of households: smartphone, no computer
LOUISIANA / RICHLAND PARISH
A young adult’s future shouldn’t depend on figuring everything out alone.
NextChapter gives young adults leaving foster care a phone, a guide and a person who doesn’t give up. Louisiana is one of our four pilot states, and we’re starting in Richland Parish.
And in Rayville, something new: an AI Career Lab where Richland Parish’s young adults learn to build the future being built around them.
Rooted here.
Ready for what’s next.RAYVILLE · LOUISIANA
Ready for what’s next.RAYVILLE · LOUISIANA
01 / THE MOMENT
Richland Parish is stepping into the AI economy. Its young people should lead the way.
The AI economy is arriving in northeast Louisiana. The question is who gets to be part of it.
Today, more than 1 in 4 Richland Parish households has a smartphone but no computer, and nearly 1 in 5 has no internet at all. Young adults leaving foster care face the steepest climb of all. We think the young people who grow up here should be the ones building what comes next, and we’re building the place where that starts.
of households: no internet
U.S. Census Bureau · 2020–2024 ACS five-year estimates. Read the sources ↗
02 / THE FOUNDATION
NextChapter: a phone, a guide and a person who doesn’t give up.
A reliable device and service
A device and wireless service keep appointments, forms and important conversations within reach.
An AI Assistant
Practical help organizing a task, preparing questions and finding local resources.
A human Navigator
Someone to verify requirements, connect with real services and work through complex needs.
NextChapter’s AI Assistant has one main job: learn what a young person needs and connect them to a human who can help. It knows the services they may qualify for, like health coverage, college and training money, housing help and job programs, and it’s an expert at completing the forms. A NextChapter Navigator follows up until they reach someone.
We’ve already mapped Louisiana: a directory of 110 agencies and offices, including the Monroe region that serves Richland Parish. Verification is tracked so answers can point to real programs and real people.
NextChapter is in pilot in Austin, Texas, with a goal of serving 100 youth. The app is in the App Store and Google Play. Try the demo ↗
ONLY IN RICHLAND PARISH / OPENING 2027
The NextChapter
AI Career Lab.
Real AI hardware. A laptop of your own.
A coach in your corner. A career at the end.
In Rayville, we’re building an AI Career Lab for Richland Parish residents aged 18 to 25. It’s not a classroom with a slideshow. It’s a working lab: Mac Studio workstations stacked and linked in pairs, so you learn how AI systems connect and scale, and NVIDIA DGX Spark AI computers, the kind of hardware professionals build on.
You’ll build real AI literacy: using AI at work, using it responsibly, checking what it gets wrong, and running and managing AI systems yourself. You’ll earn an industry certification in a high-demand field. And you’ll meet local employers through site visits, interview practice and a capstone project, with a coach who helps you land what’s next.
What you get
A laptop you keep when you graduate, plus a home hotspot if you need one
Small-group training three times a week and a 1:1 coach every week
Two career tracks: IT support and data center technician prep, or AI-powered business and office work
Industry certification exams paid for
Employer site visits, interview practice and a capstone project
Job placement support, including help applying to local community college training programs
Two cohorts of 25, twenty weeks each. Young adults who grew up in foster or kinship care get first priority. Drop-in desks for anyone without a computer at home. Opening in 2027.
03 / A PLACE TO BUILD
Inside the lab.
The AI bench
10 Mac Studio workstations in 5 stacked, linked pairs
The AI computers
2 NVIDIA DGX Spark systems
The hardware bench
Learn to install, cable and troubleshoot real equipment
Drop-in desks and coaching room
Open computers for anyone who needs one, and weekly 1:1 sessions
Built so every participant gets hands-on time with the same kinds of tools used to build and run AI today.
04 / THE PATH
From day one to a career.
- 01
Day one
Your own laptop, and a coach who knows your name.
- 02
Weeks 1–12
Computer basics, AI at work, data and documents.
- 03
Weeks 13–20
Your career track and certification exam.
- 04
Real-world experience
Employer site visits, interview practice and a capstone project for a Richland business or nonprofit.
- 05
What’s next
A job, an apprenticeship or more training, with a coach still in your corner.
AN ILLUSTRATION OF WHAT THE LAB WILL MAKE POSSIBLE
A day in the lab.
