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NAMI Advocacy Program

Project Description

In collaboration with NAMI Valley of the Sun (NAMI VOS) and the Arizona Peer and Family Coalition (APFC), I contributed to the strategic planning, policy development, and operational execution of Arizona's Mental Health Day at the Capitol, held on April 14, 2025. This event united mental health advocates, empowered individuals with lived experience of mental illness, fostered community connections, and advocated for improvements to Arizona's behavioral health system.
The project involved several critical stages, including conducting and analyzing a survey among APFC members (peers, family members, and allies) to identify key policy priorities. The survey results led to the establishment of three unified policy goals:
Investing in behavioral health workforce development
Expanding access to permanent supportive housing
Strengthening existing provider capacity
Operational tasks included developing policy briefs, managing communications with state legislators and registrants, overseeing the database for event registration, scheduling webinars and information sessions, coordinating day-of logistics, and implementing a virtual advocacy component.
Mental Health Day at the Capitol served a diverse cross-section of Arizonans, specifically peers (individuals with lived experience of mental illness), their family members, mental health providers, advocacy organizations, and allies. Although the project lacked culturally responsive Spanish-language materials for the Southwest's populations, including a virtual advocacy component expanded its accessibility and empowered individuals unable to travel to the state Capitol. Workshops, information sessions, and policy briefs were intentionally designed to raise critical consciousness among participants, providing them with the resources, knowledge, and confidence needed for effective political advocacy and policy discussions.

My Roles and Responsibilities

I played a significant role across various aspects of the project, including:
Advocate: Developed policy briefs that clearly articulated APFC's advocacy priorities to legislators and participants.
Bridge Builder: Facilitated consensus among diverse stakeholder groups (peers, family members, and allies) to establish unified policy priorities.
Organizer: Managed comprehensive logistical planning, including registration database development and management, webinar scheduling, information session organization, overseeing event volunteers, and coordinating virtual advocacy opportunities.
Researcher/Evaluator: Conducted detailed analysis of survey data to inform and refine strategic policy decisions and researched best practices and programs to highlight within policy briefs.
Communicator/Promoter: Coordinated outreach and ongoing communications with legislators, event participants, and stakeholders, ensuring clear messaging and effective dissemination of event details and advocacy resources.
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Project Artifacts

The following artifacts illustrate my contributions, each developed by me with feedback and review from the NAMI VOS executive director:

1. APFC Survey Results Presentation

A presentation of the APFC membership survey results, highlighting policy consensus among diverse membership groups.
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2. Policy Briefs

Documents outlining APFC’s policy priorities for legislative advocacy.
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3. Legislative Tip Sheet

Practical guidance designed to empower Mental Health Day attendees for effective policy advocacy during legislative engagements.
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