NEW ORLEANS—Mayor Mitch Landrieu and City officials unveiled a robust package of recreation and job opportunities that are available to New Orleans youth this summer. Opportunities are available in all five city council districts through the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC) and NOLA Youth Works, the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program.
In total, the City is committing over $3 million to summer programming this year.
On Saturday, March 7, 2015, the City will host a Summer Youth Camp Expo in four locations across the city that will give parents an opportunity to register their children for City and partner-sponsored camps and programming. Registration for youth camps will begin at the expo. Registration options in addition to the expo are listed at www.nola.gov/nordc.
Summer Camp Expo site locations include:
• Gernon Brown Recreation Center, 1001 Harrison Ave., New Orleans, LA 70124
• Behrman Recreation Center, 2529 General Meyer Ave., New Orleans, LA 70114
• Treme Recreation Center, 900 North Villere St., New Orleans, LA 70116
• Joe W. Brown Center, 5601 Read Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70127
“Providing quality, safe and engaging summer opportunities for all of the children of New Orleans remains one my top priorities,” Mayor Landrieu said. “Summer programs, activities and jobs targeted to youth benefit the entire city by providing a structured setting for young people to learn and grow. We will continue to invest in meaningful experiences for our youth by helping to bring families and communities together.”
NORDC CAMPS
This year, NORDC will offer 39 youth camps (ages 4-12) that will serve over 3,800 kids across the city through partnerships with schools, non-profits and faith-based organizations. The programming offers a wide array of academic, cultural and recreational activities, including free field trips to the Audubon Zoo, the Aquarium of the Americas and NORDC pools for swimming lessons.
NORDC will offer 10 teen camps (ages 13-15) which will serve 1,000 teens across the city. In partnership with JOB1, the City’s office of workforce development, teen camps will offer local teenagers career exploration seminars to allow for exposure to a variety of job fields. Free breakfast, lunch and field trips are provided. Additionally, teens will earn a stipend of $75 per week. Teen Camp applications are accepted by scheduled appointments only
“NORDC is extremely proud to announce another robust menu of summer services for youth and teens across our entire city this year,” Vic Richard, CEO of NORDC, said. “We are making aggressive strides toward becoming a model recreation department for the country and the summer time opens up a great opportunity for us to share our expanded youth programs with the community.”
"Today's announcement of summer job opportunities is to help our young people see their own capacity to contribute to making New Orleans a better place,” District D Councilmember Jared Brossett said. “This is also to let our young people know that their government is invested in them. These opportunities will help to make the future brighter for them and their peers and help us to create a better city for everyone."
NOLA YOUTH WORKS
The Mayor’s 2015 NOLA Youth Works Summer Employment Program will serve 1,000 young people ages 13 to 21 with five program offerings. NOLA Youth Works partners with private and non-profit companies and organizations to provide quality summer experiences at safe, structured and properly supervised environments. Youth summer employment opportunities will improve the overall education of the individual participants and help to build the capacity of our local knowledge-based workforce.
“Summer youth employment is a critical tool to further develop a skilled workforce as we continue to create jobs and opportunities for all New Orleanians,” Ashleigh Gardere, senior advisor to Mayor Landrieu, said. “We have the opportunity to create pathways to prosperity by investing in real-world work experiences for the populations most in-need in our community. I commend our business partners for stepping up again this year to hire New Orleans youth.”
The City has committed over $1 million for the 2015 program. In addition, as part of a three-year commitment, the United Way of Southeast Louisiana will donate $60,000 to NOLA Youth Works. As in past years, local businesses are encouraged to help the City meet its goal of providing paid job experiences for all eligible and interested youth. The City depends on full participation from both the public and private sectors in order to solve the skilled workforce shortage and provide a pathway to prosperity for our young men and women.
Again this year, Mayor Landrieu is calling on local businesses and organizations to sign up to be part of the program. Prospective employers can learn more about the program by visiting www.nola.gov/nolayouthworks.
Employers can also request information by emailing nolayouth@nola.gov or by calling the City’s office of workforce development at (504) 658-4529.
For 2015, NOLA Youth Works includes the following programs:
Work and Learn, June 15 – July 17, 2015 – With programming from various community partners, Work and Learn provides participants with grade level-specific instruction as well as career exploration, job readiness and project-based learning activities. Participants receive a $100 weekly stipend for 20 hours.
Signature Program, June 15 – July 17, 2015 – A compilation of unique summer experiences, the Signature Program will provide participants opportunities in industries such as film and architecture. They will be immersed in learning through projects, community service, presentations and field trips. Participants will earn a $100 weekly stipend for 20 hours.
Traditional, June 15 – July 17, 2015 – Youth will be engaged in a youth-friendly environment and receive hands-on experience that is reflective of the job placement. Participants will receive $8 an hour for 20 hours weekly.
Junior Camp Counselor, June 8 – July 10, 2015 – These youth will serve as camp counselors at various campsites throughout the metro area. Participants will receive $8 an hour for 30 hours weekly.
Intern NOLA, June 8 – July 10, 2015 – Participants in this program, who will be selected based on their resumes and interviews, will intern in a local business, non-profit organization or public office. Internship positions will focus on research and short-term projects that provide impact to the host organization. Participants earn $10 an hour for 25-30 hours weekly.
Applications for NOLA Youth Works are accepted by appointment only. Youth and parents may visit the NOLA Youth Works website at www.nola.gov/nolayouthworks for full program information and to schedule an appointment. Space is limited, so the City strongly encourages participants to apply early.
SUMMER MEALS
In 2010, Share Our Strength joined with Mayor Landrieu to launch the New Orleans “No Kid Hungry” campaign, a public-private partnership working to end childhood hunger in New Orleans. The campaign is working towards that goal by connecting kids to federal nutrition programs including free school breakfast, free after-school meals and free meals during the summer.
This summer, the City and its partners are aggressively working to coordinate free summer meals for all NORDC summer camps by linking them to Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors. These sponsors prepare meals for summer camps. Any child under the age of 18 may participate.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and additional sponsors will ensure all meals are free to summer camp participants. Last summer, the City served over 50,000 meals to NORDC youth and teen camp participants.
