Advocacy – Take Action

Why advocate? You are an expert. You know more about the challenges of navigating the mental health system than most legislators and probably most of your friends, family, and neighbors. Your story will help others understand the ways in which our mental health system fails to help those dealing with mental health symptoms.

NAMI Massachusetts relies on our grassroots network to create change at the state and local level. Your voice makes a difference. You know more about the challenges of navigating the mental health system than most legislators and probably most of your friends, family, and neighbors. Your story will help others understand the ways in which our mental health system fails to help those dealing with mental health symptoms. NAMI Massachusetts relies on our grassroots network to create change at the state and local level. Your voice makes a difference.

Learn how the legislative process works in Massachusetts

Learn about the legislative process

Massachusetts State House (2019) – photo by Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

You can make a change in your local community by being an advocate for mental health in Massachusetts.

Learn how to advocate

Contacting your elected official is a powerful action in ensuring you voice is heard. Policy change is one major way we can make a difference in the lives of people dealing with mental health symptoms and their families.

Find your legislators

From health care to the economy to criminal justice and more, mental health touches many of the issues that you might care about the most. Whenever you cast your ballot, you #Vote4MentalHealth, whether you realize it or not.

Learn to #Vote4MentalHealth

NAMI Standards of Excellence for re-affiliation include a requirement that each affiliate nominate an Affiliate Advocacy Representative.

Learn more about volunteer affiliate Advocacy Representatives

For each two-year legislative session, NAMI Massachusetts works with state-wide affiliates and advocacy partners to determine our legislative priorities for the upcoming session. This is a combination of consensus around specific concerns and opportunity for making change.

Check out our current legislative priorities

Advocacy Day is when NAMI Mass members and supporters tell our legislators what we care about most! This year we will be focusing on Access to Care issues, Funding requests and Mental Health Issues in the Criminal Justice System.

Learn more about NAMI Mass Advocacy Day

Get the latest information about our advocacy e-alerts.

Check out our advocacy news