While we will miss the Mid-City neighborhood, we are thrilled to have a new office space that will accommodate our full staff and allow us to host more events and meetings on-site. We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming everyone to our new office!

Please update your address book:
Partnership for Youth Development
1618 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70130

On the last Tuesday morning of the month, PYD staff will be available in 3 convenient locations around the city for coffee and conversation about issues facing those working in the youth development field. Please join us!

Tuesday, October 25th, 8:30 am

• Blue Dot Donuts, 4301 Canal Street
• CC’s Coffee House, 2800 Esplanade Avenue
• PJ’s Coffee and Tea, 5432 Magazine Street

In September the ExpandED School at Fannie C. Williams with VIET was happy to host Award Winning CNN Anchor and TASC Board Chair Soledad O’Brien and several prominent New Orleans East business leaders. Guests were able to tour the program and hear directly from Ms. O’Brien on why this initiative is such an important opportunity for the children, youth and families of New Orleans.

In Central City, at the CP3 Afterschool Zone site there have been many exciting developments since the beginning of the school year such as our Music Production class finishing their fourth song of the year, International Cooking making such delicious culinary items as homemade sushi, empanadas and salsa, and our Videography class producing a silent film. It has been a wonderful Fall semester!

In addition to Central City, the Afterschool Zone also launched in Iberville this September offering such options as Computer Animation, Graphic Design, African Dance/Drumming, Public Speaking/Debate, Sports and Music Recording. We look forward to seeing twice as many amazing updates from both programs in the near future!

The findings in this report suggest that the City of New Orleans is lacking many of the opportunities that support the success of young people (ages 14-24). When confronted with questions about existing programs in the city versus what programs are needed, the respondents overwhelming reported the need for increased programming, services, and opportunities across the board. In particular, the youth respondents clearly noted their desire for increased workforce development opportunities, specifically paid opportunities. In general, these youth not only felt disconnected and not taken seriously by New Orleans, but also expressed an overwhelming majority feeling that the City of New Orleans does not fully support the success of its young people.

Applications for the Fellowship must be received no later than May 15th, 2011. Applications available here.

Fellows will design and complete a research project rooted in their own work experience with youth. In the past, fellows published analytical works studying everything from how authoring comic books can contribute to positive development in young people to the centrality of thriving afterschool programs in highly functional communities. Fellows collaborate to study effective classrooms, afterschool programs, and school-afterschool partnerships. Fellows will enhance their observational and analytical skills, improve upon existing programs, connect directly with parents and community members to create opportunities for youth tailored to their specific communities, and then summarize and disseminate their findings in research articles and presentation to the public.

Visit our Resource section to find:
• The 2011-2012 New Orleans Afterschool Matters Practitioner Fellowship APPLICATION.
• An announcement about the Fellowship including the other cities participating in this work.
and
• A Fellowship overview from the National Afterschool Matters Fellowship office.

The Fellowship runs from September 2011 to May 2012. Meetings will be held two Saturdays per month from September through December; and one Saturday each month from January through May. Fellows must have a Bachelor’s Degree, a year of experience in the field, and be able to show the ability to self-reflect on their work with youth.

All course materials (books, reading packets, journals) will be provided. Upon completion of the Fellowship, Fellows will receive a $500 stipend as an award for their service.

This Fellowship is an initiative of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College, in partnership with Afterschool Partnership and the New Orleans chapter of the National Writing Project (GNOWP).

Applications for the Fellowship must be received no later than May 15th, 2011. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, so please apply early! If the Fellowship class reaches capacity before May 15th, we will announce an early closure of the application process.

Applications must be emailed, faxed, or mailed to:

National Institute on Out-of-School Time
National Afterschool Matters
Practitioner Fellowship Program
Wellesley College, Waban House
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481
niost[at]wellesley.edu
fax: 781.283.3657

Questions about the Fellowship?
Contact Lauren Bierbaum at GNOAP: lbierbaum[at]gnoafterschool.org
or
Cassie Seiple at GNOWP: cassieseiple[at]gmail.com

Questions about the application process?
Contact Karen Lachance at NIOST: klachanc[at]wellesley.edu

“It provided a professional environment…with like-minded individuals and [was] an example of the kind of reflective community that could be created. It was great to hear other people’s experiences. I still draw from the Fellowship and think back to that time.”
– Practitioner Fellow

After facing a critical shortage of summer youth programs post-Katrina, a group of local foundations and organizations created the Unified Summer Grants Collaborative in 2006 to support safe activities for New Orleans-area youth. The collaborative has continued to address the ongoing need for affordable, safe, educational and recreational youth activities and to leverage partner resources through this collaborative effort.

