Georgia Peer Policy Collective Application Form

After decades without thoughtful consideration and long-term planning that resulted in a public behavioral health system consistently ranked among the lowest in the nation, mental health is finally receiving attention in Georgia's General Assemby.

The next few legislative sesssions may decide the future of behavioral health in Georgia for decades to come. With the passage of Georgia's Mental Health Parity Act, Georgia now stands poised to make sweeping changes to who receives which services, and when, where, and how they are received--including peer support.

We know from the elimination of funding for the Peer Support, Wellness, and Respite Center of Henry County in 2020 that we cannot rely on others to advocate for us at the Capitol, and that simply because something is here in our communities, and loved, and helpful to many, and cost effective, it may still be eliminated when legislators do not hear our voices.

The Georgia Peer Policy Collective is being established to serve multiple functions necessitated by the scope and scale of the Mental Health Parity Act. The group will include at least one representative and/or alternate from each of Georgia's six regions, who will not be expected to participate in any direct advocacy activities. Their role will be to get knee deep in Georgia’s mental health legislative issues and act as conduits of information back and forth from their communities to those of us who are in direct contact with legislators.

They will also be charged with identifying the principles and values that should be honored and upheld by any individual or organizaiton self-identifying as an "ally" of Georgia's mental health recovery community.
Name*

First NameLast Name
Contact Number*

Area CodePhone Number
E-mail*
Please check all of the following that apply to you, to give us a better sense of who you are, and how you might interact with the other regional peer advocates. Please check all that apply--there are no wrong or disqualifying answers*

I have no experience in legislative advocacyI understand how a bill moves through the Georgia legislatureI could explain the Georgia legislative process to almost anyoneI am confused by the Georgia legislative processGeorgia's legislative process is better than most other states' processesGeorgia's legislative process is a messI have never read the text of a piece of legislationI have physically entered a library in the past 12 monthsOne of my favorite places is the libraryI know my mayor's nameI have very little free time to dedicate to advocacy (less than an hour a week)I have a moderate amount of free time to dedicate to advocacy (2-6 hours a week)I have a lot of free time to dedicate to advocacy (6+ hours a week)I know more political leaders by name than athletesI know more political leaders by name than singersI know more political leaders by name than tv/film starsI don't know any political leaders by nameI am registered to voteI would be registered to vote if I was eligibleI am a poll volunteerOff the top of my head, I can name the past five U.S. presidents in orderOff the top of my head, I can name the past ten U.S. presidents in orderOff the top of my head, I can name the past three Georgia governorsOff the top of my head, I can name both leading candidates in the past three Georgia governor's racesI know most of the duties and responsibilities of the Georgia Secretary of StateI live in GeorgiaI am 18 years of age or olderI have easy access to the resources necessary to teleconference (zoom, etc)I have easy access to the resources necessary to do online researchI understand that if I am selected as a member of this collaborative, members of the general public may come to understand that I self-identify as living with mental health concerns or as living in mental health recovery, etc.I understand that if I am selected as a member of this collaborative, my name will be published online and in print by the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, and that once public, may not be recalled from embers of the general public may come to understand that I self-identify as living with mental health concerns or as living in mental health recovery, etc.
Please tell us what county you LIVE in:
Why do you want to be a member of the Peer Policy Collaborative?
What one Georgia law would you change or eliminate if you could, and why?
If you could have lunch with any one Georgia lawmaker, who would it be, and why?
Please briefly describe your mental health recovery journey, and how (or if) you believe it has been impacted by Georgia legislation.
References (optional)
For each of the two references below, please provide the names of people who can speak to your intereset in mental health advocacy, and/or your dedication/ perseverance generally, and/or your ability to work well independently and as part of a team.
Please notify your reference(s) that you have provided us their information, that we might call them, and what information we will be looking for.
You may supply written references, but it is not necessary, and they must also be willing to be contacted for a brief phone interview for the written reference to be considerd as part of the application.
Reference 1
Reference 2
Reference Documents (optional)

Browse Files

Cancelof
Should be Empty: