RIDE New Orleans | Lead Youth Transit Ambassadors - Job Scope

Program Overview: In 2023, the City of New Orleans created a Youth Transportation Fund, giving $2.5 million from American Rescue Plan to support a one-year Opportunity Pass program that will offer free transit for Orleans Parish Opportunity Youth (OY)  residents, ages 16-24. The program will enable leaders to learn from OY transit riders and understand the need for free transit. We aim to gather information that will help us create and keep a permanent program. The Opportunity Pass program will be run by Opportunity Youth Transit Ambassadors, the Regional Transit Authority, New Orleans Public Library, RIDE New Orleans, and the New Orleans Children & Youth Planning Board. 

Youth Ambassador Overview: The Lead Transit Ambassador will be the face of the Opportunity Youth (OY) year-long Zero-Fares program, creating and leading outreach that will help make sure OY know and understand how to RIDE the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) for free. This positions will play an important role in working with and leading youth outreach, using face-to-face engagement and media tools like Instagram and TikTok to create educational content that will let OY Orleans Parish transit riders know about the year-long program.

Communications 

• Help to create social media messages/pictures/videos/emails
• Use your voice to make easy-to-understand tool kit for OY transit riders
• Help create and manage the OY programming i.e. focus groups
• Collaborate with RIDE, and NOLA CYPB campaign around Zero-Fares
• Collaborate with OY organizations, scheduling Zero-Fare engagement

Organizing

• Go out and speak with OY and OY serving organizations
• Empower and inform OY participants about the pilot program with a communications tool kit created by you
• Speak to community leaders about the importance of free transit for OY
• Assist in scheduling Ambassador activities 
• Point-of-contact for Transit Ambassadors

What to expect:

• Must be 18-24 and live in Orleans Parish 
• 8 month long position
• Ambassador positions will be 20 hours a week and RIDE supported 
• Ambassadors will get a stipend of 20.00 an hour that will be paid two times a month
• Ambassadors will work both in the office and out in the community 
• Ambassadors will have two in-office days where the RIDE team will help support the ambassador with duties and weekly scheduling
• RIDE will support with tools such as a microphone and camera for content creation 
• Ambassadors must have their own smartphone
• RIDE will provide transit education
• Some independent work will take place BUT all ambassadors will have RIDE support before those events happen
• Outside of two office days, a flexible schedule

Ambassadors:

• Get paid while making a difference for OY!
• A resume-building opportunity with RIDE recommendations for future jobs!
• The opportunity to speak with decision-makers!
• The support of the OY community AND a great networking experience! 
• The opportunity to learn about transit and how it plays a huge role in a thriving city!
• Build important communication and organizational skills!