Civic Engagement, Identity, and Group Mobilization

Nev Cargile

December 5, 2020

Instructors

Jonathan GS Koppell
Eileen Eisen-Cohen

Course - Arizona State University

Identity, Service & American Democracy

Introduction:
American democracy is unique in how we utilize our rights to engage our communities
and create connections through identity in order to make the change we want to see. The
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is no exception to that. NAMI utilizes civic
engagement with and for a diversity of identities in order to improve the quality of life for those
experiencing mental illness. With their mission to “provide advocacy, education, support and
public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better
lives” (NAMI, 2020), they use their intersectionality of mental health and service to mobilize
people through civic engagement. What started as a small grassroots organization, has now
grown to be the nation’s leading voice on mental health, with countless opportunities to get
involved. Although NAMI originally started mobilizing with focus on individuals experiencing
mental illness, they have evolved into an organization dedicated to helping people with a great
array of mental illnesses through a variety of ways that invite a plethora of identities. Now, there
are learning opportunities, teaching opportunities, and more ways to get involved for people who
support their cause, but may not necessarily be experiencing mental illness themselves.

Identity:
Identity is something each of us may share or differ with one another. While sometimes
identity is a powerful tool for building associations and creating positive change for your
community, other times identity can divide us. NAMI is an organization that values seeing all
identities, while accepting and supporting them, and aims to give equitable access to mental
health support regardless of identity.
NAMI’s identity in particular, is composed of many professionals, advocates, educators,
volunteers, and individuals who identify with the values of wanting to create a stigma-free
society for mental illness, while also giving access to mental health support and resources for
all. What originally started as people who identify with experiencing mental illness, has now
blossomed into an endless spectrum of identities working together under a created identity of
these shared values. They use their collective backgrounds, ideas, experiences, and values in
order to “improve access to and the quality of mental health services for those who are
underserved” (NAMI, 2020).
The idea of an “identity divide” refers to a barrier between people who may not share the
same identity, or do not understand it, or both. This can often result in conflict when trying to
create change or fight for a cause if the difference in identities clash. In cases of mental health,
identity divide is often found through stigma against mental illness; where people experiencing
mental illness are defined by their illness in negative ways. “Stigma often comes from lack of
understanding or fear...inaccurate or misleading media representations of mental illness
contribute to both those factors” (Borenstein, 2020). To shrink that identity divide, NAMI spreads
awareness on “needing to see the person, not the condition,” and “changing the conversation”
(NAMI, 2020), to language that isn’t stigmatizing or shaming mental illness. Rather than ignoring
those who don’t identify with or understand mental illness, NAMI invites people to learn, thus
bringing them under the shared identity of the values NAMI holds.
Considering there is no singular identity at NAMI, this creates a positive influence for
their cause. With their many backgrounds, perspectives and intertwined identities, they are able
to use their civic engagement efficiently, by creating awareness across all identities in essential
ways. By doing this, they are able to create a large social capital, and make public policy
changes that can benefit many different groups and identities such as their classes and
presentations designed for specific audiences and identities. It makes it possible to know what
issues are pressing, who needs service, and how to apply it.

Social Capital:
Social capital is defined as social connections between individuals and groups; social
connections can be formal, informal, social, political, or all of them at once. With NAMI, the
families that started built social capital through their communities, bringing to light a problem
that other people around them noticed too. Now, they have an alliance of more than 600
affiliates and 48 State Organizations. This national organization has created social capital and
connections through not only making connections to groups, programs, and companies, but also
on individual levels with people looking for mental health support.
Membership at NAMI includes funding and engaging with shared content provided by
NAMI, and access to connecting with others through discussion groups. This membership can
influence other identity groups by broadening how we talk about mental health and stressing
that “it’s okay to not be okay” (NAMI, 2020). NAMI Ambassadors are influencers in the
entertainment industry that educate, advocate, and fundraise. They use their platforms to
mobilize and expand the mental health movement through their own developed identity of
NAMI’s shared values. This partnership can reach out to many identities that may not be
engaged with mental health or exposed to these values otherwise.

