Support Americorps

Many NOLA YURP members, including myself, are either Americorps alumn or current members. Many non-profits in New Orleans have benefited from having Americorps volunteers and there is now a bill to help make Americorps more attractive to young people across the country. Members of the House of Representatives are leading a bill to end the taxation on the Eli Segal Education Award. This is the money that Americorps volunteers receive to use for education after they complete their term of service. You can support the bill by writing a letter to your representative in support of HR 6407. Here are some talking points

If you are in New York City, you can join NOLA YURP members at

Forever New Orleans: Drinks for Expats
July 2, 2008 :: 7:00 - 9:00 PM
The Redhead
349 East 13th Street (corner of 1st Ave)
RSVP: http://alldaybuffet.pingg.com/ForeverNewOrleans/

Citizen Participation Summit, Small is Beautiful

I went to a meeting yesterday with different New Orleans residents who are interested in thinking about ways to create a local currency to support the New Orleans small business community. If you are interested, you can join the discussion, here.

We also encourage you to participate in the Citizen Participation Summit- more information below


Citizen Participation Summit
To be held
Friday, July 11th and Saturday, July 12th
at the
Pan-American Life Center, 601 Poydras
To be held in the Bayou Room, on the 15th floor


The Summit will begin at 5 pm on Friday, July 11th. Friday will be educational and action-oriented, with different models of citizen participation distributed, studied, and discussed, all while considering the diverse needs of New Orleans' neighborhoods. Participants will take on an active role and define some of the activities, conversation topics, and ideas to be explored on the second day. The evening will also feature a keynote speaker, Judith Mowry. Judith serves as the Effective Engagement Solutions Coordinator in the Office of Neighborhood Involvement in Portland, Oregon. Dinner will be served.

Saturday, July 11th will begin with registration and coffee at 8:30, with the activities beginning at 9 am. The day will focus on the various challenges facing the process, how to engage our communities, and what our action plan and structure of engagement will be following the Summit. We anticipate that the conversation will be diverse, engaging, and interactive, with the identification of concrete solutions and goals, and culminating in the creation of a strategy and structure of involvement. The Summit will end at 3:45, with a celebration following.

We encourage everyone to attend the Summit. Registration is required, but free and open to everyone. To register, please email Breonne DeDecker at breonne@npnnola.com. If you have filled out a registration form, confirmed by phone, or already registered via email, do not worry about registering a second time. Childcare will be provided on site by Agenda for Children. Registration will close on July 3rd.

For more information, please call 267-4665.

New Orleans Hornets 2008 Draft Party

Thursday, June 26, 2008
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Fox and Hound - Green Room
1200 S. Clearview Parkway
Elmwood Village Center
Harahan, LA 70123

Food and Drink Specials including $0.35 wings, a free apetizer with the purchase of an entree, and drink specials.

Appearances by Hugo and the Honeybees

For more information
http://www.nba.com/hornets/news/2008_Draft_Pick_Party_Informat-275222-2057.html

New Orleans Film and Lifestyle

There are some new blogs floating around town by some NOLA YURP members:

www.minorityweirdos.blogspot.com

www.nocitychic.com


Also, check out the preview for this new film about some of the New Orleans' charter schools. There will be a screening on Wednesday at 7pm at Canal Place.

NOLA YURP around the blog and podcast world

Hear us talk to Craig Kraemer at New Orleans Podcasting.

The America Forward Coalition mentioned the Urban Next Summit in their blog today! We read it, you can too....

Looking for something to do tonight?

Share your story for the New Orleans Institute

As a reader of our blog, you have been chosen!
We want to hear your story and also give you the opportunity to present it to a national audience. Read the details below



The New Orleans Institute

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

June 20, 2008

Dear New Orleanian:

You are receiving this letter because you have a story worth sharing.

For many months after the levees breached in 2005, we waited for someone to come and help us "recover." Who was that "someone"? FEMA? The federal government? A university? Developers? We were waiting for experts to arrive with answers.

In time we learned that the experts—and the answers—were already here. In the midst of public failures have been countless successes, brought about by willing, able and imaginative individuals drawn together to resurrect their communities.

You are one of those individuals.

Perhaps you have been working to bring back neighbors, or to establish better governance of the public infrastructure, or to restore the environment, or to create well resourced schools. You may be working to restore and grow neighborhood economies, to create new businesses for the new economy, to protect historical housing stock, to provide a mobile health system, to address racist and outdated systems, to encourage neighborhood-friendly development, to nurture precious cultural traditions, or to create a safety net for neighbors and family still struggling since the storm.

On behalf of The New Orleans Institute, an emerging network of organizations and individuals involved in every aspect of community-based recovery in New Orleans, we invite you to submit a proposal to present in New Orleans on Saturday, August 30, 2008. "New Orleans Speaks: We are the Ones We've Been Waiting For" is a forum to tell your story and that of your constituents to a broad audience including members of the media, elected officials, nonprofit organizations, national and local funders, and others. Presentations will be recorded and webcast to have widespread and lasting impact.

