May is Stepping Up’s Month of Action to Reduce Mental Illness in Jails

Stepping Up Month of ActionThis May, the Stepping Up Initiative is leading a Month of Action to encourage counties to showcase their impacts and efforts toward reducing the number of people with mental illnesses in jails.

As shared on NACo’s Stepping Up Month of Action webpage there are a number of ways counties can participate:

Week 1 (May 5–11)

HIGHLIGHT THE PROGRESS YOUR COUNTY HAS MADE WITH ITS STEPPING UP EFFORTS

  • Pass a proclamation formally announcing your county’s participation in the Stepping Up Month of Action.
  • Host an event to highlight progress in your community and invite your local media with a media advisory(see last year’s Day of Action Toolkit for ideas and resources).
  • Share a press release highlighting your county’s progress.
  • Create an infographic, slide show or video about your county’s efforts using Stepping Up graphics.
  • Submit op-eds or articles to local news outlets highlighting people positively impacted by your work (so that it is hopefully published in Week 3) and/or calling on others to work on this important issue (for Week 4).

Week 2 (May 12–18)

SHOWCASE YOUR COUNTY’S STEPPING UP TEAM

  • Post a photo of your county’s Stepping Up team on social media with the hashtag #StepUp4MentalHealth.
  • Create a brief video with interviews of Stepping Up team members and share it on social media with the hashtag #StepUp4MentalHealth.
  • Create or promote your county’s Stepping Up website.

Week 3 (May 19–27)

SHARE THE EXPERIENCES OF PEOPLE IMPACTED BY YOUR COUNTY’S STEPPING UP EFFORTS

  • Create a video with an interview of a person(s) impacted by your work and share it on social media with the hashtag #StepUp4MentalHealth.
  • Share a blog post on your county’s Stepping Up website to highlight the impact you’re having on people in your community.

Week 4 (May 28–June 1)

ENCOURAGE YOUR PEERS AND PEER COUNTIES TO “STEP UP” FOR MENTAL HEALTH

  • Encourage neighboring counties that haven’t joined Stepping Up to become part of the national movement using this letter template.
  • Publish written or video testimonials about the need for change in local communities.
  • Participate in the national Stepping Up Twitter Chat on May 30 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. ET using #StepUp4MentalHealth. Learn more.

The webpage also contains sample tweets and Facebook posts to help tout your county’s participation.

For more information:

Stepping Up’s Month of Action (NACo)