No Shame On U 2021 Impact Report

20 21 IMPACT REPORT No Shame On U is dedicated to breaking the stigma associated with mental health conditions in the Jewish community and beyond so the people who need help will seek it, family members and friends will know how to provide proper support, and to save lives. To that end, we create and deliver state-of-the-art programming, including expert presentations, community outreach programs, workshops, and support groups, and we develop and distribute mental health and crisis resources.

Further, through our online presence of over 125K+ social media followers, we engage with a wide audience, to whom we provide daily tools and resources, including our mental health podcast and regular blog. Known for our inclusive, consistent, and responsive programming for people of all ages and backgrounds, No Shame On U is a change-agent, leading the way in positively reshaping attitudes towards mental health conditions.

What’s New with No Shame On U Staff?

STAFF

MIRIAM AMENT Founder & Executive Director On International Women’s Day, Miriam was honored by Aish as a trailblazing Jewish woman enacting change in our community. In 2014, Miriam founded No Shame On U when she realized that one of the most effective ways to eliminate the stigma of mental illness is interacting with individuals who have lived experience with mental health conditions. By opening up about her own mental health journey and founding No Shame On U, Miriam has actively worked toward destigmatizing mental health conditions.

WENDY SINGER Director of Programming As No Shame On U grows and expands, we are excited to welcome Wendy to the organization’s team. Wendy has 20 years of experience as a non-profit professional. Most recently, she worked as the Director of Education at Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, and prior to that Wendy worked for JCC Chicago for 18 years.

Wendy has extensive experience in staff and volunteer development, community engagement, and strategic program implementation, and she has won multiple awards and honors for her work, including the JCC Chicago PresenTense Shark Tank Grant competition.

We are so thrilled to welcome Wendy!

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The No Shame On U Teen Ambassador Program

SPOTLIGHT

The No Shame On U Teen Ambassador Program is an immersive leadership program that educates Jewish high schoolers about mental health issues and empowers them to spread awareness in their respective communities. Throughout the year, Teens meet monthly for learning sessions, where they deepen their mental health knowledge and develop leadership skills by designing and implementing their own original and unique mental health awareness programs.

This Ambassador Program is an excellent opportunity for Jewish teens who are aspiring leaders and are passionate about fighting against mental health stigma.

Meet two of our Ambassadors!

JOSH G. 18 | New Trier Township High School | Winnetka, IL Program Title: Eating Disorders and Body Image The problem I saw: The negative effects of social media on my community — growing numbers of teens with eating disorders, body insecurity, and rising levels of depression and anxiety. I wanted to learn more and figure out how to help.

Program: I developed a 45-minute program for sophomore year health classes at my high school and was able to present to three classes in one week. The presentation started with information about different eating disorders, body image in today’s society, and its effect on teens, especially people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. Next, I did an anonymous poll of the students’ experiences in the room and shared results to break down barriers. Finally, the students broke off into groups and discussed their own experiences and how they interpreted the pressures of modern-day society. I ended with a slide of resources ranging from hotlines to body-positive Instagram accounts to follow.

Final thoughts: In the end, it felt great to know I had sparked thoughtful conversation and informed those who may have benefited from learning the information I provided. I am very grateful to No Shame On U for this wonderful opportunity and hope many more groups of teenagers get to experience the Teen Ambassadors Program.

YAEL K. 16 | Ida Crown Jewish Academy | Skokie, IL The problem I saw: Many people contribute to mental health stigma with their everyday language choices.

Program (conducted at Hanna Sacks Bais Yaakov High School): My program was about the use of words and how they can affect people. I presented two videos and led a discussion on both of them. One video promoted the idea of a ripple effect, and how saying one small thing can have a big impact on someone but then also have a smaller impact on others. The other video showed how words can affect people, whether they are good or bad. I also made sure to put emphasis on the words people use when speaking about mental health, and how certain words or speaking in a certain way regarding mental health can create stigma around it. The takeaway message was to always make sure to pay attention to how you speak to people: treat people kindly and with respect.

