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From the groundswell of Kickstarter, The Walls Project sprang into action in 2012. Local business leaders and innovators wanted to see things change in the Capital Region and changed they have. The Walls Project showcased its effectiveness of collaboration first with murals. Building owners with potential canvases, artists with big visions, and stakeholders with keen perspectives had to be brought together in trust and unity on a unique vision – making this city creative, energized, and unified. Looking back, ten years there is a lot to reflect on. How does an organization that started with art morph into a multi-faceted program-focused entity, without losing sight of its mission and vision? “There are years that ask questions, and years that answer.” - Zora Neale Hurston Like any good artist, The Walls Project allowed itself to examine and explore areas that continued to need addressing. And, true to form, Walls approached it in unconventional ways, yet always had collaboration as the keystone. That's where YOU come in. Many of you volunteered, sweated, painted, coded, photographed, and gave your most valuable asset - time - to The Walls Project. Never forgotten and never undervalued, Walls is here in its form today due to your support and commitment to change. Rather than settling on one day of celebration, The Walls Project created two events to showcase the last decade of changes. To begin the Season of X, Walls debuted its Strategic Plan on June 24 to a packed room of the River Branch Library in Downtown Baton Rouge. Approaching the 3-Year Strategic Plan, The Walls Project took months to research, develop, and authenticate the best pathway for the organization and validate the approach. This exercise was not missed in the presentation on 6/24. Hearing from key speakers, like Mayor-President Sharon Weston-Broome, Trey Godfrey, Jared Hymowitz, Rick Reed, Whitney Sayal, Pat McCallister LeDuff, Kelsie Tillage, and Sherreta R. Harrison, the ripple effects of Walls' collaborative impact became very apparent. "You have an idea, you have an organization, and you have leaders in that organization that is going to get it there." - Jared Hymowitz, Healthy BR After the Strategic Planning unveiling, Walls wanted to really celebrate the success of 10 years of impact, seeing $ 3.5 million in creative income, 3500 individuals trained in tech, 20,000+ lbs of produce grown, and 118 community meetings held. And it couldn't have happened without the hard work of the team at The Walls Project. Since the early days of the organization first relying on volunteers, Walls has been able to strategically build out its structure to onboard the first full-time employees in 2021. From volunteers to 14 staff members (and hundreds of 1099 contractors), Walls is made up of humans looking to spark change in the present. Among these many amazing humans are Casey Phillips, Mary Bergeron, Thomas Donley, Helena Williams, Samantha Morgan, Cynthea Corfah, Dexter Jackson, Laura Nguyen, Mitchell Provensal, SK Groll, Morgan Udoh, Pepper Roussel, Bryson Boyd, Jacquel Curry, Danesha Shepherd, Hannah Wascomb, Teressa Calligan, and Nina Tran. Everyone, including friends and long-time supporters, gathered at Chelsea's Live on August 5th to bring down the house with acknowledge the unique ways Wall's programming has evolved over the years through showcase movements. To begin, Dorthy Ray of New Church examined the ways BIPOC individuals navigate the world of changing times. To read her full spoken-poetry piece, click here. Well fine, it’s time to shuck and jive Diameter in a pantemater Pay your attentions, I’ll cast the lines The name of the game is X’D OUT Following behind New Church's eye-opener, The Futures Fund held a panel on how tech is advancing the workforce and putting the power directly into the hands of those who want to change the world. Guests included Futures Fund graduates Mordecai Logan, Christopher Isaac, Kennedy Morgan, Laura Bowling, and industry-guest Jeremy Beyt of ThreeSixtyEight. To elevate the work of Baton Roots' educational programming, Pepper Roussel hosted a conversation on black farmers in the South. You can read more of Pepper Roussel's dissertation on this topic here. Of course, a celebration