NY2NO

Here is the typical format of each trip (schedules may vary somewhat from trip to trip):

Day 1 – Traveling. Everyone arrivese and is transferred by bus to the Old Pathways church, where they unpack, settle in, and eat. This day serves as a day to hang out and meet the rest of the group, including the first debreif, during which everyone can get to know each other a little and discuss expectations for the trip.

Day 2 – Orientation. The second day is spent preparing the group for work with the People's Organizing Committee/New Orleans Survivor's Council. The group spends the day touring the city’s levee system, led by a member of the People’s Organizing Committee, and attending a work orientation.

Days 3-8 – WORK

Morning: Yardwork.  As there are many people who still have not returned to the Lower Ninth Ward, many of the properties have returned back to their natural state, with 6-12 ft. weeds, trees where houses should be, and vines everywhere. The city of New Orleans has begun fining residents as much as $500 a day for not maintaining their properties (i.e. having grass taller than 18 in.). As this is an impossible feat for residents who are still displaced thousands of miles away, or even hundreds, these fines can then turn to leans on their houses, and eventually the property is siezed by the city. Because of the urgency of this issue, it has been mandated by the Survivors Council that all the yards in danger of being fined be mowed/macheted/weedwhacked.

Group members spend their mornings tackling jungle-like lots where most of the time the house is not visible when they begin. They work in groups of 5-15, and work on a different lot every day.

 Afternoon: Canvassing. During canvassing, students go door to door speaking to residents. Following the principles of bottom-up organizing, group members ask residents how they are doing, trying to figure out what their concerns with the community are, and what they think needs to be done to solve them. In this conversation, they encourage residents to attend the New Orleans Survivors Council meetings each week, where they can voice these issues and concerns, and work with other residents to get things done to address them. During this time, group members are split up into pairs. Each pair is on one side of an assigned street, with a 5th person in the middle coordinating the two groups.

On the Saturday during the trip, the group is able to attend the Survivors Council meeting as observers.

Day 9 – Traveling. The last day is reserved for traveling. Everyone packs up, clean up, and says their goodbyes. We then drive to the airport.

1)      What will we be doing at night?

      As our days are often long and tiring, evenings serve as a good time to shower and hang out. People may choose to read, play music (instruments are more than welcome), sleep, or talk together. As the trip is also often very emotional, we will have debriefings every night, during which students can talk about their day, what they saw or learned, or any issues they may have. Debriefs are almost always led by a member of the People's Organizing Committee     

     One night we may go to a Cajun Seafood restaurant, or to a music and poetry event called Reggae on the River put on by Artists in Action.

2)      How will we be traveling while in New Orleans?

      We will all be traveling around in a school bus while in New Orleans. It will be driven by a driver who will be provided by our sponsor organization, the Interreligous Foundation for Community Organizing (IFCO). He will transport us between our sleeping and work places, as well as anywhere else we may go.

3)      How much will the trip cost?

            Each nine-day trip will be $250, plus a plane ticket. This will cover food, housing, and transportation. Financial aid may be  available upon request. We will try to accommodate everyone as well as we can. If you need more information about how much financial aid is available before committing, please fill out an application and indicate this on it, and we will contact you individually (applying does not mean committing). In addition, each student will be required to participate in group fundraising before departure.

4)      Is the Lower Ninth Ward Safe?

      Although there is a common perception that this neighborhood is dangerous, thousands of volunteers have stayed in the nieghborhood since Katrina, and there have never been any major incidents. Students will be with adults at all times, and will never be alone. Our sleeping site is very well secured, with bolt locks on all the doors, and security cameras and motion detector lights around the perimeter.

5)      Who will be chaperoning?

      We have many different chaperones on our trips. These chaperones mostly consist of parents and teachers, and are known and trusted by the organizers. All the chaperones are screened through an application process, and if they are not well-known by the organizers, they meet with one of them before they are accepted to the trip. You will get a chance to meet the chaperones for your trip at a meeting before you leave.