If you’re like me, the concept of attending a congressional briefing could also be intimidating and complicated. Initially, I anticipated what you may see on C-SPAN – to stroll into a big assembly room stuffed with older, influential authorities representatives questioning folks as they stand in entrance of a microphone. As psychological well being advocates, or future advocates, our voices matter, and attendance at some of these boards is crucial for change. Perhaps, such as you, the considered one thing so formal was intimidating.
What I skilled, nevertheless, was far much less stoic. In truth, it was the precise reverse of what I used to be anticipating. They even supplied snacks and refreshments.
Briefing fundamentals
Congressional briefings are like mini informational periods stuffed with folks from all corners of the nation who share a standard curiosity or concern. The important purpose is to offer insights into a problem by detailing its prevalence and serving to folks perceive that change is important for enchancment. Once that info is supplied, contributors can clarify how and why their proposed resolution would profit the higher good.
Recently, Mental Health America and our companions organized a congressional briefing to debate the significance of peer help providers and what’s wanted from Congress to develop entry. You can take a look at the recording right here. For somebody new to psychological well being advocacy or eager to develop into extra concerned within the legislative aspect, listed here are discoveries I made which may assist in your journey.
5 takeaways and suggestions
1. If you are on the lookout for an answer to a systemic challenge, you could present info on why and the way that challenge impacts common residents – and provide options.
At the newest briefing, Mental Health America gathered a bunch of specialists in peer help providers to debate why new options are very important to their work and the way others can become involved. Among the panelists, one supplied direct peer help providers in underserved communities; the second acquired these providers as an adolescent and has since devoted their life to making sure different younger folks have that very same entry; the third works for a medical health insurance supplier that reimburses peer help specialists, rising entry for a lot of of us in want; and the fourth panelist shared her expertise with institutionalization and professionals who claimed her analysis would stop her from residing an on a regular basis life. All 4 specialists supplied in-depth data and residing proof that peer help providers are efficient and needs to be bodily and financially accessible nationwide. The info they shared proved to attendees how useful peer help providers have been to the lives of these they serve and confirmed how straightforward it could be to implement extra peer providers throughout the nation. As a company led by the voices of lived expertise, these real-life accounts gave insights into the problem. By then offering an answer and tips about how that resolution could be molded and utilized on a bigger scale, policymakers are left with tangible mechanisms to work with.
2. Support from a number of teams and organizations is crucial.
If you intend on asking for something from Congress, and even your native or state legislator, you had higher have ample help from a number of sources. With 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 6 youth experiencing a psychological well being situation in any given yr, psychological well being will have an effect on everyone both straight or not directly sooner or later of their lives. Having this data makes the case that psychological well being care is a bipartisan challenge, which has resulted in overwhelming help from either side. That help is useful when these asks are taken to Congress. In addition to bipartisan help, Mental Health America used this chance to assemble like-minded companions and collaborators to tell the briefing. Increasing the breadth and depth of the knowledge, together with the varied our bodies of illustration, strengthened our asks.
3. “Leave-behinds” present important info and summaries.
Congressional briefings have a tendency to offer a lot info inside a brief interval, so it’s cheap to imagine a few of that info could also be glossed over or not retained. Staffers, liaisons, and others in attendance might have to relay what they heard to a Congressperson or different workers, and also you need to be sure they hit the very important info. The goal of a leave-behind doc, or one-pager, is to make sure your viewers understands the message and might reference it as soon as the briefing ends. In this specific briefing, we had six asks that included info on totally different acts, invoice proposals and calls to motion, all combined in with impactful tales of lived experiences from our panelists. Providing attendees with a brief, concise abstract of the focal factors ensures these with the ability and motivation to take motion have the right info to take action.
4. Invite the appropriate audio system, organizations, and different attendees.
If you’re internet hosting a briefing, or advocacy occasion, getting the phrase out to key people and organizations will go an extended option to strengthen your message and enhance the possibilities of asks being put into laws. With psychological well being being a priority for everybody, no matter their political affiliation or demographic profile, it stands to motive that the majority of us would need to see situations enhance. At this briefing session, the invite record included over 70 organizations who needed to be taught extra about or shared our ardour for peer help providers. We additionally invited specialists to share their lived expertise: Tiara Springer-Love, a psychological well being advocate from New York; Lauren Foster, a behavioral well being program supervisor at Blue Cross Blue Shield, Minnesota; Vesper Moore, a psychological well being advocate at Kiva Centers; and Dana Foglesong of the National Association of Peer Services. By having panel specialists from varied corners of the psychological well being world, we may focus on the a number of limitations to implementation and potential options to bettering entry. The big range of attendees improved our possibilities of spreading that info all through teams and organizations to garner much more help. This is essential for targets like rising funding for analysis and advocating for grants and help for group organizations that present peer help providers.
5. Congressional briefings are an incredible place to community and meet of us with comparable agendas.
If you’re attending a congressional briefing, it’s most likely as a result of you will have a vested curiosity in the subject material – together with the opposite attendees. Common pursuits make it the right alternative to fulfill face-to-face with different individuals who share your ardour and might focus on options. A enterprise card is a should when you plan to develop your skilled contact record. Additionally, introducing your self to panelists after the session is at all times a good suggestion. After all, these audio system are specialists of their area and have expertise in your space of curiosity.
Ultimately, my horrifying notion of congressional briefings at Capitol Hill was shattered, and I’ll attend extra ought to I get the possibility. I arrived feeling anxious and misplaced however left feeling supported and rejuvenated in being part of the answer. I additionally discovered rather a lot regardless of being well-versed within the topics. It helped to listen to accounts of lived experiences and notice that others care about and need to enhance psychological well being in our nation. Plus, the snacks they supplied had been wonderful. If you get the possibility to attend a congressional, and even state authorities, briefing, take it.
Watch recording of congressional briefing
Makalynn Powell is the Peer and Youth Policy Fellow at Mental Health America.