Civic/Political/Social Engagement:
Civic engagement means taking action to improve society and solve public problems--
both as individuals and groups. The public problems NAMI has historically and consistently
fought for are increased funding for mental health research, expanded access to mental health
treatments and services, and ensuring mental illness is not treated as a crime. NAMI
participates and applies this style of civic engagement in many different ways.
Social Engagement is taking action about social issues and public problems through
social means by engaging with other people: NAMI participates in social engagement primarily
through their advocating and educating. They provide educational programs and training for
volunteers, families, and individuals, and particular groups that have less access to mental
health resources and treatment. Additionally, NAMI organizes discussion groups, support
groups, treatment programs, and local outreach all across the nation.
Political Engagement is taking action about a problem specifically through political
means; NAMI engages this by providing information on public policy and publishing reports on
“critical, emerging issues to help inform the public about the importance of effective mental
health policy” (NAMI, 2020). This is active engagement for both NAMI and their members in
staying updated on how policy affects the people NAMI serves, and what it means for people
experiencing mental health conditions. This includes issues such as “state and federal laws and
policies that ensure parity between mental health and physical health services in all forms of
insurance coverage” (NAMI, 2020), which affect whether or not health insurance can cover
mental health related treatments and costs. NAMI supports this parity and for the expansion of
Medicaid benefits to a wide range of identities and experiences. This would give more access to
people NAMI serve in getting quality and equitable care. Considering many important mental
health related policies happen at the state level, NAMI provides mental health statistics and
facts specific to each state. They encourage their members and people they serve to share the
information with policymakers in order for informed decisions to be made regarding policy. This
active political engagement further pushes identity and helps drive mobilization through NAMI’s
values.

Mobilization:
Through their many ways of civic engagement, NAMI mobilizes their members and those
they serve primarily online. Just as the #MeToo movement became a powerful source of social
capital, NAMI encourages their #StigmaFree pledge. “The StigmaFree campaign is NAMI’s
effort to end stigma and create hope for those affected by mental illness” (NAMI, 2020).
Influencers, and celebrity supporters partner with NAMI to join the campaign and spread the
meaning online, to reduce “confusing feeling bad with being bad.” NAMI mobilizes through their
members, supporters, and online flexibility to teach people about their values and share the
options of support for those who need it. Additionally, through their StigmaFree Company
partners, they develop mutually beneficial fundraising campaigns, media, co-branded
merchandise, assets, etc. such as Boeing and Kaiser Permanente to further mobilize their
movement.
Furthermore, NAMI also partners with many organizations for their causes. This includes
national organizations to raise awareness and funds in local communities nationwide, and
collaborates with organizations leading in subject matter education, information, to provide the
most up-to-date and accurate information.
While their mobilizing and social capital builds, serving at NAMI can look like a few
different scenarios. Not only do they have fundraisers of their own, but they encourage
members and supporters to create their own fundraisers; NAMI will teach you how to create and
apply it to their cause. They also encourage participation in awareness and educational events
on mental health. For people who have experienced or are experiencing mental illness, NAMI
invites you to “share your story,” and socially engage by directing a presentation to youth and
adults to educate on experiences and signs of mental illness. This both empowers individuals
with mental health conditions and spreads awareness on these issues.

American Democracy:
As mentioned before on the unique methodology of American democracy, NAMI is a
good example of utilizing our democracy in order to create change both in how we approach
mental health as a society and the public policy that determines the resources for mental health
support. NAMI’s vast amount of educational resources and programs--in addition to the access
they give on their website on information on mental health and public policy--are big factors for
mobilizing their members through our country’s democracy and through the identity of mental
health. NAMI is constantly finding more ways for people to be civically engaged both locally and
nationally, while providing all the information necessary to get started and stay engaged. By
partnering with countless companies, organizations, and people, NAMI reaches the voices and
needs of people they serve; this democracy allows that, and makes it possible. With private
businesses able to partner and choose to support organizations like NAMI, our continued
democracy and values of our communities will thrive.
National service is something vital to the communities we have, and the country we live
in. John Bridgeland of Civic Enterprises discusses in an interview how important national
service can be for communities, but also as an individual serving their community. “America
needs this big idea of national service, large scale opportunities for young people as they come
of age to serve together and work together to solve tough problems across all these differences
in our perspective and backgrounds” (Bridgeland). NAMI is an organization that encourages
these kinds of opportunities, both to grow and empower individuals, but to also help solve these
tough problems involving mental health. NAMI crosses all identities, serves all identities, and
takes every identity into consideration when assessing the needs involving mental health.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, the National Alliance on Mental Illness is an organization that connects
identity with civic engagement through education, awareness, and support for all communities.
NAMI takes into consideration all identities, and encourages all identities to get involved. They
both use a shared identity through their mobilization, while also showing that you don’t need to
share identity in order to understand a problem.
 Works Cited

Borenstein, Jeffrey. “Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination Against People with Mental
Illness.” American Psychiatric Association, Aug. 2020, www.psychiatry.org/patients-
families/stigma-and-discrimination.

Home: NAMI - National Alliance on Mental Illness. National Alliance on Mental Illness,
2020, www.nami.org/Home.

Bridgeland, John. “Creating a Shared Identity through National Service.” American

Identity, Service and Democracy. Interview with Dr. Kopell. https://youtu.be/QAYIXoaxMp0