If this role sounds like a fit for you, please fill out this application here.

Ending the Silence is a 50-minute presentation for junior high and high school students, staff, or family members, to help understand signs of mental health conditions, and what to do about it.

Ending the Silence Presenters work in teams of two: a “lead presenter” (a family member or an individual living with a mental illness) and a “young adult presenter” (someone 18-30 years old, living in recovery from a mental illness).

Both roles require training with NAMI-NYC. ETS presentations are done during school hours and in the evening – anyone interested must be available sometime between 8am to 7pm ET, Mondays through Fridays.

The Ending the Silence presenter must identify as someone with lived experience of a mental health condition, or as a family member of someone with a mental illness.

If this role sounds like a fit for you, please fill out this application here.

NOTE: Our Ending the Silence program will accept new volunteer applications July 14 – September 14, 2026.

Support Someone Who’s Walking a Path You’ve Already Traveled

As a Family Match Mentor, you’ll be matched with a family member who is now navigating experiences similar to ones you’ve previously lived through. Because you’ve been in their position — supporting a loved one with a mental health condition — you’re uniquely able to offer understanding, steady guidance, and hope.

Your own journey makes you the right person to help someone who is where you once were.

What You’ll Do

• Provide one‑on‑one phone support over a 3‑month match period, connecting with a family member currently facing challenges similar to your past experience.
• Offer empathy, perspective, and reassurance grounded in real lived experience.
• Help them understand realistic expectations, navigate boundaries, and feel less alone — the kinds of insights only someone who’s truly been there can offer.

Who This Role Is For

• You must be a family member supporting someone with a mental health condition (parent, sibling, partner, or adult child). This program pairs family peers only with other family peers.
• You’re in a place where you can reflect on your own journey and support someone who is now where you once stood.

✨ Bilingual Volunteers Welcome
We welcome fluent Spanish speakers for this role. Many families in our community benefit greatly from support in Spanish, and bilingual mentors help us make the program more accessible.

If this role sounds like a fit for you, please fill out this application here.

NAMI-NYC Support groups provide a space for members to connect with others through similar mental health challenges. When a participant joins a support group, they have the opportunity to receive support from people who understand and can validate their experiences and feelings.

To cultivate these safe, peer-led spaces, NAMI-NYC is seeking Support Groups Volunteers. Operating under a Dual Capability Model, all volunteers train as technical Hosts first to ensure operational resilience before transitioning into front-facing Facilitators. Because these groups are a vital community resource, Facilitators are also fully trained to “Host from the Facilitator seat” during emergencies or tech outages, ensuring a meeting is never canceled when participants need it most.

Volunteer Pathways: Volunteers have the choice to remain in the technical Host role. However, for those who wish to advance to the Facilitator pathway, mastering and completing the Host training first is a mandatory requirement.

Support Group Host Role

The Host role is exclusively operational and technical managing the technical environment, attendance, and operational flow. Hosts allow facilitators to focus entirely on the participants by removing the “noise” of digital management.

Support Group Facilitator Role

The Facilitator role is emotionally active and requires mastery of the NAMI Signature Model. Facilitators lead through empathy, not authority, acting as coequal peers rather than clinicians guiding the emotional journey, peer-led conversation, and psychological safety of the room.

Core Requirements

• Volunteers must have relevant lived experience (as a peer or family member), maintain strict confidentiality (private environment required), and refrain from giving medical advice.
• Commit to respecting and understanding NYC’s diverse communities.
• Attendance and reliability are critical, as these groups are vital resources for the NYC community.

How to Apply: If you are ready to help us cultivate a community of hope and healing, please complete the Support Groups Application Form.

Co-lead safe, supportive spaces for teens to share their experiences with mental health. Facilitators are trained in group dynamics and peer support. Must have lived experience with a mental health condition

Qualifications:

• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Comfortable using Zoom and Microsoft Office
• Must identify as someone with mental health challenges.
• Must be an active listener without judgement and approach all visitors with respect.
• Ages 18-30

If this role sounds like a fit for you, please fill out this application here.

Are you 18-24 with lived experience with mental health challenges? Or are you a parent, caregiver, or professional supporting teens struggling with their mental health?

Members of the group will participate in virtual meetings to:

• Help shape programs that reflect what teens actually need
• Connect with other community members who care about youth mental health
• Build leadership skills and add meaningful experience to your resume

Whether you’re a young person looking to lead, a caregiver supporting your child’s growth, or a professional guiding young people, we’d love to hear from you.

If this role sounds like a fit for you, please fill out this application here.