The Collaborative continues as a partnership between United Way for Greater New Orleans, Emeril Lagasse Foundation, and Women’s Leadership Council. Information on Summer Programs will be available at neworleans.ilivehere.info. Once programs are announced you will be able to find summer specific details by clicking on the ‘Summer Programs’ tab located above the resource map at neworleans.ilivehere.info. This resource will provide children, youth, and families with the most up to date resources available in New Orleans Summer 2011.

If you are running a program that is not listed or know of an addition resource please register on the site or contact Eric Jensen (ejensen@gnoafterschool.org) as soon as possible for inclusion.

Over three years, the Collaborative has awarded grants totaling $3.4 million to a variety of summer programs across the New Orleans area that serve vulnerable, low-income youth, who, with this support, have had opportunities to engage in academic enrichment, cultural and arts programs, sports and physical recreation, cooking, and nutrition activities.

For the NORD Commission to be successful it will need a strong commitment from the community to make sure all citizens of New Orleans – young and old – have access to safe playgrounds, accessible green space, neighborhood pools, and the highest quality programming. Spread the word about this wonderful opportunity for community engagement and plan to attend!

NORD Commission Meeting
Tuesday, 1/11/2011, 6pm
New Orleans City Council Chambers
City Hall, 1300 Perdido Street, New Orleans, LA 70112

Our Youth Leadership Fellows participated in a Youth Engagement in Cities conference call with members of established youth commissions in San Francisco, CA, Portland, OR and Boise, ID this past Saturday. These three cities all have successful youth programs that teach leadership and involvement in all levels of community and government. The conference call is a part of a Youth Leadership Fellowship, the first of its kind for New Orleans youth. Launched by the Partnership with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Fellowship will develop policy, advocacy and leadership skills for 20 youth, ages 16-21. The curriculum focuses on youth programming at the city, state and federal level, alignment of programs with education and workforce development, strategies for black male achievement and cross coordination of services and resources to increase equality of access.

Upon completion of the six month fellowship, these young adults will return to their schools and organizations armed with the knowledge and skills developed to lead their communities in meaningful, significant ways. For more information on the Youth Leadership Fellowship, please contact Eric Jensen at ejensen@gnoafterschool.org.

The 2011 City budget hearings are now in progress at the New Orleans City Council and offer the opportunity to demonstrate how funding priorities to children and families have a crucial role in economic development in our city.  On Tuesday, October 26th, the Afterschool Partnership was present to hear the Children & Families budget presentations from representatives of Community Development, Recreation, Health, Libraries, Job1, and Human Services.

In 2011, the Recreation Department proposes to double its budget to $10,000,000 to fund increased services for youth including additional recreational programs, cultural programs and summer and teen camps.  Funding includes $8,002,700 in general funds and a $940,552 allocation from Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) specifically for 30 summer camp sites.  The Recreation Department plans to include over 40 new staff positions to provide additional services under the new budget.

At the hearing, Gina Warner spoke in support of the budget increases on behalf of community- and faith-based organizations to highlight the importance of strengthening collaborations between Recreation and the existing network of organizations already providing high-quality summer programs in many of our communities.

Louisiana needs your help in ensuring that the 21st CCCL funding will be maintained or increased in the 2011 federal budget, as well as protect the ability of community-based organizations to be direct grant recipients of these important community-school partnerships. For the November session, you can help by calling two of our Congressional members who sit on Appropriations Committees: Senator Mary Landrieu is a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education and Congressman Rodney Alexander is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Education. Both will be involved in deciding the 2011 federal budget – and 21st CCLC – over the next few weeks, so please call today!

Senator Mary Landrieu (202) 224-5824
Congressman Rodney Alexander (202) 225-8490

When you call, you may speak to your senator or representative, or one of their staff members. Every call counts! For that reason, it is important to let the person you talk to know who you are (21st CCLC provider, parent, and/or interested party), where you live in Louisiana, why you are calling and what issue you are calling about. Providers, don’t forget to ask your parents to call – they are your biggest supporters for 21st CCLC afterschool!

And what happens when a divided Congress convenes in January? Afterschool and summer programs has received strong bipartisan support from members of Congress in the past who understand the important role these programs have in keeping children safe, helping working families and providing additional learning supports. However, when or if Congress begins to work on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization next year, any number of proposed changes can impact afterschool programs across Louisiana. While much is uncertain right now, the new Republican majority in the House may support changes to several key legislative priorities in education programs. For that reason, it will be important to continue reaching out to Louisiana’s Congressional delegation to foster their support for 21st CCLC and afterschool.