If you are interested in presenting, click here to get the application and submit your proposal electronically by July 3, 2008. If you have any questions please contact nolaspeaksconference@gmail.com or call 866 0985.

Sponsorship Opportunities for the Urban Next Summit

Want to be a sponsor of a conference in New Orleans that will bring young leaders from around the country to think about how to retain and attract young professionals?

We INVITE YOU to be a part of CEOs for Cities and NOLA YURP's Urban Next Summit July 24-25, 2008 at the International House Hotel in the historic French Quarter New Orleans!

For more information on sponsorships please contact us at info@nolayurp.org or give us a call at 504-267-4004.

*All donations are tax deductible through our fiscal sponsor, the Young Leadership Council*

A few things to click on

Need a place to live next year? Get on the list for more information

Want to restore the New Canal Lighthouse in New Orleans? Vote Here

Do you need a new myspace friend? Try our friends Curious Tribe

Next American City Features article about Charity, JCPA includes NOLA YURP in their fact finding mission

First, our friends at Next American City have a new issue. In it, Brentin Mock writes about the issues surrounding Charity Hospital. Check it out here

Also, the Jewish Council of Public Affairs has been in town this week, with both Black and White religious leaders to hear from the New Orleans community about the state of recovery. Last night, they spoke with NOLA YURP Board Member, Dr. Vera Triplett, and today I spoke about what NOLA YURP is doing to try to build diverse coalitions of young people who are working together to help rebuild the city.

Help Bring New Orleans Musicians to HBO

"By watching the following videos, you have a unique chance to help local New Orleans filmmaker, producer, and NOLA YURP member, Chris Brown pitch HBO on creating a series for New Orleans music, the more exposure we create for New Orleans, the more video views, the greater the chance that HBO will move and do something to help us produce this series.




This clip was shot during French Quarter Fest 2007 filmed by Television Producer Phil Silver (Last Comic Standing and more).

We are the Ones We've Been Waiting for

NOLA YURP is working with some great New Orleans non-profits to put together an event for the third year anniversary that will highlight the "stories of personal and community recovery, present visions for urban renaissance, and identify targeted resources communities need to bring their visions from concept to completion."



Save the Date for August 30th from 9-4.

The New Orleans Institute is being supported by the Blue Moon Fund and includes Beacon of Hope Resources Center, City-Works, Common Knowledge, Idea Village, Neighborhoods Partnership Network, The Urban Conservancy and NOLA YURP.

If you would like more information,please email us at info@nolayurp.org

NOLA YURP joins America Forward

NOLA YURP has been invited to join the America Forward Coalition...Read about the organization here

"America Forward exists to create the conditions in which leaders from across sectors and at all levels work with social entrepreneurs to help solve our country’s most pressing domestic problems.

Who are we?

The America Forward coalition is organized by New Profit Inc. and includes more than 60 results-oriented, entrepreneurial nonprofit organizations with programs operating in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Together, these organizations serve more than 10 million people per year and have a collective budget of more than $400 million. Coalition members and the America Forward effort focus directly on the toughest domestic challenges facing our nation in education, public health, poverty and economic mobility, workforce development, crime prevention, and civic engagement.

Read more by visiting their website

(www.americaforward.org)

Ultimate Club Mix 2008 June 11th @ the W-New Orleans on Poydras St.

NOLA YURP, Trumpet, AD CLUB, AMA, PRSA, and IABC present to you the "Ultimate Club Mix 2008". Please join us at the W-New Orleans Hotel on 333 Poydras St. from 6:30pm to 10:30pm on Wednesday June 11th.

Sponsored by Stiletto Vodka, Tabasco, The Bottled Water Company, the W-New Orleans Hotel, and PSAV

*Free featured Drink from Stiletto Vodka*
*Free food from 6:30pm-8:30pm*

Music brought to you by DJ Damion Yancey

NOLA YURP Joins Be The Change Inc Organizing Committee

NOLA YURP has been asked to be a part of the organizing committee for Be The Change Inc Service Nation Summit. The event will take place September 11th and 12th in New York City.

Below is more information from their website

"ServiceNation Summit will bring together young Americans with 500 leaders from every sector of American life —from universities and foundations, to business and politics— to craft and endorse a Declaration Of Service that will lay out a compelling case for dramatically expanding service opportunities for all Americans. The Declaration of Service will also detail a strategy for using citizen service to target specific challenges —from the high school dropout crisis to disaster response— by creating meaningful opportunities for Americans to do some form of service at every age, from kindergarten through the retirement years.

The ultimate goal of the ServiceNation Summit and the Declaration of Service is to inspire a culture of service that engages one million Americans a year in full-time service by the year 2020.

The ServiceNation Summit is being convened by Be The Change, Inc., City Year, Civic Enterprises, and Points of Light / Hands On Network working in partnership with TIME Magazine."