Master P's Team Hope NOLA Organization Is Fostering A New Generation Of Leaders One Young Person At A Time

Like a handful of other cities across the nation, New Orleans is a vibrant place full of culture and resilient people who can bring a smile to face of just about anyone. 

Unfortunately, for many residents of color living on the outskirts of the city, their reality is a much different one from the joyous vibe associated with Mardi Gras or the non-stop party that seems to engulf Bourbon street from sun up to sun down on any given day. Plagued by a string of natural disasters that have continuously threatened to wash the entire city away — and just about did in 2005 — the city has had just about everything negative you can think of thrown their way without cease.

ESSENCE Festival 2017 single-night tickets and ticket packages are on sale now! For more info and the latest news, visit our Festival page here.

But among the many things the city of New Orleans and the people who call it home have that’s unlike that of any other place is their unwavering spirit of hope and ability to unite to bounce back together in even the most of difficult times.

Proud NOLA native, Hip Hop mogul and 2017 ESSENCE Festival partner and performer Master P is a product of that very environment. Together with New Orleans Pelicans coach Robert Pack, he’s channeled his own fearless spirit into a remarkable youth charity foundation called Team HOPE NOLA.

Founded by the two business partners consummate philanthropists in 2016, Team HOPE NOLA selects 20 at-risk male students between the ages of 12-15 whom they mentor and equip with the life skills necessary for success. Through the foundation, the young people are provided with access to resources including job training and scholarships opportunities. In addition, Master P and Robert Pack make conscious efforts to keep them involved in enriching extra-curricular activities that build on the concept of young Black men working together as a team to create better futures for themselves, their communities and their families.

P himself has even made the organization a family effort, getting his children involved with helping to give back to the community that raised him.

Check out the video above to hear more from Master P about Team HOPE NOLA and then click HERE for more information on how you can get tickets to the first-ever Essence Festival Celebrity Basketball game hosted by Master P and Team HOPE NOLA, with proceeds going towards a scholarship fund for New Orleans youth.

Hide Transcript

[MUSIC] The essence team Hope Nolan celebrity basketball game is the first me hosting this. Master P personally and my family and welcoming everybody all the celebrities to New Orleans. We got the whole family going in here and guess what Team hold Nolan. Team hold Nolan teaming up with Essence was just a beautiful thing. It's about our cultural, our people, our youth. It's about education. It's about inspiring the next generation. A lot of us that been through stuff, been through situations and is about overcoming that person. We started this in New Orleans. It's about helping at risk youth, but it's about helping kids in poverty go and chase their dreams and their goals. Everybody here that knows somebody that's dead or incarcerated, put your hand up. Our whole thing is to make a change through education to do better. And it only gonna start right here with you. Even though whatever conditions you're going in, still find some type of peace and happiness with yourself. Everybody here know what they wanna be in life? You all put your hands up, everybody that know what they wanna be in life. What about you? Engineer. Engineer. Give him a round of applause. [APPLAUSE] Education changed my life, saved my life. So I feel like if I can inspire and give that back to these kids And I'm just thankful that Essence partnered up with us to make this happen. This si going to be powerful for our culture and our people in knowing that we are not forgetting about the generation. And that's how we're going to build a generational oil making sure that these kids have safe haven, these kids have have the proper education. To go on with their lives to be doctors, lawyers, entertainers, professional athletes. I just want kids to know that, you know what, you can be good in sports, you can be good in music, you can be good in acting or whatever. But also have something to fall back on, which is your education. [UNKNOWN] [APPLAUSE] Yeah. I got shorty. Come on, man. [MUSIC] [BLANK_AUDIO]