EVENTS AND TRAININGS

 

MONTHLY MEETINGS

* NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR July 21, 2010 *

DIFFERENT LOCATION FOR JULY KTP MEETING!!!!

Coalition meeting will be held at the Chrysalis Recovery & Empowerment Center (REC) at 255 Homestead Avenue, Hartford, CT (corner of Woodland St. & Homestead Ave. - former Sealtest Factory - Park in lot off Homstead Ave.). Join us for a COOKOUT! Meeting from 10AM-12Noon.

For more information, call KTP at (800) 215-3021; (860) 882-0236.

Keep the Promise Coalition holds regular monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of each month from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at Connecticut Valley Hospital, Page Hall, Room 217, Middletown, CT 06457. Lunch is served. Please RSVP to Cheri or Maura at 860-882-0236 or 1-800-215-3021.

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CANDIDATE FORUMS (2010)

During the election season, candidates for office are paying attention to what individuals and groups are interested in. They are looking for information so they can provide an educated response to questions they might be asked about current issues. They will be preparing campaign materials and are looking for issues to promote in those materials.

KTP is urging you to reach out to candidates and educate them about issues that are important to you. Any communication should be compelling, short and factual. Written material should list the key points about the issue and why it is important along with contact information should candidates want more information about an issue.  KTP would be happy to provide you with fact sheets to share with your legislators.

There are numerous opportunities to talk to candidates at this time of year!

You can talk about KTP issues:

1) At the door when candidates are going door to door in your neighborhood;
2) At the supermarket, library, post office, etc. where candidates are shaking hands;
3) At candidates' nights in your area;
4) At a Candidate Forum on mental health you/your group initiates;

Other things you can do:

1) Write a letter to the editor asking local candidates their position on an issue
2) Volunteer on a favorite candidate's campaign and use it as an opportunity to talk about issues important to the volunteer.

Please contact KTP for assistance with planning and implementing Candidate Forums in your district. Forums should take place by September/early October 2010 - before the Nov. 2nd election. KTP can provide fact sheets, Blue Ribbon pins, and assistance with the process.

 

How to Host a Candidate Forum

A Summary of Do's & Dont's

Candidate Forum Stipend Flyer

Sample Candidate Questions

 

Examples of how to format an event:

Sample 1

1) Ask all candidates to attend a non-partisan forum, specifically on a mental health issues. Send Candidates information on the issue prior to the event.

2) Present a brief overview of the issues at the forum preferably by people who are directly affected by the issues. These individuals should sit with the candidates.

3) Have an open discussion where candidates and the audience can ask questions and talk with each other.

4) Close by asking the candidates to commit to supporting initiatives.

Sample 2

1) Ask all candidates in your district to attend a non-partisan forum.

2) Allow each candidate 3 minutes (this can vary) to make opening comments.

3) Take questions from the audience that the moderator would ask each candidate to respond to. (It is preferable to have questions collected on cards before the forum begins and screened for content before given to the moderator. It also helps eliminate speeches rather than questions.)

In Sample 2 you want ensure that all candidates and the audience understand that the theme of the forum is on mental health issues. Or make sure that members of the audience ask specific questions on mental health issues.

Sample 3

1) Ask all candidates in your district to attend a non-partisan forum.

2) Have a room set up with tables where the individual candidates can sit.

3) The audience can then rotate to the different tables and discuss mental health issues with the candidates.

4) It is preferable to have time to brief the audience on issues either through discussion or fact sheets.

This method of forum is more informal and does not look necessarily for commitment by the candidate. But it does allow for individuals to size up the candidate on a more personal level.

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LEGISLATIVE BREAKFASTS

* Please contact KTP for assistance with scheduling a Legislative Breakfast or event or a meeting with your legislator in the district. These events & meetings should take place in January or early February, 2011.

KTP can support you by providing blue ribbon pins, fact sheets, and assistance with planning, implementation, or scheduling meetings, etc. Please call today!

Tips on Hosting a Legislative Breakfast or Event:

In general, a legislative breakfast or event should:

Be no more than 1 hour.

Be in the legislators’ home area BEFORE the session starts if possible – otherwise you may want to consider holding an evening meeting with simple hors d’oeuvres or dessert for example – whenever people can attend.

Be hosted at the L.O.B. AFTER the session starts (it is hard for them to make something in their home towns once the session starts).

Be hosted in an easily accessibly area such as a local social club/clubhouse, a Regional Mental Health Board room, or a NAMI Affiliate meeting place.

Include invitations to all the Senators and Representatives in several surrounding towns that your organization or group serves (if you invite 12 people, commonly some will not be able to attend).

Invite legislators and community stakeholders 3-4 weeks in advance of the event with a deadline for the RSVP’s.
Be sure to follow-up with friendly phone calls to legislators and community members you haven’t heard from approximately 1 week before the event.

Serve simple breakfast items such as coffee, tea, juice, bagels, muffins, or pastries.

Be a COLLABORATIVE EFFORT between an agency program, such as a clubhouse, a local NAMI affiliate, the Regional Mental Health Board, etc.

Be creative! (Displaying clubhouse members’ art, for example, can be a great way to initiate conversation).