of impact could not be without celebrating how it all started. With the Petit-Pisto Family, a yearly award was unveiled on June 24. This award reflects the hard-working social catalysts in our city, looking forward rather than focusing on simply the present. One such individual who embodied this work since the beginning was 2022's winner of the Petit-Pisto Award: Orhan McMillan. Orhan was one of the founders of the Walls and served as its first board president. Orhan paved the way for Walls to build structure and innovation while staying art-weird. His contributions to the early days of Walls could never be understated. Congratulations ORHAN! This celebration of X years was made entirely possible by the support of the sponsors and local media (see Related Links below for the articles). The sponsorships and coverage of the anniversary made this event break expectations. Over 200 people participated! THANK YOU!!!! Related Links: InRegister: The Walls Project’s 10th Anniversary Celebration 225 Magazine: THE WALLS PROJECT CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF COMMUNITY BUILDING THIS MONTH 8 9.3 WRKF - Talk Lousiana with Jim Engster: Friday, July 29th: Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, Casey Philips Business Report: The Walls Project has been transforming Baton Rouge for 10 years Country Roads Magazine: Walls Project Ten Year Anniversary Party BRProud.com: The Walls Project celebrating 10 years with a one-of-a-kind event

There’s never a dull moment at Baton Roots. As the temperatures begin to drop and the days become shorter, Baton Roots farmers are prepping for the new season and plan to plant plenty of delicious plants for the colder weather. “This fall we are planting mustards, collards, turnips, lettuce, carrots and beets,” Baton Roots senior coordinator Mitchell Provensal says. Throughout the planting process, the Baton Roots team is always looking for more hands on the farm. Locals can volunteer on Sow Good Saturdays at Howell Park or sign up on Give Pulse to volunteer throughout the week. “We will be planting fall crops in Harmony Garden and learning about protecting fall crops from heat,” Provensal says. “We will also continue to harvest okra till the winter.” Join the Baton Roots team on Sow Good Saturdays for gardening and cooking demos, yoga and free and affordable harvests from the farm. Check out the fall schedule of Baton Roots upcoming events below. Save the dates, mark your calendars and register now on Give Pulse . Upcoming Sow Good Saturdays September 3 October 1 November 5

What once started as a grassroots collaboration between 10 entrepreneurs in Baton Rouge has blossomed and matured into a structured and strategic organization. We're still grassroots, though! When launched in 2012, The Walls Project sought to challenge the blank walls of Downtown Baton Rouge. A Kickstarter that year raised $37,140 towards beautifying the city. Many murals later, The Walls Project began to notice public art draws a crowd, and many wanted to pitch in towards helping. Our murals program soon saw additional programs and initiatives being added to the roster. MLK Fest in 2014, Futures Fund in 2015, Baton Roots in 2019, and OneRouge in 2020. So what's to celebrate? Since 2012, Walls has been able to: $ 3.5 million in creative income, 3500 individuals trained in tech, 20,000 lbs+ of produce grown, and 114 community meetings held. Our event at Chelsea's Live will be a celebratory party of making it 10 YEARS! We will host an art auction, live music and performances, interactive installations, and hosted conversations around collaboration and community-building. Read about the sponsors here! June 24th 2023-2025 Strategic Plan Unveiling Our Season of X began with our 3-year Strategic Plan unveiling on June 24 at the River Center Branch Library. This proud moment for the organization was toasted by Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, and many other significant speakers, such as Trey Godfrey, Jared Hymowitz, Rick Reed, Whitney Sayal, Pat McCallister LeDuff, Kelsie Tillage, and Sherreta R. Harrison. Thank you for all who attended and supported the event (shout out to Laura Siu Events, Soji: Modern Asian, and Raising Canes!). We were blown away by all the love and support shown to us.

