This is a contributed piece by Scott Hammerstrom, Manager of Programs and Partnerships at Bender Leadership Academy. The Bender Leadership Academy delivers competency building programs that enable students with disabilities to engage in educational, empowerment and work opportunities, celebrate successes, and set and achieve career journey goals. Scott is responsible for building programs that enable students with disabilities to engage in educational, empowerment, and work-readiness opportunities with a focus on setting and achieving career goals.
“Shame is the biggest obstacle facing young people with mental health disabilities,” was the message Eve Hill, Chair of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, shared with the team at the Bender Leadership Academy when starting the Mary Brougher Mental Health Initiative’s #NotAshamed campaign.
The Mary Brougher Mental Health Initiative, named in honor of the former President of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and a founding board member of Bender Leadership Academy, honored Mary’s lifelong advocacy for people living with mental health disabilities, as well as other disabilities. Mary, a Susan M. Daniels Mentoring Hall of Fame inductee, lived with mental health disabilities and fought daily to increase employment for people with all disabilities.
Prior to her passing, Mary had embarked on a project to create a curriculum which could equip youth with disabilities with healthy mind habits and resiliency strategies, designed to increase mental fitness and resiliency during a time when so many were experiencing mental health concerns due to the COVID pandemic.
After losing Mary in a tragic hiking accident, the team at the Bender Leadership Academy wanted to continue her work and added the Mary Brougher Mental Health Initiative to their programs. The Mary Brougher Mental Health Initiative focused on adding curriculum in two key areas, mental fitness, and advocacy. It quickly became apparent that more was needed to help support youth with mental health disabilities in understanding that they are not alone and do not need to be ashamed of their disability.
It was this realization that sparked the idea for the #NotAshamed campaign. The #NotAshamed campaign is a video-based social media campaign focused on promoting awareness and a sense of community for young people with mental health disabilities, as well as exploring the intersectionality of mental health disability with other diverse groups. Videos are posted of both people living with mental health disabilities and allies who stand united against mental health stigma. The mission of the #NotAshamed campaign is to replace fear with knowledge, hate with understanding, and shame with pride.
In the year since #NotAshamed was launched last June, kicking off with a segment on Disability Matters with Joyce Bender featuring Asher Jordan, Jason Mida and Katherine Perez, 60 people have come forward to submit a #NotAshamed video, representing business leaders, high school students, educators, politicians, activists, athletes, bloggers, and entertainment industry professionals.
Notably, the campaign has been supported by country music recording artist, Ty Herndon, American broadcast journalist and a co-anchor of the PBS NewsHour, Amna Nawaz, American XFL football quarterback for the Vegas Vipers, Brett Hundley, former advisor to President Barack Obama, Valarie Jarrett, and writer, communications consultant, transgender activist, and military veteran, Charlotte Clymer who is the founder of the blog, Charlotte’s Web Thoughts. Check out these #NotAshamed videos and more at Bender Leadership Academy’s YouTube channel.
If you would like to share a #NotAshamed video as a person living with mental health disability or as an ally, please contact Scott Hammerstrom, Manager of Programs and Partnerships at the Bender Leadership Academy, at shammerstrom@bendleadership.org. In the words of Ciara LaVelle, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer at Pheple Federal Credit Union, “I am not ashamed to be here today to share my truth to empower others in hopes to help eliminate the negative stigma associated with mental health disabilities.”