Volunteers Who Became Locals: Voluntourism in a Post-K New Orleans

In the summer of 2005, Hurricane Katrina stuck the Gulf Coast and devastated her cities and citizens in what is still the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Many magnanimous folks from all over the world came to New Orleans’ aid in the months and years that followed.

While helping to re-build homes for the locals who’d lost them, many volunteers used the opportunity to get to know and help shape a newer New Orleans from the ground up. And though the city has always been a strange and wonderful mixture of all kinds of people, food, music and cultures, the floodwaters spurred a renewed sense of intermingling, sharing and neighborliness. As a result, quite a few of the folks who’d first come down as volunteers decided to stay in New Orleans — some claiming the city as their new home, others to extend the duration of voluntourism as the city gets up and resumes the race once again. And with tourism New Orleans’ largest source of revenue, it’s a no-brainer for a place to visit.

And yet, even nine years from the date of the tragedy, there’s still a need for volunteers to help revive certain neglected pockets of the city. Below are a few stellar local organizations working hard to bring New Orleans back; check out their websites if you’re interested in getting involved.

The St. Bernard Project

Started in 2006 by Liz McCartney and Zack Rosenburg, a teacher and lawyer, respectively, from Washington, D.C., after they saw the tremendous needs, yet solvable problems in the New Orleans region. In 2008, co-founder Liz McCartney won the CNN Hero of the Year Award for her work with this independent non-profit dedicated to rebuilding homes.

YRNO (Youth Rebuilding New Orleans)

Created and organized by New Orleans’ youth, their efforts are directed at bettering the lives of the city’s youth. Many young people who wanted to volunteer to help rebuild New Orleans were turned away by other non-profits because of the liability associated with reconstruction work. Instead of accepting this rejection, a committed group of teenagers decided they would find a way to help the New Orleans community recover. There is no age requirement, but typically their volunteer New Orleans corps are students. Those under 18 must sign a waiver. Younger student groups are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Common Ground Relief

Common Ground Relief believes in learning service not Service Learning. Their diverse range of projects — from new home construction to a wetlands restoration program to community gardening — are structured to help the volunteers increase their ability to affect change in the future while providing solidarity and support for our coastal communities.

Camp Hope

If you want to pitch in more independently, Camp Hope offers hostel-style lodging accommodations and meals for volunteers (at $28 a night) while they serve around New Orleans in various service projects.