OY Storytelling Project
Expanding opportunities for young people in New Orleans: evolution and impact
Decades of coordination, collaboration, and community-driven change. This is how a city came together to expand opportunities for young people and what that work continues to build. From a rallying call in 2011 to wins that are still growing, this is where it all began.
Our story
A story of coordination, collaboration, and community-driven change since 2011.
In December 2010, the White House Council for Community Solutions identified 6.7 million young people across the country who were out of school and out of work — a population they called Opportunity Youth. The national spotlight prompted local organizations in New Orleans to look at their own data.
What they found made the need clear. Significant numbers of young people across the city were disconnected from school, work, and opportunity, and the gaps fell disproportionately on Black youth.
Those numbers set something in motion. What followed was years of coordinated efforts — funders, organizations, and city leadership aligning around a shared goal — that over time grew into something more: an integrated system of data, programs, policy, and youth voice working together to change outcomes for young people in New Orleans. This is that story.
Opportunity youth in New Orleans (2016)
Years of strategic effort
Youth-serving orgs involved
Explore how we went from coordinated efforts to integrated capabilities ↓
Timeline
From coordination to integration
Explore the two eras that shaped Opportunity Youth work in New Orleans.
Go deeper on the data, the milestones, and the people behind this work. What you see here is just a snapshot of the full story. Download the complete presentation to explore the details behind decades of Opportunity Youth work in New Orleans.
Download the Full StoryFor youth
Opportunities and resources available to New Orleans youth
Whether you are a young person looking for your next step, or an organization working to support youth — start here.
New Orleans Career Center (NOCC)
Free industry-based training in building trades and healthcare. Designed for young people ready to launch into high-wage careers.
Open ↗
The Re-Engagement Center (REC)
Free resource hub for New Orleans youth ages 16–24, connecting you to post-secondary opportunities and careers.
Open ↗
Opportunity Pass
Free transit passes for Orleans Parish youth ages 16–24. Sign up at any New Orleans Public Library location.
Open ↗
LEDE New Orleans
Training young creatives ages 18–25 with skills to tell their community's stories through journalism.
Open ↗