Presenter: Neil Campbell, Recovery Advocate
Advocacy is rooted in people – our stories, experiences and voices. It often is borne out of anger and injustice. People in recovery have been promoting advocacy in our communities since the turn of this century, working to create change and amplify our shared values to change the way substance use and mental health disorders are treated. Recovery advocacy weaves individual stories into a unified narrative that recovery should be the expectation and that it happens in communities where people can access the supports and services that help them.
In this session, participants will hear from a recovery advocate who built an advocacy organization in Georgia dedicated to education, training and peer recovery support services. Throughout her career in criminal justice and in behavioral health, she was often called a “lightening rod” and through speaking about her recovery journey, helped change the way services are delivered. Neil Campbell will describe how to systematically press for change, to shape and influence policy at all levels while never compromising values. She will talk about how to identify priorities, create a strategy, take action and achieve results even during times of opposition and with outside pressure to be silent.