CELT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY SCHEDULE:

Program	Date	Location	Cost
CELT	March 15-19	Smith Mt. Lake	Scholarship

WHAT IS THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY?

Leadership Academy is a four-day training designed to give mental health consumers important tools for successful leadership and the skills to make your voice heard. Many programs, facilities and localities, including your own, want consumers to join their boards, committees, and work groups to improve mental health services and focus on high quality services. Community Service Boards and local Human Rights Committees are required by Virginia law to include consumers in their activities. Many consumers may not know their rights and need someone to help educate them. The Leadership Academy is designed to give you the skills to meet any of these challenges.


WHAT WILL I LEARN?

You’ll learn that you can make a difference and how to do it. Most importantly, you’ll learn that a serious mental illness does not have to stand in your way. Having a mental illness and having used mental health services has given you an experience that is worthy of sharing with others. Sharing your experience can and does make a difference.

What you will do in Leadership Academy:
- Discuss the benefits of organized consumer involvement
- Determine ways of organizing consumer advocacy groups
- Practice monitoring and reporting issues
- Develop ways to identify issues
- Select relevant issues to present
- Develop goals and suggest plans of action
- Conduct effective meetings
- Learn principles of recovery
- Analyze how power and control function in an organization


WHO TEACHES THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY?

The Leadership Academy training team includes consumers who are graduates of previous Leadership Academies and active advocates in their communities. In the training, not only will you learn leadership and empowerment skills, you will experience empowerment by training and working with other future leaders just like yourself.


HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Leadership Academy will not cost you anything except your willingness and commitment to lead. To be a good candidate for this training, you should be highly committed to making a change in the mental health system in Virginia.


WILL I GET A JOB BY COMPLETING THE TRAINING?

While Leadership Academy does not guarantee you a job at completion, it does give you very important skills that are helpful in every aspect of your life.

WHAT DO CELT GRADUATES SAY ABOUT THE TRAINING?

“This is a wonderful experience! First time I’ve felt accepted and belonging in years. I’m psyched!"

"CELT changed my life. Not only did I learn a lot but I also joined a whole other community of people."

"Thanks for the opportunity. It was nice being around like thinking people with a common goal."

"I really enjoyed the classes and learned a lot and I look forward to using the tools I’ve learned to become a better advocate. And I feel empowered."

"It was a very positive experience...the presenters were excellent."

"We can use a little more help from people like that...I got a lot out of it...it helped us with what we [were] doing."