings as adults."
Second grade classes that sign up for this free field trip will visit LCM and the Library’s Main Library. Additionally, each student will receive a copy of the selected book, I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes. Teachers will also receive a class book and supplemental learning materials designed by educators from LCM and the Library.
Interested schools and second grade teachers can reach out to Shannon Blady, Louisiana Children's Museum Chief Learning Officer at sblady@lcm.org
New Orleans Launches Early Learning Campaign
 This month, the City of New Orleans, Agenda for Children, and New Orleans Public Schools launched a campaign to assist families in enrolling in early childhood education. There are over 5,000 publicly funded seats available for families to enroll in across New Orleans. This opportunity is a direct result of our residents' commitment to invest in our youngest residents and families through the passage of the early childhood education millage, which will generate over $21M this year. The campaign will feature billboards, social media, and other innovative forms of engagement to directly connect with families. The deadline to apply is March 10th. Visit enrollnolaps.com to learn more
All About the Youth and Families at Gallier Hall!
In December and over Mardi Gras our office collaborated with the Office of Cultural Economy to host youth and parents at Gallier Hall to celebrate the holidays. Over 100 youth visited Gallier Hall for Deck the Halls and then again for the Legion of Mars, Krewe of Pontchartrain and Krewe of Choctaw parades.
Additionally, our Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) parent leaders and their families enjoyed the parades at Gallier Hall. Community building opportunities during and after programming, are critical for the continued development of leaders in our community. Families that play together, stay together!
All youth and parent leaders who attended these events either participated in or applied to one of our signature programs. Interested in joining us next year? Visit nola.gov/youth and fill out our contact form.
OYF Signature Program Updates
The Mayor's Youth Advisory Council Meets Interim Chief Woodfork and Leads a Youth Town Hall
The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council (MYAC) has been busy! On February 4th they held their monthly meeting at Habana Outpost. At this meeting, they had a chance to meet Interim Chief Woodfork to discuss their lived experience as youth in New Orleans.
On February 25th, MYAC hosted a town hall at City Hall entitled “Let’s Talk!”. In advance of the town hall, they asked youth in New Orleans to fill out this survey which is still open and welcomes more responses. The survey is also available in Spanish. Over 40 people attended, including Councilmembers Green and King, who listened to youth present and discuss issues focused on youth mental health, gun violence, and youth-centered positive solutions. The event also featured panelists that included Dr. Chelsi Clark, Dr. Billie Castle, Teddy McGlynn-Wright, Brent Bailey, and Claire Ryder who represented the areas of mental health, crisis response, and gun violence prevention.
Calcea Johnson, MYAC Co- Chair ended the meeting by saying: “I want to take a moment to hone back in and remind everyone of what the takeaway from this conversation should be...a wake-up call to everyone- My actions, your actions, your friend’s actions, you parent's actions, everyone in this city’s actions have consequences...The solution starts with us, the community. We have to make a commitment to ourselves to think before we react, and think about who may be impacted by our reactions. We all have to be better together. If not us, then who will?"
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 @myac_nola
Summer Success Onboards Partners for 2023
The Office of Youth and Families is proud to announce the 2023 partners for the Summer Success program. This year the following community-based organizations will provide 6 weeks of paid work-readiness experiences in partnership with the JOB1 summer youth employment program:
Summer Success is a summer work readiness program operated in partnership with JOB1 to serve system-involved and vulnerable youth. Since 2019, OYF has partnered with diverse partners to provide youth with essential work readiness and soft skills training in a fun and creative learning environment over the summer.
Parent Leadership Training Institute Participants Learn with Elected Officials
In February, the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) welcomed Councilmember Oliver Thomas, Councilmember Freddie King III and former State Representative Neil Abramson for the sessions “How the City Works” and “How the State Works.” In these classes, parent leaders had the opportunity to engage with elected officials to understand government systems, carve pathways for civic engagement, and exercise their advocacy skills.
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.
OYF and Mayor Cantrell Hear from New Orleans Scholars
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Students of all ages had a chance to connect with Mayor Cantrell to highlight their schools and talk about leadership, calls to action, and celebration of scholarship.
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Community Resources
NORDC Summer Camp Expo
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The NORDC Summer Camp Expo is March 11, 2023, 9 AM – 1 PM at various NORD rec centers across the city. This will be the first opportunity to speak to camp directors directly and learn more about their camp, activities, and requirements. Check out the flyer or visit nordc.org/camps to learn more. |
Family Day at the New Orleans Book Festival
The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane returns! Check out the author lineup for Family Day on Saturday, March 11th, 2023!
Free bus rides to Family Day from a library near you! Shuttles will provide free round-trip rides to Family Day from the below library locations to drop off in front of Devlin Fieldhouse on Freret. Pick-ups from each branch are at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. respectively. Departures from Tulane back to the library branches are at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Algiers Regional Library: 3014 Holiday Drive
East New Orleans Regional Library: 564 Read Boulevard
Norman Mayer Library: 3001 Gentilly Boulevard
New Orleans Public Library invites youth to the Best Buy Teen Tech Center
The Best Buy Teen Tech Center is an interest-based learning environment for teens to experiment and master various new technologies with help from their peers and adult mentors. The center is equipped with technology and multimedia tools that can be used for music and video production, interactive programming, graphic design, and more.
The Best Buy Teen Tech Center is designed to be a safe, comfortable, and engaging space for teens. Membership is limited to youth ages 13 – 18. Members must complete a membership application and get signed permission from a parent or legal guardian in order to participate.
The Best Buy Teen Tech Center is open to all ages on the 1st Tuesday of every month. NOPL waives the age restriction for community members to check out what the Best Buy Teen Tech Center has to offer.
To apply to be a member of the Best Buy Teen Tech Center click here!
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Housing Assistance for Educators
The City of New Orleans is providing down payment assistance to early education instructors, school paraprofessionals, public school teachers in grades K-12, and school behavioral health professionals in order to strength the educator workforce pipeline in New Orleans.
Visit the Office of Community Development for more information.
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Council District Highlights
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In The News
New Orleans parks are set for a major revamp. Here's how you can weigh in.
5,000 early childhood seats available for low-income kids.
Employment Opportunities
NORDC Summer Lifeguards
Are you over the age of 16 and looking for a fun job this summer?
You can become a summer lifeguard!
NORDC is hiring summer lifeguards with pay starting at $15.91/ hour. To learn more contact (504) 658-3044 or jsjones@nola.gov !
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YouthForce NOLA
Each year, YouthForce NOLA and Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans gather high school freshmen from public schools across the city to expose them to high-wage, high-demand career pathways that will put them on a path to economic prosperity. We focus on four skill clusters: digital media/IT, skilled crafts, health sciences, and business services, while highlighting green infrastructure and STEM careers.
We believe that meeting the workforce demands of our region’s fast-growing industries is a collaborative effort that must include local organizations and businesses. Career Expo offers the local business community an opportunity to introduce and expose young people to their industry and work in a fun, interactive, and relaxed environment. We hope that you will join us in showcasing the many career opportunities in the greater New Orleans area for our future workforce.
For more information and to register, click here
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The New Orleans Health Department
The New Orleans Health Department has several job openings- Click here to learn more! |
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Youth Empowerment Project (YEP)
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The Youth Empowerment Project has various job openings including YEP Educates Director and HiSET en Español Instructor – for more information and to apply, click here! |
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