Alternatives 2022 will have presentations and action groups instead of workshops this year. Information about Alternatives 2021 is here.
Workshops for Alternatives 2021 have been selected and are listed at this page.
ALTERNATIVES 2021
CONNECTING, ORGANIZING, ACTIVATING!
The overarching priority of the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery is to advocate for a recovery-focused mental health system that prevents crisis, protects rights, and promotes social justice, wellness,economic empowerment, and social inclusion. The focus of the Alternatives 2021 Conference is to bring our attention and energy to these issues.
Alternatives 2021 will provide opportunities to roll up our sleeves and develop goals and action steps to accomplish these priorities by providing workshops and action groups in the following areas. We welcome workshop submissions that give concrete examples and steps to address and accomplish goals in these areas:
Workshops will be 45 minutes long. We encourage a TED-talk type of presentation on the topic. You may encourage interaction through zoom polls, through the chat, or by allowing participants to “raise their hand” to be called upon.
Please submit a proposal for a 45-minute workshop in one of the categories below.
Advocacy: Developing peer advocacy leaders from marginalized groups through mentoring and training. Building and raising the collective voice of persons with lived experience through increased participation in decision making bodies at the federal and state levels. Training peer leaders in effective advocacy training and practices; grassroots organizing, cross disability alliances, and organizing. Addressing social issues affecting the peer community; increasing awareness of the history of peer, civic, or human rights movements. Gaining a presence and a voice on advisory Councils, State Mental Health Planning councils,etc.
Preventing Crisis: Unbundling police involvement in mental health--shifting funding to crisis alternatives. Increase the availability and accessibility of voluntary supports to prevent crises and promote recovery and social inclusion. Funding and development of peer-run programs, peer-run crisis respites, jail diversion programs, prison discharge teams, hospital diversion programs, and peer-staffed crisis outreach teams. Development of peer-led engagement strategies to prevent the need for police involvement and coercive interventions that infringe on civil liberties including alternatives to suicide.
Protecting Rights: Advocating for the civil and human rights of persons with mental health challenges and trauma histories. Provide training on ancestral and community trauma. Expanding fair and meaningful legal representation for individuals subject to inpatient/outpatient commitment and guardianship hearings. Promote approaches that provide a radical shift in cultural paradigms, challenge fundamental assumptions and social norms including mad pride, neurodiversity, prison abolition, harm reduction, safely reducing psychiatric medications, drug users’ rights, etc.
Promoting Social Justice and Social Inclusion: Increasing the diversity of boards and committees in a thoughtful, conscious way. Creating a diverse, culturally-responsive community--inclusive of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, size, disability, culture, or socioeconomic status; intersectionality, inclusion of disadvantaged or underrepresented groups. Training on how to share power within organizations. Learning from cross-generational practices, age-related discrimination, multigenerational mental health challenges, and promotion of family supports.
Youth Empowerment: Providing space for youth voices, involvement, and inclusion in advocacy. Innovative programs for youth, transitioning youth, and young adults; promotion and inclusion of young adults in leadership capacities.
Healing Through the Arts, Holistic Health, Wellness, and Spirituality: Promoting holistic approaches to mental health and substance use. Healing approaches and celebrating our gifts through art, music, dance, spoken word or other forms of creative expression; improving physical, emotional, and/or spiritual health through wellness practices including nutrition, mindfulness, meditation, massage, exercise, yoga, or other holistic approaches, especially those that can be be adapted and shared in a virtual space.
Economic Empowerment: Promoting appropriately funded accessible, affordable, and safe housing such as, Housing First, peer-owned housing, and collective ownership models. Employment, financial literacy, financial self-sufficiency, overcoming poverty and income inequality. Non-profit management, leadership development, board of directors’ development, building and sustaining a 501c3, and organizational and leadership sustainability
Alternatives 2021 Workshop Selection Criteria
Peer reviewers from the Alternatives Advisory Team will evaluate all workshop proposals.
Proposals must meet these requirements:
A) Presenters must identify as having lived experience of a mental health and/or substance use condition.
B) Proposals must include a clear description of the presentation, including an outline and learning objectives.
C) Applicants must complete all sections of the application.
Proposals will be considered by the following:
Relevance of the presentation to the conference theme: CONNECTING, ORGANIZING, ACTIVATING!
Relevance to one of the suggested categories for Alternatives 2021 (above).
Expertise and experience of presenters. (First-time presenters are welcome to apply.)
Attention to cultural diversity and inclusion.
Active engagement of participants.
Opportunities to develop new skills and/or to replicate a successful program.
Indication of partnerships with providers, peers, family members and/or others.
