New Orleans South Africa Connection, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not- for-profi¬t organization promoting music, art, culture, film, trade, and arts in education for economic development and tourism between the USA and Africa.
NOSACONN was founded by Damon J. Batiste in 1998, it is a non-profit organization, comprised of business, civic, community, and entertainment industry leaders, both in New Orleans and South Africa. This unique partnership has facilitated the production special of events in the City of New Orleans and the Republic of South Africa, concurrently, for the past three years.
These activities have allowed NOSACONN to serve as a pioneer in presenting art, culture, and tourism as a forefront of economic development. It has recognized the field of arts, culture, and education on a local, regional, and international level as a tremendous networking tool for job creation, tourism, and self-empowerment. It has also served as an incubator for economic sustainability.
Over the past five years, NOSACONN has produced outdoor concerts, educational workshops, empowerment seminars, business expositions, and youth enhancement programs. Since its inception, the Organization has employed over 250 people; and has been instrumental in mentoring youth in the local school system in New Orleans. NOSACONN, through the Arts in Education Initiative, will be largely responsible for delivering and / or coordinating the delivery of the content associated with the Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, English, Arts, and Mathematics components of the LET’S TEAM program. This will be done in partnership with local schools and tertiary institutions, as well as with other stakeholders.
LET’S TEAM is a partnership initiative between the New Orleans South Africa Connection (NOSACONN) based in New Orleans, and Equilibrium Coaching Academy based in Johannesburg. This joint venture seeks to equip young people in schools, tertiary education institutions, and in communities and workplaces with a range of knowledge, skills, systems, and tools to assist them in becoming all they can be — personally and professionally.
The key here is to specifically increase awareness, interest, and capability amongst Black youths — and especially young Black females — in careers in various art forms, either as employees or entrepreneurs. As members of the Millennials or Generation Y cohort, young people are perfectly poised to integrate the advances of 21st century technology with time-tested learning and thinking systems to escalate productivity and performance in their studies, their jobs, and their lives. The LET’S TEAM program is the ideal vehicle to advance this.
Experience has revealed that most students learn for the next test or exam — and that many are barely able to recall even a fraction of what they learned mere days later. For those whose families can afford to, private tuition has become the go-to crutch that helps them get that ‘grade’. All it does really is teach ‘learned helplessness’, rather than prepare young people to navigate the challenges in their lives ahead. What they need are more exciting, engaging ways of learning; knowing how to ‘think’ their way out of the challenges that life throws at them; and navigating their respective and collective journeys in becoming valuable members of their communities and citizens of the world. LET’S TEAM helps our young people to be just that.
EQUILIBRIUM COACHING ACADEMY:
Equilibrium is led by Pravienna Naidoo and Tshenolo Motlhala, two highly-trained and committed individuals whose life mission is to facilitate the development and growth of young people through four key areas of intervention in the LET’S TEAM program: Academic Life Coaching; Accelerated Learning; Effective Thinking; and Total Wellbeing.
LETS TEAM: TIMINGS AND METHODOLOGY
The LET’S TEAM program is best delivered in weekly sessions, face-to-face with participants, allowing for the most valuable learning experience; providing time for application, review, and alignment between sessions. The three-month program can be delivered as a self-study, video based program as an alternative to face-to-face learning; enabling coverage to a larger number of learners — at a fraction of the cost.
NOSACONN has made a substantial cultural impact over the years. A few of the many are:
– NOSACONN enters into partnership with the United Way of Southeast Louisiana to establish the Creative Industries and Cultural Exchange Center in February 2013. The center will generate and sustain long-term growth in the creative industries through the investment in and educational enrichment of the youth of New Orleans, by providing a 21st century platform for the exchange of global digital media and culture.
– NOSACONN selected to participate in two national pilots; The White House Initiative on Turnaround Arts and The After school Corporation (TASC), providing after school and summer programming to help turnaround low-performing schools in underserved areas in 2012.
– NOSACONN expanded to France by partnering with the US Embassy in France to focus on Arts Integration and Education in November 2012.
– MOU Signing of NOSACONN & National Heritage Council of South Africa to further promote international synergy in the arts between USA & South Africa during World Cup 2010 in Johannesburg
MISSION STATEMENT
– Advocate for international cultural tourism stimulation for economic development
– Promote cultural development throughout the disaster recovery efforts in Louisiana
– Host more events with South African Ambassadors in Partnership with World Trade Center than any other organization in the city since 2004
NOSACONN remains committed to it’s international culture exchange mission with the African continent
which has been instrumental in forging alliances between New Orleans icons and South Africa since 1999
