What was The Partnership for Youth Development?

Partnership for Youth Development helps school-age children and youth in New Orleans maximize their learning opportunities and educational experiences both in and beyond school. The Partnership maintains strong connections between community groups, schools, government agencies, and families. Serving as this critical link, we strive to leverage resources to community based organizations that serve youth and fill any gaps between existing local youth systems in order to create a strong infrastructure that effectively supports the children and youth of New Orleans.

We are committed to responding to and anticipating the needs of community based organizations that serve children and youth throughout our community. Our monthly Provider Meetings serve as the launching point for many of our activities, serving as a forum to discuss, plan, update, share resources and develop partnership with one another. Any interested community member is welcome to attend these meetings.

The Partnership for Youth Development works to establish linkages that support the improvement of expanded day and summer programs, as well as expand the broader network of organizations serving youth. Relationships are cultivated and maintained with other regional, state and national organizations to further the mission of the Partnership and our community providers.

Partnership for Youth Development provides a calendar of training opportunities available through-out the community and nationally, accessible via webinar or conference settings. To support the expansion and quality of programs serving youth ages 10–18 the Partnership collaborates with local organizations and Academy for Educational Development to provide Advancing Youth Development directly to New Orleans community based organizations.

Advancing Youth Development, developed by the Academy for Educational Development, is a nationally recognized course and curriculum for those working with youth ages 10–18 and their supervisors. The Partnership began offering AYD as a direct response to the need for quality programming for New Orleans youth. The course provides 30-hours of direct instruction and interactive facilitation aimed at providing each youth worker with a operating knowledge of the definition of youth development and the core youth development principles: that all young people seek to meet their fundamental needs, that youth should be challenged to achieve their highest potential, and that caring adults provide youth with a full range of supports necessary to succeed.