CAPACITY-BUILDING, RESOURCES, & OPPORTUNITIES FOR POPULATIONS (CROPs)
Established in 2016, CROPs' vision is "building the capacity of people & populations to be healthy and well" and its mission is "to cultivate, empower, and support the
capacity and skills development of vulnerable populations - improving self-efficacy, wellness, and well-being". Thus, in an effort to better service - build the capacity of vulnerable populations , CROPs acquired its 501 (c) 3 status as a public charity, 509 (a) (2).
CROPs' leaders believe that building one 's self -efficacy supports improvements in one's wellness and well-being.
CROPs' scope of work focuses on three target populations/vulnerable communities:
The vulnerable/minority communities I Same-gender loving, Trans and Queer (SGLTQ) people /communities I Persons with Behavioral Health issues/communities
CROPs' leadership team, approach framework, and community involvement-activities can be seen below (Pictures below can be enlarged by clicking them).
CROPs Program Director, Michael Robinson, facilitating a
listening session - assessing self efficacy . The session was for
African-American men in Jackson, Mississippi.
Michael Louis Robinson,
MSW, LCSW
Program Director, CROPs
mrobinson@thebachgroup.org
Black Pride Education Empowerment (BPEE) Series
BACH's CROPs' Black Pride Educational Empowerment (BPEE) Series are events and mediums that focus on same-gender loving (SGL; Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual), trans , and queer people's health disparities and resilience. The series' inaugural event, the BPEEtalks, took place November 25th at the New
Orleans Jazz Market. The event was a success, with over 200 registrants. BPEEtalks event pictures can be seen below and videos can be seen
on the BPEE Series Facebook page.
2017
The second biennial BPEEtalks will take place in November, 2019. Other, smaller, BPEE Series events will be taking place throughout Louisiana starting
in 2018-2019. These events will include smaller community edu-empowerment gathers . The Talks - 15 minute Facebook Lives where Black SGLTQ
persons' lived experiences will be featured and discussed, will also be starting in 2018. More information on The Talks will be shared soon.
2018
The BPEE Series 2018 event (Nov. 17th) - BPEE Celebration: I AM ... #Excellence!, an event centered in SGLTQ inter-sectionalities - it highlighted
SGLTQ #Excellence, while providing resources, psycho-social experiences and information that supports resilience. Pictures and videos of the event
can be seen below.
“I will find the way to do this. So be it! See to it!” - Octavia Butler
Dr. Earl Nupsius Benjamin, Dr.H.Sc.
Executive Director, CROPs
ebenjamin@thebachgroup.org
CROPs' Behavior Health/communities work:
CROPs
Dr. Benjamin on panel with other
community stakeholders at the 2018 Greater
New Orleans Funders Network's Quarterly
Convening - discussing social determinants,
disparities and funding and resource needs of
New Orleans and Louisiana’s SGLTQ
populations.
CROPs' SGLTQ/communities work:
CROPs' vulnerable populations/minority communities work:
CROPs Executive Director, Dr. Earl Benjamin, speaking truth to power at Job1 & ResCare job training graduation - key-note speaker.
BACH CROPs' LCSW Michael Robinson and Dr. Benjamin lecturing about SGLTQ social determinants of health at Tulane University School of Public Health's 2017 Health, Racism and Communication Series.
Michael Robinson,
BACH Therapeutic Counseling
Services Psychotherapist and
CEO , provides no cost
services - therapy
(group/individual)
and/or coaching to BACH's
identified target populations.
CROPs, with other community members and
organizations, met with New Orleans Police Precinct 2
Commander Gernon and Sergeant Heillon. CROPs
leadership helped coach and support community
gatekeeper, Tela Love, in outlining the needs of her
community for this convening.