Weekly News & Events
February 11, 2016
New NAMI California Website Coming Next Week

Out with the old, in with the new!  NAMI California is rolling out a brand-new website to better serve our members and affiliates. The new site will have a clean and uncluttered feel to make it easier for visitors to find what they're looking for. Check out our new website next Wednesday, February 17 at namica.org!
 
New features:
  • Easier to use Find Your Local NAMI tools, including county map and search by ZIP code
  • Better search functionality for NAMI classes and support groups, including Google maps of locations
  • Modern look and feel
  • Built-in Google translate on every page
  • Better social sharing and integration of social networks
  • Optimized for smart phones and tablets
  • Ability to resize text from any page (larger or smaller)
For affiliates:
  • Private login section
  • Ability to set up multiple users from each affiliate
  • Secure, private document capability
  • Class, group and event calendar
NAMI California is Hiring!
Community Engagement Coordinator Position Open

NAMI California is seeking a  Community Engagement Coordinator to oversee our efforts to embed cultural and linguistic competency in the support, education, and advocacy efforts of NAMI California and our local affiliates. The Community Engagement Coordinator coordinates training events, provides support and technical assistance to local NAMI affiliates, and performs program evaluation. To learn more, please click on the link below:


Step Up, California!

Each year, an estimated 2 million people with serious mental illnesses are admitted to jails across the nation. Jails are now housing more people with mental illnesses than psychiatric hospitals. 
The Stepping Up Initiative is a national movement to h elp keep people with mental illness out of jail and on the path to recovery. More than 230 U.S. counties  have stepped up to join the initiative, including these 14 California counties:

Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Kern, Madera, Mendocino, Merced, Orange, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma & Yolo

If your county isn't on this list, please urge your local officials to pass a resolution supporting the Stepping Up Initiative.



 
NAMI California Annual Conference

2016 Conference  Early Bird Special

Cheap cheap! Register now for our  Early Bird rate for the 2016  NAMI California Annual Conference. The conference will take place August 26 & 27 at the  San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront in beautiful Burlingame. This year's conference's theme is "Back to the Future: Building on the Past for a Better Tomorrow" and will feature a fascinating lineup of speakers and workshops. Stay tuned for more details!  

Click here to register for our Early Bird Special!
 



Interested in participating in the Color Guard, singing the National Anthem or volunteering at the conference? Email Erik at erik@namica.org.
Award Nominations, Workshop Proposals & Exhibitors

Do you have a workshop proposal for our annual conference? Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized for his or her contributions to mental health? Are you interested in being a conference exhibitor? Here are the forms you need:

(deadline 2/26/16)

(deadline 4/29/16)

(deadline 7/5/16)

NAMI California Advocacy News

NAMI California Advocacy Training in Solano County
 
The next NAMI Smarts for Advocacy Training and Regional Meeting will be held Tuesday, March 1 in Fairfield.  This will be a hands-on advocacy training to help people living with mental illness, friends and family transform their passion and lived experience into skillful grassroots advocacy. To RSVP, please contact Marcel at marcel@namica.org.

NAMI Smarts for Advocacy Training and Regional Meeting
Tuesday, March 1
10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Grace Episcopal Church (Hall)
1405 West Kentucky St.
Fairfield, CA  94533
BSCC Prop 47 Forums: Thank You!
 
A big thank you to all our affiliates and members who participated in the Board of State and Community Corrections forums regarding Proposition 47 programs. NAMI members shared best practices and input regarding programs and services that should be funded by the savings that result from decreased incarceration under Prop 47. 
 
Program News & Updates  


Ending the Silence Training Locations: 
We Need Your Feedback!

NAMI California is excited to announce that over the next several months, we will be hosting in-person Ending the Silence presenter trainings! These in-person training events are required for any affiliate that does not currently offer the ETS program and wishes to start it. For affiliates that already offer the ETS program, presenters may be trained online through the online E-Learning process. For affiliates that do not currently offer ETS and take the in-person training, they can then have presenters trained online.
 
Please complete this survey to let us know if your affiliate is interested in having an in-person ETS training in your area. This is a wonderful opportunity to start the program and have presenter teams trained alongside your designated ETS Coordinator. We plan to offer at least one training this spring, and at least two more in the summer and fall.
 
 
Please complete the survey to let us know if your community is in need of this training. For questions, please contact Erik Villalobos, Education Coordinator, at erik@namica.org
E-Learning Now Available for Ending the Silence

Ending the Silence, one of NAMI California's most widely used programs, now has a new training format available for affiliates. Affiliates already running the program can offer new presenters training through an E-learning program developed by NAMI. This program will allow on-demand training to meet the needs of busy schedules and will record when the training program is completed and a presenter is ready for the next phase of training.

Please review the process for obtaining E-learning in California. If your affiliate has presenters ready for training, please follow the process outlined in the guide (link below). If you have questions, please contact Erik Villalobos at erik@namica.org.

For affiliates that do not already offer the program, NAMI California will be hosting in-person ETS trainings this spring. Please stay tuned for more information as details become available!

NAMI Training of Trainers: 
Deadline Over for State Applications

Thank  you to all who submitted applications for this year's national NAMI Training of Trainers workshops.  NAMI California is currently reviewing all candidates and is no longer accepting state trainer applications. The extended deadline was February 7.

Upcoming Training Opportunities

Below is the schedule for NAMI California Education and Support Group Programs. 
Trainings are announced in this weekly report and the namica.org  website.

Applications are now being received for the following Family Program Education Trainings:
  • February 20-22:  Family Support Group Modesto (waiting list only)
  • March 4-6: Family-to-Family Ventura
  • April 1-3: Basics and Family-to-Family Ontario
Applications are now being accepted for the following Peer Program Trainings*:
  • March 4-6: Peer-to-Peer - Ventura
No IOOV trainings are scheduled by NAMI California at this time

*Important Note:  There will be additional trainings offered for all the programs above. These workshops will be hosted by affiliates and sponsored by NAMI California in the form of small grants. Interested affiliates should contact lynn@namica.org for details on how to apply for a grant. Trainings will be announced in your region as they become available.

 
NAMI support group trainings are for NAMI members to become facilitators of a support group. The education trainings are for members desiring to become teachers or mentors of an education program. Upon graduation, the affiliate makes arrangements with the graduate to teach the class.
 
Qualifications for training: Interested parties should be NAMI members in good standing and ideally have graduated from the same education program they intend to teach. A participant also needs to be recommended by their local NAMI chapter. Additional qualifications will apply. Please ask your NAMI affiliate to contact Family and Peer Programs Supervisor Lynn Cathy at lynn@namica.org  to receive an application via email. Prospective teachers/facilitators should return their applications in a timely manner as these workshops fill quickly.

Need to Report NAMI Class or Training Data? Click on this link: www.nami.org/programdata
 
Send inquiries to:
NAMI California Office:  (916) 567-0163 

Apply for Seat on MHSOAC

Dr. Ralph Nelson, former NAMI California President, NAMI national board member and longtime mental health advocate, recently stepped down from the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (see story in our January monthly newsletter). We encourage interested NAMI members to apply for an appointment to the MHSOAC. Click on the links below for the online application, MHSOAC description and website:



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