Rap Session

The White House Council for Community Solutions, of which Tulane President Scott Cowen and musician Jon Bon Jovi are members, held its first youth listening session at Café Reconcile in New Orleans on Friday (April 29). Youth who have been served by local organizations Café Reconcile, Liberty's Kitchen, Youth Empowerment Project and the Tulane Drop-In Center were part of the discussion. The council, established by President Barack Obama, will host listening sessions across the country with young Americans and community leaders to determine where efforts are most needed. Findings will be compiled in a final report to the council in June. The listening tour adds to the White House's broader effort to engage young people nationwide through roundtables, conference calls, Web chats and other opportunities.

In a circle with area youth, Tulane President Scott Cowen tells them, “You have been terrific teachers today, and hopefully we've been good students.”

Rashad Jame, a peer leader at the Tulane Drop-In Center, speaks his mind during the listening session.

Area youth participate in the first listening session on a tour sponsored by the White House Council for Community Solutions. (Photo by Han Nguyen)

Speaking to news media after the event are, from left, Cowen, Michael Kempner and musician Jon Bon Jovi, all members of the White House Council for Community Solutions, with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

A Times-Picayune photographer snaps photos of Bon Jovi with staff members from the Tulane Drop-In Center. Cicely Campbell, left, is the center's volunteer coordinator, and Elizabeth Jones, right, is its senior program coordinator.

Bon Jovi enjoys bread pudding served up by Café Reconcile, a nonprofit restaurant that provides life skills and job training to youth from at-risk communities in New Orleans. Since the restaurant opened in 2000, more than 500 young people have completed the program and moved into permanent food service jobs.