USA: Rebuilding New Orleans

Arrive at Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) in New Orleans and meet your Program Leaders. Head to the base house, settle in, and relax after your flight. Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture. Enjoy your first taste of jambalaya and spend the evening watching and discussing a documentary about the city’s history. Welcome to New Orleans!

Spend the morning in the historic French Quarter, eating hot beignets and wandering through the European-designed streets to hear musicians play as you shop and explore the area. Visit the French Market, the historic St. Louis Cathedral, and a museum dedicated to the disaster and recovery of Hurricane Katrina. Try more local foods throughout the day and walk by the Mississippi River, 143 miles before it turns into the Gulf of Mexico. Learn about some of the most important historical aspects of the city on a walking tour. You’ll also visit Preservation Hall and learn about traditional music of the city in a venue dedicated to its preservation.

Over the next three days, you’ll learn how New Orleans values community. Volunteer alongside various organizations and New Orleanians who work in food security, environmental justice, and rebuilding. In the afternoons and evenings, listen to live jazz, funk or zydeco music, engage in a friendly bowling competition at Rock ‘n’ Bowl, and try endless amounts of delicious food. After long day of services, relax at the base house with your new friends. Join your group for a post-service debrief in the evenings, discussing what you experienced and learned through hands-on work in the community.

Visit a plantation outside of the city to learn more about how slavery shaped Louisiana and the South. Head to the swamp in the afternoon for an airboat tour. The airboat guides will catch alligators and bullfrogs with their bare hands and teach you about the various plants and animals that call the swamp home! It will be a night you’ll truly never forget.

At the end of each program, students reflect on their experiences and the issues they engaged with, and talk about how to apply this new understanding to their own worlds. During or after their closing discussion, groups participate in Rustic Ties, a unique and powerful activity that allows students to capture the memories and learning moments of their program to process and share with their communities back home.

On your last day, say farewell to the Big Easy. Your Program Leaders will take you to the airport where you will say your goodbyes and reflect on your adventure as you depart for home.