Transformation

Youth REACCH member shares his story on DMH web site

Spencer Reese, a founding member of Missouri Youth REACCH, is currently featured on the "Celebrations"  web page of the Department of Mental Health's Division of Developmental Disabilities. On the web site, Spencer shares his experiences in gaining greater independence with the help of his mother and the Self-Directed services program, a program promoted by Missouri's Transformation Initiative.

Spencer's story is the latest in a series of personal stories featured on the web site. Read them all at http://dmh.mo.gov/dd/spotlight.

 

 

Youth REACCH members participate in Children's Mental Health Month proclamation ceremony

  

Members of Missouri Youth REACCH (Responding through Empowerment and Action to Create Communities of Hope), joined representatives of NAMI Missouri, parents, advocates, and Governor Jay Nixon to participate in a proclamation signing May 19 commemorating May as Children's Mental Health Month. REACCH members from Jefferson City and St. Joseph were in attendance, as well as Cindi Keele (center, next to Gov. Nixon), Executive Director of NAMI Missouri.

Youth REACCH promotes Children’s Mental Health Week with NAMI grant

Missouri Youth REACCH, a statewide organization of young people who provide a youth voice to mental health policy, is joining promoters of Children’s Mental Health Week with support from the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI).

NAMI Missouri awarded REACCH a $400 grant for its promotion efforts after reviewing the group’s plan to distribute green ribbons attached to cards listing a website with information on children’s mental health. During the week of May 2-8, REACCH members will distribute the ribbons and cards at conferences, libraries, schools, art shows, and other venues to raise awareness of children’s issues.

Register now for the 2010 Consumer, Family, Youth Leadership Conference

Registration is now open for the 2010 Consumer, Family, and Youth Leadership Conference, scheduled for August 22-24 at Tan-Tar-A Conference Center in Osage Beach, Mo. Real Voices – Real Choices: Speaking for Ourselves features award-winning author Kelly Madigan Erlandson as keynote speaker. Erlandson, the author of Getting Sober: A Practical Guide to Making it Through the First 30 Days, will focus on accessing individual creativity to strengthen recovery.

Missouri Youth REACCH meeting planned for Dec. 12

Missouri Youth REACCH (Responding through Empowerment to Create Communities of Hope) has scheduled a planning meeting for Saturday, Dec. 12 at the Department of Mental Health Central Office in Jefferson City. Organizers of REACCH, established to provide a youth voice in Missouri’s Mental Health Transformation planning and activities, encourages young people ages 16-21 to participate.

The youth meetings have spawned a network of family members, caregivers, and people who support the youth members who conduct their own meetings to discuss ways to support REACCH activities. For more information on Missouri Youth REACCH, click Youth Leadership.

What Can Green Do For You?

With a little creativity and a little green (a $100 mini-grant from Missouri NAMI), the Missouri Youth REACCH group has been able to help people across Missouri, the nation, and even internationally, understand how they can be of help to people with mental illnesses.

During Children's Mental Health Month, Missouri Youth REACCH set up a Facebook Fan Page called "What Can Green Do For You?"  Green was chosen because that is the color of the ribbon representing Children's Mental Health Month. Once on the Fan Page, there are links to the "What a Difference a Friend Makes" campaign -- sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)-- which describes what a difference a friend can make in helping a person recover from a mental illness.

Mo First Lady presents Children's MH Week Proclamation/Youth REACCH members participate

Missouri's First Lady Georganne Nixon demonstrated her commitment to children's issues by serving as honorary chair of Children's Mental Health Week, May 3-9, 2009. On May 6 of that week, she presented a governor's proclamation of the week to representatives of mental health service agencies and organizations, including several members of Missouri Youth REACCH. REACCH members presented Mrs. Nixon with a REACCH logo T-shirt and information on the group's first project, a Facebook fan page titled "What Can Green Do For You"  promoting a national mental health anti-stigma campaign.

Aniua Walters of St. Louis served as spokesperson for the group, thanking Mrs. Nixon for her participation and efforts on behalf of Missouri's children.

Missouri Youth REACCH (Responding through Empowerment and Action to Create Communities of Hope)  was formed in the summer of 2008 as a youth leadership initiative of Mental Health Transformation.

Youth Leadership Initiative is now Youth REACCH

Missouri's Mental Health Youth Leadership initiative, formed in the summer of 2008, now has a purpose in its newly adopted name. Missouri Youth REACCH (Responding through Empowerment and Action to Create Communities of Hope). The youth leaders decided on their new name and developed a logo to accompany it.

For more information on the youth perspective in the state and next steps, the report titled The Missouri Youth Movement: Transforming Youth Involvement Through Youth Voice in Public Policy is available on line. The report outlines the value of a youth voice in the formation of public policy. Fifteen young people from all regions of the state participated in the development of this document.