On Tuesday, Aug. 20, Dillard University hosted the FutureFest’s NOLA Youth Summit. This event brought out a collection of professionals and community organizations to educate students between the ages of 14 and 24 about different career options past high school. 

FutureFest is part of a campaign by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation called I Am New Orleans, which includes more than 30 local community organizations. This campaign was created with the purpose of making New Orleans a more youth-centered city and supports initiatives such as early childhood education, economic equity, environmental justice, food equity, maternal and childhood health, and racial equity.

DJ and radio host, Wild Wayne, emceed the event, and New Orleans talent, such as DJ Raj Smoove, rapper Dee-1, Grammy-nominated singer and poet Tarriona “Tank” Ball, artist Jade Meyers, DJ Johnson, owner of Baldwin & Co. and many others spoke and performed for attendees. In addition, a resource hall filled with community organizations, colleges and universities after-school programs, and other organizations was provided for students to gain insight and valuable tools to help them understand and navigate their plans for the future.

“It’s a developmental period. You know, a lot of these kids are trying to figure out who they are. So if you put great people in front of them that have had track records of success, they can emulate that and maybe do even better than them,” Wild Wayne said about the importance of FutureFest’s NOLA Youth Summit. It’s critical for students to begin thinking about what’s next in their path earlier rather than later.

Rebecca Ancira, the associate vice president of enrollment at Tulane University with the Louisiana Center for College Access spoke of the significance of pursuing additional learning after high school. This learning doesn’t necessarily need to be a college education, but there are many paths to success that students can choose to follow. 

“Every path is just as valid as the next, so understanding from that early point what the options are is really powerful. There’s a multitude of paths, it’s mainly about understanding that you have a lot of options,” said Ancira.

This free event was expected to have over 400 attendees and lasted from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Food and transportation was provided for the ensurement of accessibility.

For more information about the I Am New Orleans Initiative, visit https://iamneworleansvoices.com/.