Education

"This was a wonderful meeting!!!" Participant evaluation of NAMI North Carolina Fall Institute, Goldsboro, October 23, 1999.

In addition to such specialized educational programs as the "Treatment Works" Awareness Campaign, Family-to-Family, and Young Families, NAMI sponsors a number of important educational efforts, including:

• Clippings – our regular (10 times per year) newsletter, with articles on research findings, public policy developments, NAMI North Carolina programs, and other newsworthy features;
• a one-day Fall Institute, scheduled this year in Wilmington on October 27, 2001, typically focused on a single theme: this year’s Institute will focus on "Embracing Diversity of Membership," and will have speakers and workshops on outreach to ethnic minorities, veterans, and the faith community;
• a two-day Spring Conference with a larger theme, typically including addresses by psychiatric researchers as well as workshops on treatment techniques, public policy issues, and related topics;
• an 800 number Helpline, supported by a comprehensive and continuously updated database, which can put consumers and family members in touch with resources in their communities and can respond to their information needs with fact sheets, brochures, web site addresses, and so on;
• educational materials developed by NAMI North Carolina staff and volunteers, including:

• brochures on specific mental illnesses, consumer rights, and programs;
• a comprehensive Helpbook for consumers and families, addressing the meaning of mental illness, how to work with the treatment system, legal issues, and advocacy; and
• Creating a Circle of Caring: The Church and the Mentally Ill – a curriculum for adult study that guides clergy and churches towards more effective ways of responding to persons with mental illnesses, written by a former NAMI North Carolina president Shirley Strobel; and

• our innovative web site – http://www.naminc.org – which introduces NAMI North Carolina, links to both national NAMI and other relevant sites, provides information on resources across North Carolina, and enables users to join NAMI, make contributions, register for conferences, and buy books and other materials, via "e-commerce."

Our rich variety of educational programs has been supported through volunteer efforts and by financial contributions from both corporations and individuals. We have also provided educational services under contracts with the N.C. Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services.

Your gift this year will help provide these vital services which provide so much value for individuals with mental illnesses and their families.

"An excellent conference. Wonderful speakers. The conferences get better every year. Congratulations on a job well done.

"An excellent conference. Wonderful speakers. The conferences get better every year. Congratulations on a job well done." Participant evaluation of Spring Conference, Research Triangle Park, April 2001.