How can I get involved to advocate on behalf of mental health?
Personal advocacy is an essential element to the fight against stigma, and NAMI relies on it to get our message out to the public. However, as an organization, NAMI does not possess the resources to advocate on behalf of specific individuals or situations.
How NAMI Can Help
Much advocacy happens at local and state level. To get involved and help others living with mental health conditions, we encourage you to contact your NAMI State Organization or local NAMI Affiliate. There you can learn about the NAMI Smarts For Advocacy program which provides training for individuals with lived experience to transform their passion and experience into skillful grassroots-advocacy. To find your nearest NAMI Affiliate, click on your state through the Find Your Local NAMI menu.
The NAMI Advocacy Action Center (Quorum) provides information and resources on how to get involved in State advocacy, including learning about the issues, voting rights, and how elected officials impact mental health services in the community, as well as ways to discuss mental health issues with candidates and more.
Other Mental Health Self-Advocacy Organizations
- CareForYourMind.org is an advocacy blog sponsored by Families for Depression Awareness organization that provides an online forum where those affected by the mental health care system can openly discuss its strengths and weaknesses, along with thought leaders and advocates.
- Active Minds is an organization dedicated to providing education, research and advocacy surrounding mental health. Their website offers general information about mental health and information about how to start a new chapter of the organization at university. Active Minds can be reached at (202) 332-9595.
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Email: helpline@nami.org