On January 13th, we attended the third Mental Health for US “Unite For Change” Forum, taking us all the way to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The mental health community came together again to talk about solutions to the urgent issues we’re facing in mental health challenges and substance use across the country. More often than not these campaigns focus on the politician, celebrity, and advocates who have done extraordinary work for the cause. The audience is filled with people who came for their perspective, but this time it was different. This time on a stage that was shared by the likes of Patrick Kennedy, Kate Snow, and Kiana Ledé just to name a few, the most important people were the ones listening not the ones speaking.
A consistent message from this event was that advocacy is in everyone. You don’t need to be a celebrity, a professional advocate, or a politician to create actual change, and there is no better time to act than right now. Dr. Chris Miller from Mental Health America of Los Angeles summed up advocacy as simply being there and educating your friend when the opportunity presents itself; she encouraged everyone to “start with your friends, families, [and] your communities.”
There’s great power in telling your story. Local advocates from the Los Angeles area spoke about their personal experiences and how that turned them towards a life of advocacy. Sophie Pyne is the National Director of University Relations for The Haven at College, an on-campus treatment and recovery support program for college students. Sophie was a resident herself after she entered recovery during her senior year at USC, and she talked about how excessive substance use is often normalized in the college environment, leading to a crucial delay in college-age students recognizing the need for treatment. Sophie said that sharing her story is her way of bringing attention to this issue as “every college needs some form of a collegiate recovery program, so we don’t have to lose another student.”
Sophie’s advocacy perfectly illustrated the advice given by our Flawless board member Ross Szabo when he answered a question asked by fellow advocate Ryan Hampton. Ross challenged those listening: “If you are a college student in this audience tonight, know that you have a voice and you have power… We can’t stop this problem without your voice, without your story, without your message.” Ross shared the stage with current USC freshman Lianna Treitler, who is also taking her experience and turning it into advocacy. Lianna spoke about being a daughter of a recovering alcoholic and she is spreading awareness on substance-free lifestyles to teens and pre-teens. Lianna has already published two children’s books: “My Dad is an Alcoholic, What About Me?” and “Alcohol, Drugs and You: A Young Person’s Guide to Avoiding Addiction.”
This event both applauded those who are living advocacy and empowered all of us who have yet to begin, reminding us of how important our contribution to this cause is. Uniting for Change is a call to action for everyone and no effort is too small. The best way to be an advocate is to speak up; you never know what gesture you do or words say that may change someone’s life.
