[ full-bleed archival photography ]
Fifteen years of building opportunity in New Orleans
The story of a coordinated effort to support young people ages 16–24 who were disconnected from school and work — historically called Opportunity Youth.
Have a win or a story to add? Share it →Listen: the story in five minutes
The story, in five minutes
From coordinated efforts to an integrated ecosystem
A high-level look at the moments that shaped this work. Select any stop to see what happened.
What happened in 2011
National spotlight, local response
The White House Council for Community Solutions named 6.7 million Opportunity Youth nationwide. New Orleans organizations looked at their own data and found the gaps falling hardest on Black youth — the spark for coordinated local action.
What happened in 2015
YouthShift NOLA launches
200 youth-serving organizations adopt a whole-child, collective-impact approach with support from the Forum for Youth Investment — the foundation of the OY ecosystem in New Orleans.
What happened in 2018
Hard-won lessons on trust and sequencing
Leadership transitions and early shared-data experiments underscored a core truth of the archive: collaboration moves at the speed of trust, and coordination had to come before deeper integration.
The spine of this work
How the ecosystem's priorities evolved
From five founding priorities in 2015 to an integrated set of capabilities today. Open any thread to see its own story.
Data & research → Data community of practice From a shared case management tool orgs were hesitant to adopt, to six organizations setting ten common metrics for a collective dashboard.
Common metrics dashboard
Six New Orleans orgs aligned on ten shared metrics — identity, education, employment, purpose, and well-being — for a collective view of impact.
“Data collection and collaboration happen at the speed of trust; sustainable funding is integral.”
Backbone supports → Population focus From a single anchor organization, to a distributed set of backbone orgs each leading on a specific population's pathway and support needs.
Distributed backbone leadership
CYPB, NOYA/REC, NOCC, Children's Bureau, LOYAL, and the Mayor's Office of Youth and Families each hold a clear lane instead of one organization carrying everything.
“Youth-serving organizations must sit at the center of the work.”
Program quality → Robust program quality From a pilot with a handful of organizations, to a network of 46 partners besting national quality benchmarks for the first time.
YPQI network scale
46 partners bested national averages in all four program quality domains for the first time — proof that shared standards can raise the floor across the ecosystem.
“Quality is not a side project — it is how the network holds itself accountable.”
Youth voice → Voice & narrative change From youth participation in program design, to young people training as journalists and leaders reshaping how the city talks about opportunity.
Narrative as strategy
Young people moved from advisory roles into storytelling and journalism pathways — shifting how New Orleans talks about opportunity, belonging, and who gets to define success.
“We need to create the ways that let youth identify and create their value.”
Not an original priority ↗ Policy & advocacy This one did not evolve from an earlier priority — it emerged. What began as programmatic work became disruptive: SR47, the Louisiana OY Task Force, and LOYAL's push at the state level.
From programs to policy
Senate Resolution 47 established the Louisiana Opportunity Youth Task Force. Opportunity Pass and SNAP E&T expansion showed how local practice can become statewide leverage.
“There is too much focus on individual change as opposed to systemic change.”
Big bets, key wins
What this work has made possible
A curated set of wins from across the ecosystem. New wins are added as nonprofit partners share theirs.
Opportunity Pass
Free RTA transit passes for youth ages 16–24, funded through $2.5M in ARPA dollars.
LOYAL and SR47
Passage of Senate Resolution 47 established the Louisiana Opportunity Youth Task Force.
YPQI network scale
46 partners bested national averages in all four program quality domains for the first time.
Re-Engagement Center
A free resource center connecting youth ages 16–24 to post-secondary opportunities and careers.
Community Mental Health Workers
A new peer-support model matching youth workforce participants with mental health support.
Braided SNAP funding
$7.38M in SNAP E&T funding sustained OY programming alongside philanthropic dollars.
Voices
In their own words
Authorized recordings from leaders across the ecosystem, organized by theme. Open a voice to listen when approved audio is available.
” Voice & narrative change “My hope is that we can build a world where everyone belongs, where the systems around us help young people lead thriving and healthy lives.”
Approved audio file will be connected here before launch.
” Youth voice “We need to make sure that in the OY space, we create the ways that let the youth identify and create their value.”
Approved audio file will be connected here before launch.
” Policy & advocacy “There is too much focus on individual change as opposed to systemic change. A young person could do everything right but still enter a system of inequity.”
Approved audio file will be connected here before launch.
Take this with you
Resources for other cities and funders
This work is meant to be a replicable model. These are the pieces built to travel.
Presentation
Full storytelling deck
The complete presentation this page is drawn from.
Coming soon
Findings report
A synthesis report built once the full site is locked.
Reports
Source research & data
The reports and data behind this story will be linked in full.