Won't You Be My Neighbor? NPN's Capacity College

By Sara Hudson, 504ward

Seventh Ward. New Orleans East. Carrollton. Irish Channel. District C.

New Orleanians pledge allegiance to our city, but we salute the flags of our neighborhoods. No surprise then that Neighborhoods Partnership Network (NPN) rose after Katrina with two basic premises: 1) New Orleanians love their neighborhoods. 2) Change starts there.

What does your neighborhood need? Community garden or better retail? A festival, a fair, a feasible afterschool youth option? Got an idea?

Let NPN help you make it happen. Apply for the 2011 NPN Capacity College, designed to help existing neighborhood groups improve their ‘hoods by honing their skills. Each graduating class struts away outfitted with workshop training, neighborhood networking, a tailored project action plan and new resources for your neighborhood. NPN will accept applications from individuals, but since they strongly encourage group applicants, get your school cool on to get your closest compadres at the neighborhood organization where you work, volunteer at, or attend to join (score!).

Not part of a neighborhood association? In case you’ve missed it, local is the new black. (Go Ask Alice - Waters.) Check out NPN for a bazillion ways to get involved. (We counted.) Whether you’re too hip to be hipster (Bywater) or bunk down in Unofficial UNOville (Mid City) with NPN to guide you, you’ll never need a cardigan to find new ways to ask, “Won’t you be my neighbor?”

Are you a member of a faith-based institution? NPN would love for you to apply, too!

Want more info? Check out the Capacity College session for interested groups and individuals on Monday, January 24 at 5:30pm at the NPN office, 4902 Canal Street, New Orleans. Learn more about the program at www.npnnola.com.

Know your neighborhood. Check out The Trumpet Blog at http://npntrumpet.blogspot.com/and the official Neighborhoods Partnership Network Facebook page.

2011 Capacity College Session

Monday, January 24

5:30 pm

NPN, 4902 Canal Street, Suite 301

Applications will be available. Deadline is February 1, 2011