Developed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), In Our Own Voice is a unique informational outreach program that employs first hand stories of mental health consumers to enrich the audiences’ understanding of how those with mental illness cope and reclaim rich and meaningful lives. A typical program will feature two presenters who talk about their journeys, from dark days towards acceptance. They offer personal examples of their treatment and coping skills learned. They share their successes, hopes, and dreams. In Our Own Voice is a program focused on spreading the message of recovery by living examples. It provides hope and opportunity to both the audience and the presenters.

In Our Own Voice is appropriate for a broad spectrum of audiences, from those who know very little about mental illness to those who have intimate knowledge based on personal experience or the experience of a loved one. Presenters are trained to tailor their presentation to specific audiences (i.e., for adolescents, professional groups, students, etc). In Our Own Voice is now also offered in Spanish. To schedule an In Our Own Voice presentation for your organization, please contact Katie Linn at klinn@naminyc.org.

Mental health consumers interested working to decrease stigma and increase public awareness about mental illness while developing your public speaking skills are encouraged to become In Our Own Voice presenters. There is a two-day training provided to develop your presentation — all training expenses will be paid — and a small stipend is offered to presenters for each presentation. For more information on becoming an In Our Own Voice presenter, please contact Katie Linn at klinn@naminyc.org. Note: This volunteer opportunity is available to mental health consumers only.