Walls Project is an ongoing collaboration. Without the support of creatives, volunteers, individual donors, grants, and sponsors, our programs wouldn’t be possible. Thanks to businesses and donors like Chase , Giraphic Prints , Brew Agency , BRAC , Amazon , Capital Area United Way , Baton Rouge Business Report , Aetna , Petit-Pisto Family, Nguyen Family Foundation, Guaranty Media , and Healthy Blue , the Walls Project will be able to celebrate our 10th Anniversary and continue growing programs to push cities forward and bring food, technology and public art access to Baton Rouge and Dallas areas. These amazing businesses decided to support us for our 10-year anniversary celebration at Chelsea’s Live. With their support, we wanted to look beyond the celebration and toward what they enjoyed most about the Walls and what they hope to see in the future. Thank you for your feedback! Lynne Petit-Pisto Why was it important for you to support the Walls Project? 10 years ago the walls were born and the mission to help this community to have safe, healthy, and prosperous lives has happened. But there is so much work left to do. It is vital to support the walls to continue this momentum. Are there any Walls programs, in particular, you are especially interested in? Such as Baton Roots, Futures Fund or public art. Why? Having been given the opportunity to become a computer programmer early in my career, I know how life-changing that can be. The Futures Fund has helped so many wonderful young adults get this gift. I am also very partial to Baton Roots. How can you not love feeding people good healthy food? What do you hope to see for the Walls Project in the next 10 years? In the next 10 years, I foresee the Walls Project making huge strides in communities, especially those particularly impacted by poverty. I see this becoming a nationwide organization, helping those in need. Marlice D. Sanders, Chase Why was it important for Chase to support the Walls Project? We are excited about our partnership with Walls. We all are striving for the same mission of investing in our community. Working together affords us the opportunity to dig a little deeper by reaching more people wherever they are in their personal journey. Are there any Walls programs, in particular, Chase is especially interested in? Such as Baton Roots, Futures Fund or public art. Why? All of the programs at Walls benefit our community. We are interested in Baton Roots as it continues to serve our community with healthy living by including the consumers to be part of the process. Futures Fund programming reaches youth and young adults with tech and entrepreneurial interests. I have had the opportunity to speak with this group and they are preparing to take over the tech world. What do you hope to see for the Walls Project in the next 10 years? I hope to see the Walls Project around for many years to come. Walls has such a strategic mission and process that reaches multi-layers of need within our community. I hope to see the Project expand the bandwidth of the communities in which they are reaching. Marie Powell, BREW Why was it important for BREW to support the Walls Project? The work you are doing in the community is tremendous! We believe your programs are making Baton Rouge a stronger community. Are there any Walls programs, in particular, BREW is especially interested in? Such as Baton Roots, Futures Fund or public art. Why? All three, really, which is why we wanted to be a sponsor: Who doesn't love public art? We are fellow creators and artists, so we love the impact, especially on communities/neighborhoods that can benefit from revitalization. The Futures Fund directly affects our industry, and it's incredibly impactful to expose young people to a career that they might not experience otherwise. Personally, I'm a huge believer in the importance of fresh food and good nutrition. Being able to bring healthy foods and agricultural skills that ultimately connect our community is an equally impressive program. What do you hope to see for the Walls Project in the next 10 years? Continue your great work! Adam Knapp, BRAC Why was it important for BRAC to support the Walls Project? The Walls Project challenges Baton Rouge to be better, and I think its roots in public art have helped spread its connectivity to the work of many others. Are there any Walls programs, in particular, BRAC is especially interested in? Such as Baton Roots, Futures Fund or public art. Why? Futures Fund and the public artwork are favs of ours for sure. Beyond that too, it has really been great during the pandemic that the Walls Project rose up as a community nonprofit coordinator to help make sure we were ripping down walls between organizations to help everyone see what everyone else is doing. What do you hope to see for the Walls Project in the next 10 years? Public art gets into incredible outdoor sculptures downtown, in parks, or around the Lakes maybe? Futures Fund graduates are starting businesses and becoming entrepreneur mentors for the next generation of youth! Josh Ford, Giraphic Prints Why was it important for Giraphic Prints to support the Walls Project? We believe it is vital to support and encourage local artists that want to make Baton Rouge more beautiful while also inspiring the creativity in our fellow citizens. Are there any Walls programs, in particular, Giraphic Prints is especially interested in? Such as Baton Roots, Futures Fund or public art? Why? Giraphic has been the most involved in the Public Art programs since we are in a creative industry, however, there is such a need in our community for programs like Baton Roots and Futures Fund that we intend to support those efforts as well in the future. What do you hope to see for the Walls Project in the next 10 years? A real focus on remediating blighted buildings and land with art and/or urban planting.

