The Importance of Community Advocacy
As I discussed in my previous blog, I’ve taken my advocacy work to my town. The opportunity to address my council has been a scary but rewarding experience. It is challenging to bring such a multifaceted topic in such a short amount of time but I’m thankful for the chance to do it. It’s important to get a message that’s meaningful to you in front of the right people.
Mental health is both a global and community issue. Since it’s so complex, it impacts different areas in different ways. Some communities may have higher rates of minorities, lower income, limited resources and physical environmental factors that change the dynamics. Socioeconomic factors have a big impact on how a municipality responds to the mental health crisis.
If we take a look at urban areas in New Jersey, we can see the impact of the these traits. If people don’t have the support they need, they can wind up struggling with addiction, and incarceration and homelessness. These are all major issues in our society that the media often just scratches the surface of.
People who live in rural America face a different set of issues. These people don’t have access to the resources they need. Suicide rates are almost double that in cities. These people live far away from mental health facilities and are often more stigmatized due to “old fashioned” outlook and the “small town feel” so they fear being exposed.
I’m fortunate to live in a healthy community and well off county. We live within close proximity to some really wonderful hospitals and our town even got an award for being a healthy town. We have a lot of factors that support strong community mental health. However, there is also some unique trait make this an important topic to be addressed. Some of these traits include Rockaway being a military town, large geographic space with diverse communities and growing minority population. While these traits can bring challenges, it’s key to focus on strengths. We have a lot more access than other areas across the country. This can help us focus on enhancing awareness and bringing help to the forefront for those who need it-that is my goal for my advocacy work. My bigger goal is to be a “trendsetter” for less privileged and informed areas of the state and country.
If you are feeling like mental health is misunderstood and under-supported in your town, I would urge you to take action. Speaking at town council meetings can be extremely intimidating for some but they are other ways to do it. Writing to local politicians, attending related events and even posting on town page are some ways to do it. Let’s all work together both communities big and small to bring about positive change!
