Propose an Event with IDHA
IDHA organizes events that allow our community of peers, clinicians, activists, family members, and all interested parties to come together to share experiences and issues related to mental health and the mental health system. We seek to foster connection, support, and shared knowledge among those interested in transforming how we practice mental health care.
Our events offer resources, workshops, and tools on a wide range of topics related to transformative mental health, such as mutual aid practices, trauma, spirituality, creativity, psychotropic medication, advocacy, and more. You can view all past event offerings here.
Form and Process
We invite members of our community to share their ideas for future IDHA events using the form below. This form is designed to give our staff a sense of your event’s content and format, as well as its current stage of development. Some of the questions we use to assess events, which may help shape the development of a proposal, include:
Is this event aligned with IDHA’s overall mission and vision?
Does this event address a mental health-related need, gap, or challenge in the current social or political context – particularly one that isn’t being filled by another organization?
Does this event highlight multiple perspectives on its topic or theme?
Does this event center the perspectives or peers or people with lived experience?
Does this event strive toward dismantling systems of oppression and marginalization?
Please note that IDHA prioritizes event proposals submitted by active members, as well as a diversity of facilitator voices (e.g. those who haven’t facilitated an event with IDHA previously).
Events do not need to be fully “polished” at the proposal stage. We invite you to share as much information as you can about your idea to give us an initial sense of your vision, and open the door to more conversation.
Within a few weeks of receiving your form, IDHA staff will be in touch with initial feedback on your form. Follow up may include written feedback on your event proposal, or inviting a scheduled call to talk through the concept more.
If your event is accepted, IDHA’s staff will work closely with you to help organize your event. We facilitate a series of planning calls and provide a collaborative planning document to help finalize the event’s title and description, date and time, format and flow, graphics, and more. The process is organizer-led, and staff supported. IDHA offers an honorarium to event facilitator(s), with the amount based on the current year’s budget.
FAQ
Are you currently organizing in-person events?
All IDHA events are currently being held virtually via Zoom. When submitting an event proposal, please bear in mind the remote nature of the program.
What dates and times are IDHA events generally held?
Events may be held any day of the week and tend to last about two hours. We tend to organize events on weekday evenings between 6-8 pm EST, though there may be flexibility outside of this depending on calendar availability.
What topics does IDHA explore in its events?
We explore a range of topics in our community events that fall under the domain of “transformative mental health.” Past events have explored mental health and creative practice, the power of unlearning in mental health education, age-trauma, the power of art in transmuting experiences of grief, how to apply a harm reduction lens to radical mental health work, and confronting the history of mental health treatment through poetry.
What are the possible formats for an event?
Community discussion: A facilitated, participatory discussion about a given topic with the goal of engaging and gaining input from those in attendance. A past example of this format is Mental Health Trialogue.
Presentation: An event where the centerpiece is a presentation by the facilitators on a given topic, which may be followed by a community discussion. A past example of this format is Mad Poetry and Art.
Interactive workshop: A more experiential and exploratory event with activities that enable participants to gain a new skill or put knowledge into practice. A past example of this format is Ancestors in Training.
If your event idea does not fall under one of the categories above, no problem! We are always expanding our offerings and would love to learn more about what you have in mind.
How much do IDHA events cost?
IDHA events usually have the following pricing structure: suggested donation ($10), supporter ($20), and free. We always include subsidized access to our events, so no one is turned away for a lack of funds.
What is my role if my proposed event is accepted?
The person or group interested in facilitating an IDHA event is generally responsible for: drafting an initial title and description of the event to go on IDHA’s website, designing the content and format of the workshop; providing any slides or visuals for the event (if relevant), attending 1-2 prep calls with IDHA staff in advance of the event, supporting promotion, arriving to the event at least 15 minutes before the start of the event, and facilitating the event itself!
How does IDHA staff support the event organization?
IDHA staff are responsible for finalizing the staff and description, creating the registration page for the event and posting it on IDHA’s website, promoting it via IDHA’s newsletter and across social media, booking access support (e.g. ASL interpreters), and providing day-of tech support. The exact staff members and roles may vary depending on the event and its timing, and will be discussed throughout the planning process with the facilitator(s).