At the cornerstone of ULGNO operation is focus. Programmed in a focused manner, our Lead Work are in specific areas of economic and community development, educational attainment and public policy. The services ULGNO delivers reflects or addresses local needs we call our Core Work.

• Lead Work encompasses our Centers of Excellence: Center for Education and Youth Empowerment, Center for Policy & Social Justice and the Center for Community & Economic Development.
• Core Work encompasses the programmatic thrust used to achieve the missions of our Centers of Excellence.

Center of Excellence at a Glance

Center of Education and Youth Development

Center of Education and Youth Development focuses on the educational and development needs of Youth.

• Increase access to quality preschool education.
• Increased access to quality after school programming.
• Increased access to quality college preparation.

Core Work

1. Early Head Start program objective is to provide a nurturing environment that allows early leaning to dominate daily activities.
2. Urban League College Track’s objective is to provide an enhanced after school learning environment for 9^th-12^th graders that will prepare them educationally and mentally for post grade school education.
3. Clarence L. Barney Student of the Week’s objective is to bring resources to and the acknowledgement of the achievements of students.
4. Parent Information Center’s objectives are to inform parents throughout the diaspora of the educational opportunities and resources that exist in the region.

Center of Policy and Social Justice

Center of Policy and Social Justice focus on the effect existing policy has on the equality gaps. Research areas of need and create scholarly works that will be used to focus and inform our programmatic thrust and the regions view of what “Good Policy” must achieve.

• Increase access to statistical and antidotal information about the equality gaps that exist throughout the region.
• Increase the number of policy recommendations for closing the equality gaps.
• Increase advocacy around issues that will shape the future of the region.

Core Work

1. Common Application Advocacy objective is to continue to advocate on behalf of the community to simply school registration and increase the number of schools participating in the common application process in Orleans Parish.
2. State of Black New Orleans’ objective is to produce scholarly periodicals that will use research based conclusions to highlight the gaps that exist between the majority and minority communities and prescribe policy recommendations.
3. Policy Institute’s objective is to focus on our programmatic thrust and ensure that they are consistent with the needs revealed by our environmental scan using researched based conclusions.

Center of Economic & Community Development

Economic Development Goals focus on improving standards of living, needs of businesses and the business climate, infrastructure, transportation, and workforce.

• Increase access to economic opportunities for underutilized businesses.
• Increase capacity and develop of minority, local and disadvantaged businesses.
• Increase the Affiliates’ capacity to enter into the social entrepreneurial space.
• Increase the measurement of the economic impact of development projects.

1. Entrepreneurial & Women’s Business Resource Center: objective to conduct business counseling, business creation, entrepreneur training and access to resources.
2. Economic Inclusion: objective to increase the number of minority, women owned and local business usage on development projects. This is to be done in manner that would collect information on the contractual and workforce economic impact.

Community Development Goals: focus on quality of life issues, needs of residents, social services, recreation, health care, etc.

• Increase access to employment opportunities
• Increased access to affordable rental and homeownership opportunities