Community Education

Virtual Voices is a 90-minute workshop designed to give participants the unique opportunity to experience a simulated auditory hallucination, similar to those that some people with schizophrenia or other serious mental illnesses may have. Participants listen to a 45-minute recording while visiting 5 stations where they must complete various tasks while hearing distressing voices.

By the end of the workshop, Participants will:

• Understand the day-to-day challenges that people with psychiatric disabilities face
• Become more empathetic and compassionate towards people who hear distressing voices
• Change practices to better address the needs of people who hear distressing voices

Schedule a Workshop

Virtual Voices is beneficial to audiences who work with individuals living with mental health conditions and their families. This experiential workshop is ideal for audiences of 20-30 people. There is a Virtual Voices program fee for workshop materials and facilitation. To learn more and schedule a workshop, please contact Senior Director of Programs & Community Engagement, Jaime Clark, at jebersole@namibaltimore.org.

NAMI Sharing Hope is designed to introduce discussions on mental health and wellness in the Black/ African American community through a three-part community conversation series grounded in the sharing of sacred stories and guided dialogue on mental wellness and support.

For people in the Black/African Ancestry community, being open about how they’re really doing can be a struggle. NAMI Sharing Hope is a free safe space to have conversations on mental health and wellness— because people of Black and African Ancestry deserve supportive and healing spaces by and for them to help our communities thrive.

NAMI Sharing Hope is hosted in three, one-hour segments with community conversations on mental wellness in the Black/African Ancestry community, finding treatment and seeking support, and getting connected to local resources. To schedule a NAMI Sharing Hope series, please contact Clarrissa Taylor Jackson, Director of Programs & Outreach, at ctaylorjackson@namibaltimore.org.

NAMI Compartiendo Esperanza helps introduce discussions on mental health and wellness in the Hispanic and Latinx community through a three-part community conversation series grounded in sacred storytelling and guided dialogue on mental wellness and support.

Changing la cultura starts with community: no more machismo and marianismo, no more shame around reaching out for help, no more silence around mental health. NAMI Compartiendo Esperanza acknowledges that Hispanic and Latinx people need and deserve somewhere they can turn to for free, accessible mental health support, generational wisdom and communal healing.

NAMI Compartiendo Esperanza is hosted in three, one-hour segments with community conversations on mental wellness in the Hispanic and Latinx community, finding treatment and seeking support, and getting connected to local resources. To schedule a NAMI Compartiendo Esperanza series, please contact Clarrissa Taylor Jackson, Director of Programs & Outreach, at ctaylorjackson@namibaltimore.org.

NAMI Ending the Silence presentations are free-of-cost to schools and communities. We offer three unique presentation formats for students, school staff, and families to tailor education and support to each audience.

Audience members of the NAMI Ending the Silence presentation will learn about the warning signs of mental health conditions and what steps to take if you or a loved one are showing symptoms of a mental health condition.

These presentations include two leaders: one who shares an informative presentation and a young adult with a mental health condition who shares their journey of recovery. Audience members can ask questions and gain understanding of an often-misunderstood topic. Through dialogue, we can help grow the movement to end stigma.

• NAMI Ending the Silence for Students: 50-minute presentation designed for middle and high school students that includes warning signs, facts and statistics and how to get help for themselves or a friend. Research has shown that NAMI Ending the Silence for Students is effective in changing middle and high school students’ knowledge and attitudes toward mental health conditions and toward seeking help
• NAMI Ending the Silence for School Staff: 1-hour presentation for school staff members that includes information about warning signs, facts and statistics, how to approach students and how to work with families
• NAMI Ending the Silence for Families: 1-hour presentation for adults with middle or high school aged youth that includes warning signs, facts and statistics, how to talk with your child and how to work with school staff

Schedule a Presentation

To bring a NAMI Ending the Silence presentation to your school or organization, please fill out this form and contact Youth and Young Adult Engagement Coordinator Ariela Ayala Cortez at aayalacortez@namibaltimore.org.

Become a Certified Listener

Eighty-four percent of employees think it’s important that a prospective employer offers “robust and comprehensive mental health benefits”, yet, only 11% report that their employer has people on-site who have received mental health training. 

Training with NAMI Metro makes your company an official “Certified Listener.” Not only will you receive the “Certified Listener” status and access to the logo and social media badges, but your employees, and your community, will recognize you as a leading voice for mental wellness.

Presentations can be accommodated to groups of any size and are available in-person and virtually. There is a program fee for workshop materials and facilitation. To schedule a training for your group or organization, please contact Director of Development, Julie Funk, at jfunk@namibaltimore.org.