We thank you for making your voice heard on this crucial issue, and for telling the City of New Orleans that NORD is a top priority for you. This overwhelming victory marks a new beginning for the New Orleans Recreation Department and, most importantly, for all citizens of New Orleans – young and old – who deserve safe playgrounds, accessible green space, neighborhood pools, and highest quality programming. Mayor Landrieu has said that the city-wide reforms we have enacted this year – including a new vision for NORD – are moving New Orleans beyond recovery and into renaissance. On behalf of New Orleans’ families, our seniors, and especially our children, we thank you for being part of New Orleans’ renaissance.

• Youth Voice Video: NORD Reform
• Mayor Mitch Landrieu
• Visit www.nordcap.org to hear support messages from Deuce McAllister, Rev. Samson ‘Skip’ Alexander, Philip Manuel, and Stephanie Jordan.

Organizational supporters of NORD Reform include New Orleans City Business and the Bureau of Governmental Research and local individuals Deuce McAllister, Rev. Samson ‘Skip’ Alexander, Philip Manual, Stephanie Jordan, and Mayor Mitch Landrieu!

• Replace the Department of Recreation, transferring its duties and responsibilities to the new Commission.

• Redefine the functions of the Department of Parks and Parkways, bringing its recreation services only under the control of the Commission, and

• Provide for the composition, powers, duties, functions, and administration of the Commission.

The Charter change is the first step in realizing the vision of the NORD Citizens Advisory Panel (NORD CAP) designed to enhance recreational services. The creation of the commission would

• Insure transparent and efficient operation of recreation services,

• Increase community confidence in the recreation delivery unit by creating an independent body that could operate without political interference,

• Provide for the development of increased resources for recreational services by establishing a partnership with the private sector to fundraise and develop resources.

The proposed Commission consists of thirteen members and would be known as the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission.  The specific composition of the Commission is not included in the Charter Amendment.  The City Council will act on the composition of the Commission through Council Ordinance after the October vote and the precise make-up will take into account input received from the community and stakeholders.   The new head of the department, hired and/or fired by the commission, would be the single point of accountability concerning all decisions.  The Director will be hired through a comprehensive and transparent national search process once the Commission is seated.  Additionally, the director will coordinate with a partnering fundraising organization to nurture and support booster clubs at every playground and for every team as well as raise additional private funds to supplement public sector dollars.

Please plan to join us on Wednesday, Sept. 22^nd to hear from Councilman Fielkow and NORD CAP leaders about how the proposed charter change will support efforts to bring a high-quality recreation experience to every child in New Orleans.  The meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. at 4319 Carondelet Street.

Nadiyah Coleman, J.D. Afterzone
Nadiyah Coleman brings brings program expertise, as well as, community leadership to the Afterschool Partnership. Most recently, Nadiyah served on Mayor Landrieu’s Transition Team as Staff Director. She also served as Manager of Social Entrepreneurship in the Lt Governor’s Office for two years. In addition to her state government expertise, she has worked in various capacities for: The National Civilian Community Corps, The Ryan White Title 1 Grant for Louisiana, The New Orleans Department of Health and Tulane/ Xavier National Center for the Urban Community. Mrs. Coleman is a graduate of Loyola University Law School and Xavier University. As the Director of the AfterZone, Nadiayah will coordinate a new initiative that seeks to increase access to quality afterschool programs to children in Central City, and eventually Greater New Orleans.

Bebe Ryan, Strategy and Development
Prior to joining the Partnership, Bebe directed the growth and development efforts of KIPP New Orleans Schools from 2007 until 2010.  As KIPP’s Director of Growth and Development, she raised approximately $10 million in private commitments and led the growth of the highest performing network of public charter schools from 2 schools serving 550 students to 7 schools serving 1700 students.  Prior to KIPP, Bebe worked on hurricane recovery efforts in the Office of the Mayor of Lake Charles, Louisiana.  From 2003 to 2006, Bebe served as the Development Director for Teach For America for the State of Louisiana, increasing revenue by more than 40 percent.  Bebe also worked for three years at the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, where she served as the grant writer, securing several major multi-year awards from national foundations. Ms. Ryan graduated from Bowdoin College with a BA in History and French, and is an alumna of New Orleans Public Schools.