‘Louisiana Winter’ Students To Hold Mass Rally In New Orleans To Support The Gulf Coast Civic Works Project

Dear Editor,

One hundred and thirty students from across the nation who call themselves “Louisiana Winter” have traveled to the Gulf Coast talking to residents, going door-to-door, conducting town hall meetings and promoting the Gulf Coast Civics Works Project (GCCWP).

The GCCWP is a student initiative that would bring 100,000 career-oriented jobs to Katrina-effected communities all over the Gulf Coast with the intent to reinvigorate neighborhoods by building housing, schools, hospitals, roads, etc.

Students hosted town hall meetings at Gulfport, MS, and New Orleans , LA, where residents discussed the GGCWP and shared their ideas and input on such an initiative. Concerns with wages, work-training, temporary housing, the building of schools, the distribution of the jobs, and other issues were brought to the floor and discussed.

This student week-long trip will culminate in a mass rally at the Iberville Housing Development from 11am-1 pm tomorrow, Saturday, January 20, 2007. The Iberville Housing Development is located at the corner of Basin and Conti.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Scott Myers-Lipton or Victoria Chavez.

For the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project Team

Scott Myers-Lipton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Sociology Department
Community Change Concentration
San Jose State University
(510) 508-5382

Victoria Chavez
Sociology major at San Jose State University
Community Change Concentration
(408) 887-9981

For more information, please visit http://www.solvingpoverty.com

Image Caption: Louisiana Winter Students Hold Town Hall Meeting In New Orleans
Image Courtesy of Diana Diroy