NOLA Graduates in the Covid-Era Economy
With the devastating effects of the coronavirus on our economy and so much uncertainty about the future, young people entering the world of work in the near term will face a tougher time than their peers did just six months ago.
Smart, innovative, and energetic, our city’s young people are primed to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s economy - whatever it may look like. It’s up to us, though, to give them tools, paths, and guidance they need to succeed.
For nearly five years, the YouthForce NOLA collaborative has been providing public school students with soft and technical skills and work experience to prepare them for the high-wage, high-demand regional career pathways that were expected to be available to them. It’s not clear the extent to which the pandemic will alter the future economy, but it is likely the landscape will be highly competitive for job-seekers. Many of our students already started a few steps behind their peers, not through their own fault, but due to circumstance.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to ensure that our city’s young people are well prepared. It is critical that students graduate high school with not only a diploma, but career awareness, soft skills, technical skills, and meaningful work experience to inform and expand their choices as they navigate their postsecondary options.
We’re all #InThisTogether, and YouthForce NOLA is committed to keeping our collaborative strong, connected, and in sync to advance our collective vision for skilled, prosperous, happy young people in New Orleans.
For the time being, we will continue to send these weekly emails to share news, updates, and resources, as well as some stories to warm the heart.
If there is anything we can do, please let us know.
Warm Regards,
Cate
Cate Swinburn, President, YouthForce NOLA
In this issue, you will find:
This week’s new information
How YouthForce NOLA is responding
Valuable resources, organized for each segment of our collaborative
1. New This Week
LAUNCH Applications Remain Open - Applications for our free bridge year program, LAUNCH, remain open, and the priority deadline to apply is April 30. If you know of a current 2019/2020 New Orleans public high school senior who could benefit from this innovative approach to postsecondary success, encourage them to apply now.
YouthForce on WBOK - On Monday from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m., YouthForce NOLA President Cate Swinburn will be live on WBOK to talk with New Schools for New Orleans CEO Patrick Dobard about the importance of student career readiness in the covid-era. Tune in!
Virtual Job Fairs - The Urban League of Louisiana’s Office of Workforce Development is offering Virtual Job Fairs to connect job-seekers to essential-industry jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
High School Guide - The Urban League of Louisiana recently released their 2020 New Orleans Guide to High School and Beyond, which provides information on all public charter, private, and Catholic high schools in the city.
Fund for Students Tech Access - New Schools for New Orleans is continuing to accept donations to provide internet and technology access to students. If you’re able, please donate.
Childcare for Essential Workers - As the Child Care Resource & Referral agency for Orleans, Agenda for Children is helping connect essential workers with group and in-home child care options.
Louisiana Election Dates Rescheduled – Governor Edwards announced the June 20 Presidential Primary Election will be rescheduled for July 11, and the July 25 Municipal General Election is rescheduled to August 15.
2. YouthForce is Continuing to Deliver on Our Mission
Our immediate response to the pandemic was to restructure our programs, compile resources, maintain a web page, and help our partners and community organizations navigate the evolving situation.
We continue to:
Provide policy guidance,
Advance Soft Skills building virtually,
Innovate in how young people develop Career Awareness and gain first-hand Work Experience, and
Support young people in a post-high school Bridge Year Program in which they develop core skills, expand their networks, and embark on their post-secondary pathways.
We're also looking ahead to how to best support the ecosystem, adapt program models, and deliver on our mission, in a new, virtual or distanced, world.
Subscribe to Our Lists
We send emails to a variety of discrete stakeholder groups with information tailored to their interests, such as students, educators, and employers. If you’d like to subscribe to join one or more of these segmented email lists, click here.
3. Resources
There are numerous online resources for students, families, and educators being compiled by a variety of organizations. YouthForce NOLA is most frequently turning to, and pointing others to, three of our collaborative partners as the primary trusted sources for information: the City of New Orleans, NOLA Public Schools, and GNO, Inc.