You’ve seen our walls, but how much do you know about the artists behind them? The creatives behind Walls Project murals and public art installations are just as important as the finished product. From painters and NFTs creators to animators and graphic artists, there’s wall space for everyone. As we celebrate our 10-year anniversary , we checked in on some of the artists we’ve worked with in the past to hear about their experiences and vision for the future of our organization. Here’s what they had to say. Bryson Boutte 1. What mural did you work on for the Walls Project? I’ve done the Gus Young B. B. King , Scenic Highway Black Cinema Movie Posters with Ghost , the Winbourne Hair Shop , Lincoln Housing Mural , and the Transportation Mural . 2. Why was that piece important to you? Mainly the ones done for MLK day were the ones that hit home. I was able to see the community and the dedicated people come out to impact a community. Not to mention the insane amount of coordination from the Walls Project. Always impressive. 3. Why do you think public art is so important for the city of Baton Rouge? Public art directly impacts a community and its attitude towards itself. It’s seen as an investment in the beautification of the neighborhood while being able to tell a story. 4. What is your favorite memory about the mural or mural painting process? Random people coming and telling stories while I paint. 5. What do you want to see for the future of the public art program? More funding, more walls, and installations! Temporary installations would be fire. Morgan Tanner 1. What mural did you work on for the Walls Project? The Osage firehouse mural. 2. Why was that piece important to you? The space will be revitalized to be a fun and enriching after-school space for kids. It’s so great to create inspirational art in a space that will be meaningful to so many kids! 3. Why do you think public art is so important for the city of Baton Rouge? Contrary to popular belief, art is a necessity, not a luxury. Art allows us to see the world in different ways, to transform our minds and our hearts. It gives us something to rally around, something to enjoy together. Public art in Baton Rouge opens doors for us to showcase our lively culture and share important messages while connecting in the community. 4. What is your favorite memory about the mural or mural painting process? I’ll never forget seeing how quickly the overall design came together with the help of our amazing volunteers. My personal favorite stage of creating a mural is always the last coat. I add shading and details that bring the design to life. 5. What do you want to see for the future of the public art program? Adding more color and beauty in our world is always a lively thing. I’m a bit partial to big and bold works. It would be so fun to execute larger-scale projects with multiple supporting artists. Antoine ‘Ghost’ Mitchell 1. What mural did you work on for the Walls Project? The mural I worked on for The Walls Project was on the side of Brother's Meat Market (formally the classic Ann's Movie Theatre) in Scotlandville, LA for 2019 (or was it 2020?) Martin Luthor King Day of Service. Another artist and I created large paintings of classic Blaxploitation Film Posters. I was given Coffee and Cleopatra Jones. You can see them probably from the Airline Hwy overpass coming from or driving to the old Mississippi River bridge. 2. Why was that piece important to you? Although those two ideas were chosen for me, I connected with them on many different fronts. First of all, I LOVE Black women and to paint these two influential characters portrayed by two PHENOMENAL actresses in both talent and beauty was a joy. This piece also served as me connecting with the world that my mother, aunts, and uncles grew up in. They grew up during the time when a new Pam Grier film was THE thing to see. And more than likely they frequented the Ann's Theatre to see such films. As my paintbrush touched the side of that building, I connected with my Wife-Queen's parents and siblings and so many others who literally passed by and frequented Ann's Theatre. The culture surrounding those times. The happenings in North Baton Rouge and on the campus of my Alma Mater, Southern University. It's ALWAYS a joy to create art of Black women. 3. Why do you think public art is so important for the city of Baton Rouge? Public Art is so important for Baton Rouge, LA because 1) it's a way to capture and reflect the culture of the city in so many uniquely phenomenal ways by artists who reflect that particular community. 2) We have a HUGE talented artist pool in Baton Rouge and when I see murals all over Baton Rouge by other Walls artists I get so motivated at the beauty they've added to otherwise unappealing spaces. 4. What is your favorite memory about the mural or mural painting process? My favorite memory about creating the mural was just connecting with the other artists nearby who were painting these phenomenal two-dimensional opuses of beautiful Blackness. I'm just happy and humbled to have been chosen to be involved.