Focus on a couple of key issues (such as funding Supportive Housing and specific Community Services) you know will be important in the upcoming Legislative Session.

Be less formal with a small group (everyone might have time to go around and briefly introduce themselves and very briefly state their issues with the mental health system such as supportive housing needs or successes). Be more structured for a larger group (have a couple key people highlight 2 or 3 important issues for your group).

Have an “ask” – a statement regarding your hope for their specific support or legislation. For example, you could ask the legislators to support funding 650 new units of Supportive Housing.

Allow time for the legislator(s) to respond to the issues that have been outlined for them.

Take pictures! Get your event published in a local newspaper! You can include photos and/or an article.

Always thank your legislators for attending. Send them a thank you note and reinforce your issues and/or “asks”.

KTP can lend support by answering questions, providing collaborative leads such as local NAMI affiliates & Regional Board contacts, providing fact sheets (Supportive Housing, Alternatives to Incarceration, Young Adult Services, Raising the Income Limit for Medicaid, etc.) and the KTP legislative priorities tri-fold.

Please call KTP at (860) 882-0236; (800) 215-3021 or email us at keepthepromise@namict.org with any questions or for support. Schedule breakfasts and meetings with your legislators TODAY! These meetings are an important and effective way to let your legislators know how they can affect change.

 

ESSENTIALS OF LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

Will be held: Oct. 28th and Nov. 4th, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m

Call KTP to sign up TODAY!

*Please contact KTP about the possibility of scheduling this training or a condensed version for your group or organization. Arm yourself with the essentials TODAY!

This annual Fall training is led by Attorney Jan VanTassel and former State Representative, and DMHAS Legislative Liaison, Doreen DelBianco.  Discussed are the “essentials” of the legislative process and how to influence elected officials.  The two-day class is held in a hearing room at the Legislative Office Building (LOB, 300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford.  A tour of the LOB and Capitol is included along with a box lunch. A $10 fee is asked to cover the cost of books and box lunches. SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE for those in need as well as pre-approved travel and family care stipends. 

The two basic goals of this training are:

1) TO MAKE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THE PEOPLE AND THE PROCESS
You do not need to be an expert on politics, the legislative process or the budget. YOU ARE ALREADY AN EXPERT based on your experience: person in recovery, family member, friend or provider.

2) TO HELP YOU FIGURE OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP
Each of us has different skills, assets or talents to contribute to advocacy -- speaking, writing, calling, supporting, or drawing. They are all part of a successful advocacy campaign.

 

LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Will be held: December 2nd and 9th, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Call KTP to sign up TODAY!

* Please contact KTP about the possibility of scheduling this training or a condensed version for your group or organization. Arm yourself with leadership skills TODAY!

This training, usually held each December, is for experienced advocates interested in knowing more details about the legislative process and playing a lead role in KTP advocacy at the LOB or on a local level.  This two-day class is held in a hearing room at the LOB, 300 Capitol ain Hartford.  Lunch is provided. A $10 fee is asked to help cover the cost of books and lunch. SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE for those in need as well as pre-approved travel and family care stipends.

Keep the Promise offers both the Essential of Legislative Advocacy and Legislative Leadership trainings for a small fee at the Legislative Office Building each year in October and December respectively. However, upon request, these trainings are available to 15 or more persons in a condensed version.

Please contact Cheri Bragg, Coordinator, if you are interested in holding a training at your office, clubhouse, or other local venue at 860-882-0236 or 1-800-215-3021.

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MEDICARE PART D LOW-INCOME SUBSIDY PRESENTATIONS AND INFORMATION TABLES!

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Connecticut (NAMI-CT) held presentations and staffing informational tables to raise awareness in the mental health community of the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) available to some Medicare Part D beneficiaries who meet income and resources limits.   NAMI-CT is eager to come out to clubhouses, provider and other interested groups to present and distribute information about the LIS and how to apply.  The LIS pays for 75% or more of prescription drug costs and in 2009 is estimated to be worth $3,923 at the pharmacy and as much as $298 in annual premiums.  DSS estimates that there are 13,000 CT residents who don't know that they are eligible for the LIS!  To find out when and where presentations and informational tables are currently scheduled, or to request a presentation or table for your group, or to have flyers and applications mailed to you, please contact Amy O’Connor at (800) 215.3021 or at policyassistant@namict.org. CLICK HERE TO PRINT AND SHARE A FLYER ON THE LOW-INCOME SUBSIDY!

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GOLDEN PEN MEDIA TRAINING

“The pen is mightier than the sword.”
Sir Edward George Bulwer-Lytton

FOCUS THE MEDIA ON MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES - MEDIA MATTERS!

Learn ways to use MEDIA to help get your message across & educate the public & your legislators about mental health issues.

Learn about: Letters to the Editor, Turning Testimony into Letters, Radio talk shows, Interview Skills, Media Events.

Take your advocacy to a new level! Learn from a panel of local television, radio, & newspaper experts!

Please call KTP to ask about holding a Golden Pen Media training for your group of 10-15 or more people TODAY!

 

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING TRAININGS

Housing Solutions: ending long-term homelessness and creating permanent supportive housing for those living with serious mental illnesses.

Please call KTP at (800) 215-3021 to inquire about holding a Supportive Housing training for your group/organization.