Final Thoughts: I think that learning about mental health is important because the more educated people are about mental health conditions, the easier it is for them to seek help for themselves and/or others if they are struggling.

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What has No Shame On U been up to lately?

No Shame On U continues to offer creative and innovative mental health programming that has an impact. Between March 2020, when the pandemic began, and June 2021, No Shame On U conducted 265 programs, directly reaching more than 5750 people. Highlights include:

CURATED TALKS No Shame On U is a leader in getting the word out that it is time to put an end to mental health stigma.

Through original content in workshops and facilitated discussions at synagogues, community centers, schools, and other venues, No Shame on U provides strategies to lessen the impact of mental health stigma. Each program can be tailored to a community’s specific requests and needs. Examples of previous talks and workshops include: • Bolstering mental health during a period of loss • Navigating the mental health challenges of working from home • Being vulnerable and leaning into your kehillah to support your mental health

• Suicide: It’s time to talk • Breaking the stigma: Student-athletes and mental health • Thriving in the workplace: How employers and employees can work together to support mental health and wellbeing

SUPPORT GROUPS No Shame On U conducts regularly occurring meetings in which people experiencing similar problems or life transitions come together to share personal experiences and coping strategies.

Under the guidance of a mental health professional, each group has a different focus, such as surviving suicide loss or supporting individuals caring for adults living with mental health challenges.

SUMMER CAMP MENTAL HEALTH TRAININGS To address the growing need for mental health support in our community, No Shame On U developed and provided customized mental health training to staff at several overnight summer camps. Staff learned about mental health risk factors and warning signs, and they left the session with tools and strategies for creating a positive and caring camp environment for the campers, while at the same time knowing how to reduce their own stress to prevent job burnout.

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PODCASTS No Shame On U hosts a podcast discussion about mental health with professionals, educators, and advocates. Some of our guests have included: Mental health advocates Max Hobhouse and Sophie Traube, who took a bike ride from New York City to Portland, Oregon to raise awarness around mental health; Mimi Aron a mother, grandmother, and suicide loss survivor; and Paige GoldMarche, Chicago and Midwest Director of Moving Traditions, a program which aims to provide teens with a sense of connectedenss and belonging.

BLOG The No Shame On U blog is a resource for learning about the experiences of a person living with a mental health condition. Our blogger provides unique insights into managing depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder, and in this way she chips away at the stigma of mental illness and ensures no-one feels alone in facing mental health problems.

COLLABORATIONS To advance our mission, No Shame On U works together with other organizations that share our desire to improve our community’s mental health and wellbeing. Some of the organizations with which we have collaborated this year include, but are not limited to:

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YOGA Program Spotlight: Yoga, with a special mindful focus on mental health and wellbeing. With the onset of COVID-19, there has been an increased awareness and a welcomed need for a new paradigm and focus on what it means to take care of our mental health and wellbeing. With that in mind, No Shame On U has been offering weekly free yoga sessions via zoom.

When: 30-minutes; Tuesdays, at 4pm CT Where: Zoom Instructor: Mara Zimmerman, a Certified Meditation and Yoga Teacher and Health Mentor.

In Mara’s Words: Why yoga? Balancing our mental health and wellbeing is inherent to yoga, meditation, and mindfulness.

How does yoga connect to mental health? Thoughts and feelings can be witnessed and honored as we learn to manage and navigate our mental health. Yoga helps support us being more patient and accepting of ourselves right where we are, here and now. It also helps support good intentions, goal setting, positive thinking, calming the nervous system, strengthening the brain-body connection, relieving stress, and movement toward peace of mind.

Final thoughts: The experience of yoga is one of connection, and it benefits every aspect of our mental health and daily life.

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OUR SUPPORT

Thank you to the foundations and organizations that supported us this year.

Big Hearts Foundation

Covid Committee

And, of course, thank you to our many individual supporters for your ongoing support!

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ART CONTEST Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2021 No Shame On U Art Challenge: Exploring Your Hopes and Dreams. Engaging in the creation of art is an effective way for children and adolescents of all ages to communicate emotions they may not be able to articulate. It also provides them with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of themselves. Creating art is a great way to lower stress levels and promote mental health.