Every program begins with a strong level of optimism. It's necessary, or else why would you even try to make it work. For the Futures Fund, it's hard to believe what's been accomplished in such a short amount of time. It's even harder to imagine what's next. But let's start from the beginning. In 2014, a little over a dozen students gathered in a warehouse on a Saturday morning to begin a 10-week program focused on learning photography. “We grew up with parents who were supportive of our creative endeavors. We were blessed with that. But that’s not the case for everyone,” explains Casey Phillips, co-founder and executive director of The Walls Project. “The reality is, we’ve made our careers in the arts and the Futures Fund is that program that gives support and a creative environment for young people to pursue a career in the creative arts.” At the core of the program is its instructors. They are all working professionals, which allows the students to see that this isn’t just something that theoretically can be done, but rather a practical reality with a viable future. The above photos are from Futures Fund's first capstone in 2015! “The kids wanted to absorb the knowledge and experiences I had to offer as an established photographer,” says former photography instructor Jenn Ocken. “Being a professional teaching these kids gave them an inside view to living with purpose while using passion and talents to cultivate and expand a craft they seemed to really enjoy. "It was magnificent to witness the program’s success as I was guiding their creativity," she added. "They were there to be inspired and it was my hope to give what I had to ignite what will feed their future.” Roughly 3,500 people have made their way through the Futures Fund program to date. Kelsey Tillage is just one of those participants. She started the program five years ago. “I was one of the youngest people when I started,” she said at The Walls Project strategic plan unveiling held at the downtown library on June 24, 2022. “I was like 11, and everyone else was in high school, so that’s a big age gap right there, but Mr. Casey, he did the best to make sure that I always felt comfortable." This year, Tillage earned the honorable Gold Medal Congressional Award, which is awarded by the US Congress. IT’s the highest honor a youth civilian can achieve through the US Senate and House of Representatives and she is one of Louisiana’s first high school students to receive the gold medal award. “I was sitting in my seat and I was wondering, how do I sum up what the Future’s Fund means to me, and I thought of two words; inclusivity and inspire,” she said. “The reason I say inclusivity is because it was one of the first places that I felt normal." RELATED: Catching up with Futures Fund alumna Kelsie Tillage Although the photography course only has three levels, Tillage has participated in the program for so many years because she was also part of the second area of focus for the program, which is computer coding. That portion of the program inspired the creation of the adult side of the program, which is the Coding Boot Camp. “When the Tech Academy started in 2014, all the guardians and grandparents asked ‘when are you going to do this for adults, because we want to take it,’” Phillips explains. “When COVID hit, the requests became a battle cry from adults who had lost their jobs who were sick of being un or underemployed.” Although there are programs similar to the Coding Boot Camp already in Baton Rouge, the price point is often far out of reach for most. A similar program runs over $12,000 with no scholarship opportunities, student loan programs, or sizable discount for those with financial limitations. The Walls Project, however, starts at $2,500 a semester and offers grants based on your household income. In fact, low-income households could qualify for a full tuition scholarship. “It’s all about accessibility,” Phillips adds. “We’re empowering our communities from within.” The Coding Boot Camp started and will remain as a virtual experience, so participants are only limited by their access to the internet. The Tech Academy, however, is best suited to operate in the physical world to give the teens that one-on-one interaction fully needed to impart the lessons. Thankfully, the lifting of the COVID restrictions allows the Tech Academy to return to its home in north Baton Rouge. “We are excited to be back at Southern University in the fall, re-upping our flagship Tech Academy,” says Dexter Jackson, Tech Academy Program Coordinator. As the program continues to grow and thrive, the future of the Futures Fund keeps getting brighter. “Next up for Futures Fund is expansion into broadcasting and radio,” notes Jackson, Tech Academy Program Coordinator. “We will also be bringing our theory for change and workforce development as we bring our programming to both Dallas and Denver.”

Last month, The Walls Project partnered with artists, nonprofits, and thousands of Dallas volunteers at multiple sites across historic Fair Park. This event, held all day on Saturday, June 18th, saw community building, artwork creation, and blight cleanup at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, Fair Park amphitheater, and at Gilley's Southside on Lamar. Collaborating artists included Izk Davies, Jerod Davies, Ebony Lewis, Brooklyn Easley, and Ventrill Art. At Fair Park, a large circular mural was created on canvas, helped by artists and volunteers alike. Hear more from artist Izk Davies in the video! Additionally, art activities, cleanups, and community-focused conversations were highlighted throughout the event. Working until sunset local muralist Izk Davies and Ventrill art collaborated on the 'Freedom Ride' installation to restore this Impala into a rolling piece of art to commemorate Juneteenth. This project was done in collaboration with SSQDC, Epiphany, and several partners and community advocates which include: Urban Specialists, RHI management, Dallas Designing Dreams, and New Era Management.

Tech training can feel intimidating. But with Futures Fund, we are with you every step of the way, from the very beginning. Thanks to support from Capital One and many other grants and funders, the Futures Fund tech-focused educational enrichment and workforce development program is able to train more individuals in tech, an increasingly important skill for most workplaces. For teens in school, we offer Tech Academy on Saturdays during the school year. For adults and out-of-school youth who are looking to upskill, we offer virtual classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights. To join our training boot camp, there is no pre-requisite training or knowledge needed--just be open to asking questions and practicing as much as possible. Our instructors are knowledgeable about what's relevant and currently needed in the workplace tech-wise because they're employed in the skills they are teaching and can share career advice from their personal experience. Capital One understands how important tech access is to people. Investing in your training is one step toward closing the digital divide. Please join us for our next semester this fall! Futures Fund is recruiting for its fall semester. Click here for youth Tech Academy and click here for the adult Coding Boot Camp.

