Youth Flock To New Orleans To Rebuild

Post-Katrina New Orleans needs much work, but Young Urban Renewal Professionals (YURPs) are helping each other to lead the reconstruction of a still lively, dynamic and culturally vibrant city...



I interviewed Nathan Rothstein, a creator of the New Orleans YURP website, where he is helping to connect young professionals from near and abroad to rebuild New Orleans. After graduating from college last year and doing some work with AmeriCorps he made the move down to New Orleans. I was given all the ins and outs of what a YURP is, where the website came from, what they are doing now, and where it's all going in the future.

An acronym for Young Urban Renewal Professional, coined by one of Nathan's friends, a YURP is any young person who chooses to contribute their labor, income, and physical presence to the city's economic and social fabric. New Orleans is the only place it's happening right now, but the youth are coming from afar and taking an interest as can be seen from recent visits to the website and Facebook group (almost 500 strong as of this writing). Nathan is one of those youth from abroad, but he's been meeting the locals in addition to other new comers who are springing to action.

The New Orleans YURP website is a place for all the YURPs to find-out about places to work, volunteer, learn, and connect with other YURPs. "My resources are your resources" is the credo Nathan used to describe the purpose and mission of the website. It's only a few months old and the site was started after seeing "a need for a place where people could see who was down there and what they could do." A reported 10,000 college students came to visit in March during Spring Break, some of which Nathan met and talked with about the idea of staying to help New Orleans-- he said, "they were interested in helping."

When asked what some of the site's successes or milestones have been, Nathan reported it's original goal is being full-filled: "it's allowed people to find ways to connect". Indeed, young people are visiting the site with the first 1,000 visits occurring recently. Plans are in the works to begin local meetings and forums for YURPs to work closer together as well as an upcoming event at the local House of Blues.

In a larger, more general picture, the success of such a unique city as New Orleans is a success for the rest of the world. Whether you're looking for a way to give back, a way to earn money, or a way to experience a new thing, perhaps the roll of being a New Orleans Young Urban Renewal Professional is the right path to choose.