We Rock Final Workshop: June 30th

Be sure to come out on Thursday, June 30 at 7:30 p.m. to see the Final Showcase of the We Rock Workshop at Mr. Smalls Theatre!

The We Rock Workshop, spearheaded by Liz Berlin through Creative.Life.Support, was designed to give transition-aged foster youth an opportunity to tap into their musical talents. The program began with eight weeks of song-writing and recording at Mr. Smalls North Side Recording Studio and then continued on to two weeks of performance rehearsals at Mr. Smalls Theatre.

The We Rock Final Showcase on June 30 will highlight the talents of these foster kids, giving them the opportunity to share their musical gifts with the community. Special guests will be performing and speaking including Liz Berlin (Rusted Root) Kellee Maize (emcee, singer, songwriter & CEO of Nakturnal Productions) and more to be announced.

All ticket sales for the final show will be donated to the Allegheny County Music Festival Fund, which provides kids receiving services through Allegheny County Department of Human Services life-enriching items, services and opportunities otherwise unavailable through traditional government funding.

Ticket prices start at $25 and are available through TicketWeb. Directions to the venue are available on the Mr. Smalls website.

Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary

Family to Family Class: Dormont

It may still be summertime, but we're always planning ahead at NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania! We're pleased to announce our first Family to Family education class for Fall 2011 - details are below!

Location:  Pittsburgh Baptist Church, 3100 Pioneer Ave. Dormont, PA  15226
Start Date:  Tuesday, August 30th
Time: To Be Announced

For more information or to register for the class, give us a call at 412-417-9810 or email Lora Dziemiela at ldziemiela@namiswpa.org.

Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary

Examining Cross Cultural Barriers to Mental Health Services in the United States

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As evidenced by the overwhelming positive response to our 11th Annual Conference, Embracing Diversity: Cultivating Respect and Inclusion for a Stronger Mental Health System, cultural competency is an important factor of the current mental health landscape. A fascinating article published by The Dana Foundation, "Cross-Cultural Barriers to Mental Health Services in the United States," discusses "some of the barriers, cultural and otherwise, that prevent...access to care, and...provide[s] some recommendations for solutions."

 In detailed sections, the article discusses specific cognitive, affective, value orientation, physical and structural barriers to treatment that can be experienced by individuals dealing with mental illness. The article also offers recommendations for future research and policy changes.

For more information about current mental health issues, be sure to visit our website and find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary