Regional Youth Development Project Summaries

Region 1 – Southeast Louisiana
The MetroVision School-to-Career Partnership in collaboration with its member agencies, school systems, institutions, business partners, elected officials, and community members, will work with the four Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) in the region to convene a group of stakeholders that represent the diversity of the region to design and implement a regional plan to address the needs of the youth of the region. The Partnership will create a Regional Council of Youth populated by youth themselves. The ultimate goal of this planning process will be the creation of a Regional Youth Council that serves as a coordinating body for all the individual Youth Councils from the four WIBs in the region; all youth serving agencies and organizations in the region; and all initiatives by and for youth in the region. The regional resource directory development will be closely aligned with the Regional Planning Commission’s resource mapping project.

Region 3 – South Louisiana
The LAT Workforce Investment Board, Inc. will continue to convene youth stakeholders within the region of Lafourche, Assumption, and Terrebonne parishes to develop a strategic plan for youth development. Over the next six months, the LAT Board will lead its partners through a youth services asset mapping process and develop a comprehensive youth service directory. The directory will be accessible via the worldwide web and will be made available through public schools, libraries, and one-stop locations within the region.

Region 4 – Acadiana
The Youth Coalition, led by Workforce Investment Board #40, will create a regional multi-year youth development strategic plan in partnership with youth and businesses in the region. The partners will use this grant opportunity to expand youth services and bring stakeholders together who support helping Louisiana’s young people. The region’s vision is “Our youth system will offer numerous intervention services to ensure that our youth become successful, productive, and self-sufficient.” The Coalition will convene meetings in each of the eight parishes within the region as part of the strategic plan’s development.

Region 5 – Southwest Louisiana
Local Workforce Investment Board – Area 51 will use the Youth Councils in the region to help establish Youth Ad Hoc Committees. These Committees, with the Councils, will convene key stakeholders to participate in strategic planning sessions led by a professional facilitator/motivational speaker. The region will also develop a resource directory on youth services currently being offered. The Ad Hoc Committees will continue in existence over several years as part of the Youth Councils and will hold regular meetings. The goal will be to identify emerging issues and to implement action plans to address those issues.

Region 6 – Central Louisiana
Central School-to-Work/Rapides Parish Youth Council has worked over the last five years to lay the groundwork for the development of a comprehensive strategy for youth development. The Central School-to-Work Partnership crafted the initial vision and guiding principles of the youth system which were adopted as statewide consensus for the direction Louisiana needs to take to address its youth challenges. The Central Youth Coalition will establish a youth subcommittee chaired by United Way to provide a mechanism for youth participation in system building, policy development and program design and implementation. The region plans to build its youth resource directory through enhancement and expansion of its United Way’s Compendium of Human Services database.

Region 7 – Northwest Louisiana
Many youth development activities exist in Northwest Louisiana. However, there is a need to bring these pockets of service together to create a system by youth, for youth that “provides the right intervention at the right time.” YouthNet of Northwest Louisiana will fulfill this vital need. The United Way of Northwest Louisiana, as project leader, will identify and convene youth and youth-serving agencies to develop a multi-year regional youth development plan. The establishment of YouthNet as a forum for youth and youth services will provide on-going dialogue and interaction among the stakeholders.