Talia S. | Grade: 7 My Swirling Memories Artist Statement: In this picture, I drew myself alone and sad remembering everything that has happened in this pandemic. So many terrible things to look back on, but between the sad memories, we can find the color and the beauty that we can truly appreciate through this experience.

Tu Quynh V. | Grade: 11 A plague in my mind Artist Statement: During this quarantine period, I struggled immensely with my mental health, much more than I have in the past years. In my artwork, the distressed girl is a representative of me and the demon underneath, which is essentially the darker side of my personality as it feeds off my pain, is striving to drown me beneath the pool of my blood. However, there is hope throughout suffering as my coping mechanisms are depicted through different symbols: paint brushes (self-expression through art, specifically painting), lightstick (coping through music; from my favorite Kpop group), lily of the valley flowers (symbol of good luck & happiness), dragon (symbol of prosperity, strength, wisdom), and the Vietnamese rice hat (staying connected to my roots even through the hate directed towards Asians).

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Kailey N. | Grade: 10 The Spiral of Light Artist Statement: During this time of crisis, people experience a major loss of hope and experience major worries of what the future might bring. With the new vaccines developed and decrease in COVID-19 cases, a spiral of light surrounds the people, diminishing the darkness that once indulged them with worries and bringing up hope for what they can do again.

Hannah F. | Grade: 10 Dreaming of Better Days Artist Statement: This past year has been super hard, the isolation that I’ve felt has made me feel pretty hopeless for the future. Now as things start to open up and return to normal, I can’t help but feel excited for all the potential experiences and connections that await!

Shmuli L. | Grade: 6 Light in the Shadows Artist Statement: The light symbolizes hope and happiness, while the dark symbolizes despair and sadness. The shadows are pushing against light (the happiness), while the light is pushing against the despair and sadness (the shadow) - and the light is trying to go down the tunnel of darkness and spread hope and happiness and take over the shadow and make happiness for all!

Rivky B. | Grade: 7 Trapped In My Own Light

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Artist Statement: In quarantine, I was not able to hang out with friends and spread my light. That is why this picture is called “Trapped In My Own Light.” I have no one to share my personality with and no one can share theirs with me.

GET INVOLVED Want to get involved in eliminating mental health stigma?

Here are some ways you can help out: Support those living with mental health symptoms and conditions.

Don’t know how, please reach out to No Shame On U! Attend No Shame On U programming. The more you know, the better you will be able to normalize the conversation about mental health. For more information, please check out www.NoShameOnU.org.

Volunteer with No Shame On U. We are certain you have skills to offer in destigmatizing mental health conditions.

Spread the word about No Shame On U to ensure everyone is aware of the toll mental health conditions take on people living with or supporting those with mental health conditions and to make certain that those who are in need will receive support.

Make a donation to No Shame On U, so that we can continue with our mission to educate the community about mental health stigma and to develop cutting edge programming.

Click Here to Support Us Staff

Board of Directors

Miriam Ament, M.A., Founder and Executive Director

Nathan Benditzson

Anat S. Geva, J.D., Ph.D., Director of Strategic Initiatives

Gail Berger Darlow

Wendy Singer, M.S., Director of Programming

David Forman

Advisory Council

Heidi Kalman Shifra Kolsky

Dr. Neil Fialkow, M.D., Psychiatrist, Private Practice

Bonnie Lane

Dr. Aryn Froum, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice

Hillel Morris

Dr. Melanie Levine, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice

Rebecca Pogonitz

Michael Simon, MPP, Executive Director, Northwestern University Hillel

Stacey Schwartz

Doug Winkelstein, M.A., Director of Learning and Development, BBYO

Daniel Warshawsky

No Shame On U 4411 N. Ravenswood Ave. Suite 300 | Chicago, IL 60640 877-275-7261 | NSOU@noshameonu.org | www.noshameonu.org

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate help, please know you are not alone.

Please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988; https://988lifeline.org.

The lifeline supports people who call for themselves, as well as those who call in order to help others.

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