Youth Rebuilding New Orleans

Youth Rebuilding New Orleans is a non-profit organization that was organized by youth, for youth, following Hurricane Katrina. Many young people who wanted to volunteer to help rebuild their city were turned away by other non-profits because of the liability associated with reconstruction work. Instead of accepting this rejection, a committed group of teenagers decided they would find a way to help the New Orleans community recover. Project HOMEwork is a unique initiative that combines volunteer opportunities and skills training for youth with home-ownership opportunities for teachers in the New Orleans area. Although we have grown exponentially since the initial days following Hurricane Katrina; our vision and founding principles have remained the same. Our mission is to reduce blight by rebuilding distressed and foreclosed homes while engaging local youth in the recovery and rebirth of the New Orleans area. We get local youth involved in the recovery and rebirth of the New Orleans area. We believe that as future leaders of this city, region, and state, it is the youth who must act now to bring about a better quality of life for our future. And the youth must be a symbol for this change. How we build for our future--together, in collaboration--is integral to this change. We will transform the boundless energy and optimism of youth into hope for struggling neighborhoods, while remaining faithful to our values.