In September, we launched an after-school program at Sojourner Truth Neighborhood Center for student residents of Faubourg Lafitte and the surrounding community. The program offers structured homework help and supplemental curriculum-based math and reading comprehension lessons to help students acquire age-appropriate skills.

Through a partnership with Young Audiences of Louisiana, students also engage in arts lessons that correlate with their math and reading skills. And, student volunteers from Xavier University provide homework assistance.

The program is supported in part by a grant from Total Community Action (TCA) and is part of a network of community partners who provide New Orleans Aspiring Executives (youth ages 11-14) with culturally appropriate opportunities to develop their strengths and assets.

TCA provides financial and technical assistance with Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and Community Service Block Grant CARES discretionary funds. The CSBG funds are intended to support activities that have a measurable and potentially major impact on the causes of poverty. The CSBG CARES Act funds are intended to prevent, prepare and respond to the coronavirus, including addressing the consequences of increasing unemployment and economic disruption as a result of Covid-19.

TCA is also providing program stipends for participants to support attendance and engagement in the program.