Ask anyone at The Walls Project how the Baton Roots program got started and everyone will respond, “because of Mitchell Provensal.” “I showed up at The Walls Project office to ask Casey [Phillips] for advice on how I could get this off the ground,” Provensal explained. “And he kind of took me under his wing and here we are.” RELATED: Back to your roots: A day-in-the-life of a Baton Roots Farm Manager The seed was first planted when Provensal was working as a teacher at Capital Middle School. Although he had very little experience with gardening at that time in his life, he had developed a strong interest in it and began sharing his new knowledge with his students. “I started a garden club with students,” he said. “I never learned [about gardening] growing up and seeing this gap with students now, it’s like, we’re so disconnected from food and nature. I thought, there’s got to be a better way.” After his time at Capital, Provensal went to work with AmeriCorps. At the same time, he was volunteering with The Walls Project. “I was managing the community gardens [through the Mayor’s office],” he said. “I was also helping run a summer youth program where we hired students. They would build the gardens for two weeks, then paint murals for two weeks.” After completing his work with AmeriCorps, Provensal went back to school to get his master's degree in urban forestry. By the time he graduated, he put together all of the experience he had gained into one concept. “The education side of this program basically started first,” he said. That side of the program is called Hustle and Grow. It's now operating in three high schools in East Baton Rouge Parish. They include Capital, Scotlandville, and Istrouma. The 10-week program teaches teens about sustainable urban agriculture. Although some of that is now done at the schools, the program was originally housed at BREC’s Howell Park. “We broke ground during the MLK Fest of 2019,” Provensal noted. “We built the Harmony Garden first, which is 18 raised beds." Later that same year, the first youth program was held and the students started during the summer maintaining the gardens. The program then expanded to weekdays during the regular school year. “And then of course the Spring of 2020 is when the pandemic hit, so things got a little crazy,” Provensal recalled. “Our plan was to go into the schools and work with the students, and, of course, that didn't happen. Then, because there were issues with transportation, many didn’t have a way to get to the farm.” RELATED: Spring '22 Capstones: Hustle and Grow and Tech Academy BREC gave Baton Roots additional space at the 140-acre park to expand and create a much larger farm base “It’s a beautiful, huge park,” Provensal said. “And they’re adding so many amenities to it. So we’re hoping as more of that stuff comes online, people will start coming out to the farm more.” One way of getting people to the farm is with Sow Good Saturday. It’s held on the first Saturday of every month beginning at 10 a.m. It's free and open to the public. “I’ll give a little demo. We go walk through the farm. People can harvest and share plants and seeds. People have lots of questions for me about their home garden, which I’m very happy to answer. We also get support from the American Heart Association and Geaux Get Healthy with having a chef that’ll do a cooking demonstration, as well as easy physical activities." The two-hour event attracts people from all over the city. “This year, it’s just been growing and growing,” Provensal said. “And we’re excited for all the people that come out. During Sow Good Saturday, you’ll also get to meet all the great people working with Michell as part of the Baton Roots program. They include SK Groll (Coordinator of Operations), Jacquel Curry (Mobile Farm Manager), Hannah Wascomb (Farm Manager), Danesha Shepherd (Hustle and Grow), and Bryson Boyd (Farmhand). You can also meet and talk to the team at the 10th Anniversary Celebration on Friday, August 5 a Chelsea’s Live. CLICK HERE to purchase your ticket.

Building a holistic community coalition network is no small feat but through the collaboration of MetroMorphosis and The Walls Project, the framework and movement have begun. Using this framework, OneRouge Coalitions is establishing the first three coalitions: CAFE Coalition, Education Coalition, and Transportation and Mobility Coalition. To understand the structure of OneRouge Coalitions, please watch the following walkthrough: Each working group will assign a Working Group Leader to participate in the Steering Committee alongside Leadership Council Co-Chairs, Specialist Representative, and paid Community Representative. To download the slides from the video, click the PowerPoint below. .

