Preparing your volunteer group.

Thank you for choosing to work with Louisiana Just Recovery Network!  We formed in 2021, in the wake of Hurricane Ida, and are made up of individuals and groups with experience in disaster recovery, environmental, racial, gender, and labor justice, and in grassroots community work.  We have brought all of this experience together to support our neighbors and friends up and down the Mississippi River in their efforts for a just recovery - from climate disaster, from environmental injustice, and systemic, enduring racism.

Below you will find information to help you plan for your volunteer days with us.

Fees

$15 / day / person, or a minimum of $500 / group.

100% of fees return to the communities where we are working.  They are returned in one of three ways:

  • Honorariums to group leaders who participate in the orientation and training of volunteers

  • Hourly wages paid to volunteer crew leads (who are from impacted areas)

  • Purchasing of supplies and building materials used for the recovery work

If these fees prevent your group or members of your group from working with us, please let us know. We will find ways to connect and work together.

Schedule and Activity Options

This can (and will) be tailored to the specific scheduling needs of each group. This schedule initiates after your group’s numbers and dates are solidified.

Before or upon your arrival in New Orleans

1-1.5 hour introduction  (by Zoom or in-person)

  • Overview: Defining Just Recovery work and Environmental Justice work 

  • Just Recovery work and Environmental Justice work in Cancer Alley

  • Introduction to community leaders of the Environmental Justice groups we center in our work: Concerned Citizens of St. John, The Descendants Project, Inclusive Louisiana, RISE St. James

  • Q&A and Discussion

While you are here

Workdays

  • 8am-4:30pm (includes drive time): Work mostly takes place in communities 30 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes outside of New Orleans.

  • First workday: on-site safety and skill orientation + work

  • At least one workday, we recommend driving River Road while en route to work

  • If possible, visit with Environmental Justice leadership during lunch breaks

  • If you want to work ½ day and do something else in the region, we can arrange that.  See below for suggestions.  

Optional: 1-1.5 hour Reflection and Debrief

  • Towards the end of your stay, we’ll gather to reflect on what this trip has meant to you and your group. Depending on availability, we may have community leaders and/or homeowners join us. 

Optional: Specially tailored sessions to support your group’s work and educational process before, during, or after a workday

  • Negotiating racial and cultural differences in volunteering and recovery work

  • Regional historical and/or sociopolitical lessons

  • Facilitated discussions with groups/leaders in our larger climate justice network

Non-work activities, related to our work, in New Orleans region

We know you might want to do more than recovery work while you are here!  We have talked to our community partners about a number of activities you may want to engage in that touch our work.  The cost associated with these activities would not be covered in the fee paid to us. 

In New Orleans

In River Parishes

Community Safety

The communities we are working in are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus due to the particulate matter in the air that are double pronged: the toxins cause many of the comorbidities of coronavirus and particulate matter worsens the severity of coronavirus.

We are currently following CDC guidelines for COVID safety. Please follow precautions, including monitoring for symptoms and having a plan to isolate individuals in your group who may test positive for COVID. We have observed, in our work, that traveling together as a volunteer group creates conditions optimal for viral spread.

What to bring

This is physical and often dirty work that may require you to be in smelly conditions. Be prepared for full sun exposure, using hand tools, and lifting up to 35lbs. Louisiana weather can change quickly and is generally humid.

  • Comfortable clothes that can get dirty; bring shorts and long pants options

  • Sturdy shoes

  • Gear for working in sunny conditions–hat, sunglasses, SPF

  • Refillable water bottle

  • Bug spray

  • Medications