Returning from New Orleans

After a three day journey to New Orleans, the Lao Assistance Center staff returned with a deeper, enhanced understanding of collective leadership as we visited the 25,000 Vietnamese in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, who played a pivotal role in the return of the residents to New Orleans East. There were many lessons to take in from the community who found value in maintaining a mix of traditional and new values. For over 30 years they'd often been an invisible aspect of New Orleans life, but after the hurricane, they learned that it is important to have a presence and a voice or it is very easy to find community policies made without you that can dramatically affect your health and quality of life.
We were particularly impressed by the tenacity and energy of the youth whose voices were vital to the rebuilding process and awakening a renewed interest in their identity as contributing and defining members of the community.
We spent our time in New Orleans building an understanding of the importance of community voice and asking questions of how we create those vital spaces to connect you and your families to the support you need to build the society you want.In the coming months ahead, we look forward to continuing to engage these issues and many more.