It’s 9 a.m. in Rayville. A 19-year-old who left foster care last year sits down at a Mac Studio. Yesterday she learned how two linked machines can split a single AI model between them. Today she’s using that to build a small assistant that answers customer questions for a family business down the street, her capstone project. After lunch she meets her coach to practice for an interview. On the way out she grabs her laptop. It’s hers.
05 / HOW NEXTCHAPTER HELPS
From “where do I start?” to “here’s my next step.”
An illustrative training journey.
See the product roadmap ↗The young adult sets the goal
“I want to apply for training.”
They choose what they want to pursue and what support they want along the way.
The AI helps organize
One manageable step at a time.
The AI Assistant helps break the process into tasks, draft questions and identify information to check with the training provider: documents, eligibility and how to follow up.
A human helps with the complex part
Real resources. Real conversations.
If requirements are unclear or another barrier comes up, a Navigator helps verify the details and contact appropriate local resources.
The choice stays with the young adult
A next step they can own.
They decide whether and how to proceed.
06 / BUILT AROUND YOU
Two ways NextChapter shows up in Richland Parish.
NextChapter core service
For young adults 18 to 25 who were in foster or kinship care.
A phone, a prepaid line, the NextChapter app and a Navigator.
Help with housing, health coverage, school and paperwork.
NextChapter AI Career Lab
For all Richland Parish residents 18 to 25, with foster and kinship care alumni first.
AI training on real hardware, a laptop, weekly coaching, an industry certification and employer connections.
A path into jobs and further training.
Young adults with foster or kinship care experience can use both.
07 / WHERE WE’RE HEADED
What we’re aiming for in year one.
young adults trained across two cohorts
graduates
industry certifications earned
graduates in a job, apprenticeship or further training within 90 days
youth supported by NextChapter’s core service
neighbors at free Community AI Lab nights
Year-one goals. Results will be independently evaluated and shared publicly.
08 / THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT
Built by people who’ve lived it.
Foster & Adoption Support was founded in January 2021 by licensed foster and adoptive parents. Our team brings experience in enterprise technology, product management, data science and design. We build tools for families and young people in foster care because we’ve sat at those kitchen tables ourselves.
Join the Rayville team
- Site Director
- AI & IT Instructor
- Career Coach & Employer Partnerships Lead
- NextChapter Navigator
Interested? Use the form below and choose the partner, hire or team option.
09 / YOUR PART IN WHAT’S NEXT
Help build it.
Employers: host a site visit, mentor a capstone project or interview our graduates. Community groups: refer a young adult or host a Community AI Lab night. Supporters: help us open the doors in 2027.
- 01
Listen
Hear from young adults, families and caseworkers in Richland Parish.
- 02
Connect
Build the local referral network. The 110-agency directory is mapped, with verification tracked.
- 03
Open
Launch the first lab cohort and the core service.
- 04
Learn
Measure results with consent, and share what we learn.
LET’S START A CONVERSATION
Be part of it.
A first step for future participants, the people who support them, and our neighbors in Richland Parish.
WHO IT’S FOR
Eligibility
NextChapter core service: young adults 18 to 25 who aged out of foster or kinship care.
AI Career Lab: Richland Parish residents 18 to 25, with foster and kinship care alumni first.
Our commitments
- NextChapter’s AI Assistant doesn’t replace professional advice or emergency services. In an emergency, call 911.
- Navigators are real people with set hours, not a 24/7 service.
- We never ask for sensitive personal information on this page.
- The Richland Parish lab and service open in 2027. Details may change as we work with local partners.
- Parish statistics describe all households, not young adults leaving foster care specifically.
- Training and support do not guarantee admission, employment or other outcomes.
Sources
U.S. Census Bureau · 2020–2024 ACS five-year estimates.
- Richland Parish QuickFacts ↗
- ACS B28001 · Types of computers ↗
Smartphone with no other type of computer, as a share of all households.
- ACS B28002 · Internet subscriptions ↗
No internet access, distinct from access without a subscription.
- Louisiana directory: NextChapter research, October 2026. 110 mapped agencies and offices, with verification tracked.
- Lab hardware: Mac Studio ↗ and NVIDIA DGX Spark ↗. Manufacturers’ product pages, October 2026.