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In Our Own Voice: Living with Mental Illness—

An Opportunity for Outreach, Education, and Understanding

Are you seeking effective ways to bring mental illness awareness to college and high school students? Are you a young adult living with a mental illness and willing to share your story? Are you aware of In Our Own Voice: Living with Mental Illness?

This NAMI project, currently available in 23 states, creates awareness about recovery from mental illness through presentations by consumers.

In Our Own Voice (IOOV) offers training for people with mental illness to integrate their stories into a professional presentation that includes a brief video, dialogue with audiences, and distribution of printed resource information.

IOOV is a powerful antistigma tool that can change hearts, minds, and attitudes, and it is an opportunity for consumers to gain self-confidence, self-esteem, and income while serving as role models for the community. The project provides living proof that recovery from mental illness is an ongoing reality. What better way to dispel myths about mental illness than to hear from people who have been there?

In Our Own Voice: Living with Mental Illness has been received very favorably by many high school and college audiences. Some of the most powerful testimony about IOOV comes from these students, because even though they often face the greatest stigma from peers, they are open to education and change. Here is just a sample of their comments:

From college students:

"(This presentation) showed that treatment can be very effective."

"It gave so many examples of how people deal with mental illnesses."

"I enjoyed the presentation and the fact that it portrays people with mental illnesses as real people. Often I think we forget that diagnosed people are still human."

"I learned that it is possible for people to recover and be happy."

"It [IOOV] provided valuable insight into the true feelings and emotions a mentally ill person is experiencing. It was much more vivid and valuable than any textbook description."

From high school students:

"I never really knew how people cope with their disorders, or how tough it was."

"It taught me that lots of people are not accepting of mentally ill people."

"I see how happy [the presenter] is today, even after what she has been through."

"Mental illness seems like such a hard thing to cope with, but obviously you can cope and live your life."

"Everyone should be accepted for who they are."

"I have a mental illness, and now I have hope."

 

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Join NAMI today!

When you become a member of NAMI, you become part of America's largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness. And now you can join online.