Nearly ten years
ago, when I was in college I had to take a speech class. I remember
it was one of the classes I disliked most! I am painfully shy.
Talking in front of groups of people was not my forte.... back then.
Last year I wanted
to be involved with raising mental illness awareness. I was curious
about publicly speaking to people about mental illness and help stomp
out the stigma of it! I told Sister this and she suggested I go to
the NAMI “In Our Own Voice” program.
I checked out the
NAMI website. The IOOV program looked very appealing to me! I sent an
e-mail of inquiry. Not long after that the IOOV Coordinator e-mails
me back. She tells me that training is in Montgomery. In a few weeks
to be exact. I told her that I am very interested but maybe at a
later date. The coordinator suggests I submit my application anyways
for future use. I snail mailed my application. I ended up being
chosen to train as an IOOV Presenter! The coordinator informs me that
the room, meals and mileage are paid for. I am excited! I will be
going to Montgomery!
My friends thought
it was an excellent idea that I go to Montgomery for training! I
manage to scrape up the money for a rental car. My personal car is
old. I do not trust it to last over an hour on the interstate!
It takes me a few
hours to reach Montgomery. The drive was not bad. The hotel I would
be staying at was fairly easy to find. I arrive a few minutes late
but am thankful that I am there and that I made it safely!
Class starts
training on a Friday afternoon. When the Georgia trainer introduced
herself to me I immediately realized who she was! I recently read her
blog. She lives with schizophrenia too! I ask about her book and she
gives it to me for a discounted rate since we were peers! I was super
excited to meet her!
There were about ten
students in training. I talked to most of them. They were warm and
friendly. The trainers were helpful and encouraged all of us. I was
worried that I would have a difficult roommate. Thankfully she turned
out to be kind and caring. After class we would relax in our room and
talk for hours about our lives. We felt comfortable with each other.
Training was intense
but fun! I enjoyed all of it. A lot of information was absorbed. The
second day of training was when we did our presentations. I was very
nervous at first but the more I practiced, the more comfortable I
became! On Sunday we reviewed everything and did some trouble
shooting. At the end was a graduation ceremony!
I was so excited to
become a NAMI IOOV Presenter! The goal of our presentations is to
provide a sense of hope and recovery for those living with or without
a mental illness! I want to show the world that people with mental
illnesses really are not much different than people without a mental
illness! We can achieve our goals and live an independent high
quality lives too! Stay tuned for the next blog to read about the
presentations I have done!