While summer is usually a time for breaks and relaxing, the Futures Fund has been busy at work gearing up for the upcoming fall semester for both the Coding Boot Camp and Tech Academy. A lot of the work that goes into a program like the Futures Fund is not only making sure the curriculum is top-notch but making sure it is exciting and relatable. "What was the most fun about Futures Fund, or more specific in the coding, is learning how to build a website, but also using the information given and figuring out a website and [its] code on my own." -Kevin N., Tech Academy Trainee Helping make all this possible are funders like the Huey and Angelina Wilson Foundation, among many others. With support, we are able to continue with curriculum advancements (NEW CURRICULUM UPDATES HAPPENING SOON!), creating a fun and inviting atmosphere with our Culture Club, as well as offering more opportunities for youth and adults to engage with the program. The Futures Fund program helps individuals cultivate their passion into a learning opportunity. Youth and adults are encouraged throughout the program to discover their “voice” and passions. Investing in themselves, often for the first time, allows for confidence-building beyond just learning new skills. While the curriculum covers Coding for the Web, graduates leave with more than a certification and an understanding of tech. They are on a pathway to growing themselves as talented and confident individuals in the workforce. The Futures Fund is recruiting for its Fall Semester, click here for youth Tech Academy and click here for the adult Coding Boot Camp.

The temperatures are rising and our arts program has been on fire! Here’s a recap of all that’s been accomplished over the last 30 days along with a preview of what's next. KIDZ FEST It was a beautiful turnout for the annual Kidz Fest at the Scotlandville Community Park. Walls Project staff members from Public Arts and Baton Roots teams were on site facilitating a community mural for the little ones, giving away fresh produce from our Howell Park farm, and demonstrating Geaux Get Healthy recipes through a live demonstration by Chef Traci Vincent. KEY ACADEMY Murals are underway at the Louisiana Key Academy, 3172 Government Street. The tuition-free, public charter school serves 1st through 8th grade students with dyslexia. The murals, located in the student courtyard, were produced by teams of 6th-8th grade students with the assistance of the Walls Project team and artist Skinny Dope. Utilizing the Walls STEAM curriculum, students were engaged after school in the measurement, scale, and project management of their designs. We all know how important art can be for young minds, and how important our growing art industry is to the capital, so we’re always happy when we can assist in building up the next generation of creative leaders. 13TH AMENDMENT We all received education on Saturday, June 4 thanks to a special visit from Akeil Robertson, as part of the End the Exception campaign. A formerly-incarcerated artist himself, Akeil is the leader of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Re-entry program. Participants got the chance to create t-shirts and create a mural painted on parachute cloth that will be installed at the Walls Project Headquarters. The technique will become a hallmark of our community mural engagements in 2023. SALVATION ARMY A dedication ceremony was held on Tuesday, June 14 for the new courtyard mural located at the Salvation Army headquarters on Airline Hwy. Major Don Tekautz commissioned the mural displaying “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” as a positive reminder to his staff, their clients, and the corps members who work diligently each day to coordinate services for the city's many housing insecure residents. The mural was completed by our own Morgan Udoh! She completed the 13 x 80 ft wall during some of the hottest days of the year and was assisted by the fabulous Walls Project regular, Skinny Dope. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Mark your calendar because we have plenty of painting opportunities coming up during the month of July. Every Saturday during July, we will be helping our friends at BREC celebrate their 75th anniversary and we’re doing it with paint, of course! Our team will be out at a different BREC park located in the Baton Rouge metro area and the public is invited to participate. Check back with our events calendar for locations. On Saturday, July 23, we would love to see you all out at the Louisiana Key Academy, 3172 Government Street, for the second portion of our playground placemaking installation. Our team will be there from 8 a.m. until noon. All you have to do is come by and we’ll tell you what to do from there. You don’t need to be an artist and you don’t need to register to participate. Kids are also welcome, so bring the whole family with you. Oh, and don’t forget to tell your friends. DONATIONS NEEDED(?) If you haven’t had a chance to come by and see our new Little Art Library, then add that to your list of things to do. This is the first of its kind in the city and we hope to create more in the near future. The concept is simple - drop off what you don’t need and take what you do need! The purpose is to create a free resource for artists to gain new supplies and information. The library is stocked with books as well as supplies. If you’re on Facebook, join the group to learn more!