YAC x NAMI: Young Adult Social Events

 

by: Young Adult Committee

YAC stands for Young Adult Committee, and at B’More Clubhouse, YAC serves as a way to keep young adults connected. The Clubhouse has had Young Adult goals for over a decade. Then in September of 2022, we heard a talk at the Clubhouse International World Seminar in Baltimore that inspired us to put our ideas into action. After seeing the great example set by Mosaic Clubhouse, we decided to form a committee to ensure we achieve our young adult-related goals. YAC is designed to appeal to 18-30 year olds, but meetings and events are not limited to that age (because people of all ages have valuable things to contribute to these efforts!).

As for NAMI (which stands for National Alliance of Mental Illness), this is how they describe themselves on their website: “At NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore we envision a world where all people affected by mental illness lead healthy, fulfilling lives supported by a community that cares. To support that mission, we provide advocacy, education, support, and public awareness around mental health issues. Our programs are geared towards individuals, caregivers, and community members in a variety of settings. You are not alone!”

B’More Clubhouse and NAMI Metro Baltimore have been longtime partners, working together on a number of projects. Every February, B’More participates in NAMI Advocacy Day which is an opportunity for Clubhouse colleagues to advocate for mental health-related legislation to our elected officials. We have also participated in NAMIWalks Maryland which is their annual large fundraiser. NAMI has also been instrumental in helping B’More connect with communities around the state of Maryland to start conversations about opening more Maryland Clubhouses. 

Back in February, some folks from NAMI came to B’More for a tour of the program. They really liked what they saw, and immediately started brainstorming ideas for collaborations with B’More tour guides, Michelle and Mariana. This was followed by another meeting in March where we planned out some future social events and discussed goals for the partnership.

So what all are we collaborating on? On the evening of July 17th, B’More and NAMI will have our first collaboration social event, which is a Game Night at the NAMI offices. There will be pizza, and we’ll make dessert to bring and share. There will also be a prize raffle! Then, in October, B’More will host the next collab event, which will be an open mic night! We’ll share more about it the closer we get.

Young adults need mental health support now more than ever. From the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): “Young adults aged 18-25 years had the highest prevalence of SMI (11.4%) compared to adults aged 26-49 years (7.1%) and aged 50 and older (2.5%).” So we want to support young adults by meeting them where they are. We hope that YAC continues to increase the number of young adult members at B’More Clubhouse, and that an ongoing partnership with NAMI will help us connect to even more young people. We also look forward to all of the resource sharing opportunities between YAC and NAMI.