We see the talent in our

COMMUNITIES

COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD [CAB]

The nolaHYPE CAB is a collective group of diverse individuals that serves as an invaluable resource to guide and nurture community efforts for all of our programming. As true representatives of the community, our CAB is made up of people who genuinely reflect the communities we serve. They help to find and voice issues from the communities they represent and apply their expertise to entire projects from start to finish. Our CAB members also serve as liaisons for community members and organizations by providing links between CAB project and the organizations and communities they represent. It is important to us that we invest in our CAB, and provide our members with development opportunities to improve their quality of life.
If you are interested

JOIN OUR CAB!

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Community Events

NolaHYPE is dedicated to providing spaces where people within our communities can showcase their talent! We regularly host a variety of community events and are always looking for new ways to engage people. From shakedowns and kiki balls to film screenings and educational forums, we continually work to show our communities that we appreciate them and value their social wants and needs. Recently, our CAB, study populations, patients, and community members have repeatedly expressed interest in ballroom, house, and vogue cultures.

These spaces offer rare opportunities for our priority populations to be celebrated for being their authentic selves. We have leveraged our networks of community influencers and partners to develop the ballroom scene here in New Orleans. Collaborations with Twiggy Pucci Garçon & Jack Mizrahi ensure our events are true to ball culture, while partnerships with local organizations, sponsors, and community ensure they are true to New Orleans culture. Be sure to check out our GALLERY of images from previous events.

Stay up to date on our events!

STAY HYPE

SOCIAL MEDIA

We’ll meet you where you are!

Follow us on our social media platforms to stay in touch & keep up with all of our programs.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

We all know it takes a village! Working collaboratively with like-minded organizations allows us to maximize our community engagement efforts and bring information, services, and programming to more people. Showing up to support our partners is something we value and continue to do.

If you or your organization would like to get involved

JOIN OUR NETWORK

A LETTER FROM OUR DIRECTOR

We are dedicated to serving youth in the New Orleans community, particularly those who are most marginalized and in need. Much of our programming aims to improve the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ youth who comprise a large portion of our clinical and social services populations. However, navigating health care and other social services can be intimidating, confusing, and unwelcoming for many of these youth.

We acknowledge these challenges and strive to bring our services and research to them by simply meeting them where they are. We conduct community-based outreach efforts through: direct outreach and social media; active collaboration with community agencies to coordinate care; supporting creation of events and spaces that allow these youth within our communities to thrive and learn more about our research and other services.

Manuel “Manny” A. Ocasio, PhD, MSPH
Director of Community Engagement & Behavioral Research | Assistant Professor