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Youth Leadership Program

Overview:

  • The NAMI Ohio Youth Leadership Program is youth-led, focusing on youth inclusion, mental wellness, positive peer support, and smooth transitions into adulthood. It aims to involve young people directly in mental health advocacy by providing leadership opportunities within NAMI Ohio and its affiliates.

Key Aspects:

  • Participants: Youth aged 14-30 with lived experience in mental health, substance use, or related areas.
  • Structure: Guided by the NAMI Ohio Youth Leadership Program State Council, comprising at least 16 youth members, ensuring diverse representation from across Ohio.

Benefits:

  • Opportunities for advocacy, leadership training, peer support, and involvement in various activities at different levels (national, state, local).
  • Access to specialized training and certification programs in mental health support roles.
  • Financial support for participation in events, including travel and expenses.

Eligibility and Membership:

  • Youth must apply, be committed to mental wellness, adhere to a code of ethics, and meet age and experience criteria. Membership lasts two years with renewal possible.

Expectations for Members:

  • Active participation in events, volunteering in planning committees, promoting NAMI via social media, maintaining professionalism, and confidentiality, among other responsibilities.

Suspensions and Terminations:

  • Membership can be suspended or terminated for breaches of agreement, ethical violations, or inactivity. There’s an appeal process for such decisions.

Grievance Procedure:

  • A structured process for addressing complaints related to program standards or ethics.

State Council:

  • Meets in-person and virtually throughout the year, focusing on various committees like social media, peer support, and advocacy. Ensures geographical and experiential diversity.

Support:

  • NAMI Ohio covers necessary expenses like travel, provides stipends based on participation, and offers mini-grants for youth-led projects.

Activities and Projects:

  • Includes running NAMI programs in schools, support groups, peer-run initiatives, and community events, all requiring youth leadership and input.

Purpose and Structure:

  • Next Gen Leaders are young adults aged 18-30 who act as program advisors for local NAMI Affiliates in Ohio. Their role involves enhancing outreach, programming, and messaging to support mental wellness among youth.
  • Each local NAMI Affiliate recruits 3 leaders with lived experience as youth or caregivers for their Next Gen Advisory Board. These leaders serve a minimum of one year, with potential for renewal based on mutual interest.

Benefits for Next Gen Leaders:

  • A small stipend, opportunities for leadership development, resume enhancement, access to training/certifications, networking with other peer leaders, and the chance to pioneer new youth services.

Expectations for Next Gen Leaders:

  • Attend regular meetings, review NAMI’s offerings, act as liaisons with youth, promote NAMI on social media, engage in recruitment, collaborate on youth program expansion, represent youth at various forums, and participate in training.

Next Gen Advisory Board Responsibilities:

  • Focus on raising youth issues awareness, hosting events, peer support, leadership development, and ensuring professional representation of NAMI.

Local Affiliate Roles:

  • Recruit young leaders, provide logistical support, define tasks for the advisory board, empower youth in decision-making, track activities, and communicate with NAMI Ohio for support.

NAMI Ohio Youth Leadership Program Support:

  • Assists in forming local boards, provides resources and training, supports partnerships, offers peer support training, manages social media campaigns, maintains a state leadership council, advocates for youth, manages administrative tasks like grants and data tracking, and covers travel and activity expenses.

Affiliate/Local Partner Responsibilities:

  • Recruit and support a YouthMOVE chapter leader.
  • Provide necessary contact information, office space, and report activities and data twice a year.
  • Empower youth leaders by involving them in NAMI activities, event hosting, and data tracking.
  • Ensure the chapter leader attends at least 4 out of 12 monthly virtual Chapter Chats.

YouthMOVE Chapter Leader Responsibilities:

  • Recruit at least 3 youth leaders and encourage 10 youths for peer support certification.
  • Build and maintain partnerships with local entities like schools and community groups.
  • Attend quarterly virtual Chapter Chats, track/report youth engagement, and help with bi-annual reports.
  • Promote NAMI and local affiliate activities, use virtual support tools, and handle invoicing for services provided.

YouthMOVE Ohio (NAMI Ohio Youth Leadership Program) Responsibilities:

  • Support local YouthMOVE leaders and manage state-level activities.
  • Share resources and provide oversight to local chapters, enhancing partnerships for youth support.
  • Offer training like Certified Youth Peer Support across Ohio, promote virtual peer support, and provide technical assistance.
  • Use social media for mental wellness promotion, advocate for multi-system youth, increase youth voice, manage administrative tasks like grants and data tracking, and cover all necessary expenses including travel.