Workforce Development Partnerships in New Orleans
New Orleans native, Joe Givens informed Marga of his new organization’s efforts to tap institutional resources to improve the conditions in the city’s most devastated neighborhoods. Givens pointed out that those neighborhoods that were able to redevelop in the wake of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina were able to leverage their local institutions to turn around the fortunes of their environments. In other neighborhoods, such as the Lower and Upper Ninth Wards, such turnarounds have not quite taken place.
These areas do not boast large institutions and strong civic associations, but as Givens stresses, they do possess churches. These churches of all shapes and sizes have embodied some semblance of consistence or stability amidst lonely streets and abandoned homes, some of which have only recently been gutted. Givens’ new organization, the Isaiah Institute, strengthens the ability of churches in devastated communities to serve local needs.
Marga leveraged its relationship with longtime client, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to align intentions with the Isaiah Institute. Kellogg was in the process of re-assessing its commitment to New Orleans, seeking new strategies that could bring demonstrable improvements in the lives of vulnerable children and families, especially in the city’s most distressed neighborhoods. Kellogg expressed an interest in workforce development to improve job opportunities, particularly for young people from these areas.
Marga brought Kellogg and the Isaiah Institute together to discuss common interests, and assisted Isaiah in proposing a workforce development initiative aided by churches to Kellogg. As a result, Kellogg invested in the formation of this workforce development strategy that helps churches identify and train young people, particularly in the construction trades. Since construction is a clear growth industry in New Orleans, this approach can help community residents take advantage of emerging opportunities that might otherwise go to outsiders. Indeed, the approach’s significance partly lies in its ability to help local communities benefit from new developments in their area.
Marga continues to assist the Isaiah Institute with its expansion and prospective partnerships with philanthropy, government, and higher education.