City of New Orleans Covid-19 Webpage - resources available to residents, from food and housing to legal and financial support >> LEARN MORE
NOLA Public Schools Covid-19 Webpage - information and resources for schools as well as students and their families >> LEARN MORE
GNO, Inc. Covid-19 Webpage - resources and updates for businesses and workers >> LEARN MORE
YouthForce Covid-19 Webpage - information on our program and links to trusted resources >> LEARN MORE
Resources for Students and Families
Meals
The City is organizing many food programs
NOLA Public Schools is working with partners on a Citywide Feeding Program for young people
Second Harvest is providing food assistance to families in need
Lyft is now offering free rides to grab-and-go meals, tap ‘Enter promo code’ and add the code: CV19NOLAPS20
Internet - NOLA Public Schools has secured WiFi hotspots and Chromebooks and is distributing them in coordination with schools based upon need. Cox, ATT, Verizon and other providers are also offering support.
Job Openings - GNO, Inc. has compiled a running list on WorkNOLA.com of companies looking to fill immediate labor needs
Job Training and Placement - New Orleans Career Center and Ochsner Health are offering a free four-week training program to become a certified Patient Care Technician where students will gain on-the-job experience as an Ochsner Health employee - for more information, click here
Job Fairs - The Urban League of Louisiana’s Office of Workforce Development is offering Virtual Job Fairs to connect job-seekers to essential-industry jobs
Child Care Assistance
Louisiana Department of Education opened the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) to support essential critical infrastructure personnel
Agenda for Children is helping connect essential workers with group and in-home child care options
Financial Aid for Gig Workers - The New Orleans Business Alliance created a relief fund for gig economy workers
Financial Aid for Hospitality Workers - The United Way of Southeast Louisiana created the Hospitality Cares Pandemic Fund
Youth Camps & Youth Employment - The Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program and has shifted to an online process to preregister for its youth camps and employment programs
Urban League of Louisiana has created a Covid-19 web page for its various programs that serve the community
Information for Families - Agenda for Children has organized resources for families, including ideas for activities and tools for helping young children deal with hard emotions
How to talk with children about Coronavirus - Messages for parents, school staff, and others working with children
Mental Health Support - SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline is a toll-free, multilingual, confidential crisis support service that connects any U.S. resident in need to a trained crisis counselor; call 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746
Resources for Schools and Educators
The federal government has time-sensitive funding opportunities for nonprofits, including charter schools, reports NSNO
Louisiana Department of Education released a suite of resources to support school system leaders with academic and workforce planning during this extraordinary time
NOLA Public Schools is providing resources and updates for schools, including for distance learning
New Schools for New Orleans is supporting schools, sharing resources, and providing updates
Junior Achievement is providing free online Lesson Plans to teachers and parents
LAPCS is providing charter schools with guidance and sample resources to support planning and communications to your school community
Agenda for Children has organized resources for emergency child care options, information for families, and resources for early learning centers
NGLC created an annotated list of links to high-quality tools and materials for educators
ConnectED is offering a series of free online workshops aimed at supporting educators
Learning Keeps Going, the Edsurge/ISTE resource website for free products and support, includes an index where educators can search and filter to find what they need
Resources for Employers
Greater New Orleans, Inc.
is sending daily emails with up-to-date information and resources
is providing information on how businesses can benefit from the CARES Act, including creating a virtual information binder
launched GNOpivot to help regional companies pivot to meet demand in the fight against Coronavirus
is compiling a running list of job opportunities
is continually updating their Covid web page
New Orleans Business Alliance is working to ensure residents and businesses have access to available resources
Louisiana Economic Development has launched a hotline (225-342-4321) for businesses to call with questions related to the impact of the coronavirus
This is but a snapshot of the efforts underway across the YouthForce NOLA network and by no means exhaustive. If you know of news or resources you would like us to share, please let us know.