Current Initiatives

Advancing a Youth-Centered Future in New Orleans

YJA is currently uplifting and supporting the City Youth Planning Board as it leads the development and implementation of the Youth Master Plan for the City of New Orleans.

The Youth Master Plan is a community-driven roadmap designed to improve outcomes for children and families across New Orleans. It focuses on building strong, coordinated systems that support youth from cradle to career—spanning education, health, safety, housing, workforce development, and civic engagement. At its core, the plan recognizes that young people are experts in their own lives and must be meaningfully involved in shaping the policies and investments that impact them.

YJA works alongside youth leaders, community partners, and advocates to ensure this vision becomes reality. We believe elected officials must be held accountable to invest in our kids and to fully fund and sustain systems that support children, families, and communities—especially those most impacted by inequity.

Through this initiative, YJA is committed to advancing youth power, promoting equitable public investment, and helping build a New Orleans that works for all young people.

👉 Learn more about the Youth Master Plan at nolayouthmasterplan.org

Advocacy Achievements

Amendment 3

Louisiana voters made their voices heard loud and clear: we care about our youth, and we will NOT stand for them being funneled into adult courts, jails, and prisons. The vote to strike down Constitutional Amendment 3 was a huge win for our kids and for the future of youth justice in Louisiana!

Our coalition mobilized communities across New Orleans to successfully defeat Amendment 3 in the statewide election. With grassroots organizing, our efforts created spaces for discussion and action. This collective effort led to a decisive victory, proving the power of an organized, informed, and engaged New Orleans.