NISA evolved out of a number of collaborative projects originally established within the Outpatient Occupational Therapy services of Network North (now the Northeast Mental Health Centre - Sudbury). The common objective of these projects was to reanimate consumers, to offer them meaningful and useful activities (or occupations), and to provide a setting for active social recovery rather than passive dependence on community services.
NISA was incorporated in order to unite and extend those initial projects; but the incorporation also reflects the value our members placed on the emerging sense of our own community. This sense of consumers' personal involvement and connectedness seems to us to be an essential element of mental health reform.
The basic task of mental health reform, therefore, is to make deinstitutionalization work, by providing appropriate community supports for consumer/survivors. NISA was, in fact, a pilot project in developing a wide range of such supports. It offered -- and still does -- enrichment, improved access, and alternatives to the opportunities available in the community. We have come to recognize three types of needs experienced by consumer/survivors:
Being: a basic acceptance of oneself; not having to apologize for one's existence.
Belonging: having other people to relate to; being part of a group; having 'family'.
Becoming: developing new skills and statuses; growing toward socioeconomic maturity.
We at NISA feel we have much to offer to the process of mental health reform. We have a working model for organization, cooperation, and community involvement. We have acquired experience, and a knowledge base which we have documented and shared with others both in Ontario and internationally.
NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action is an organization run by and for consumers of mental health services.
Our non-profit charitable corporation is called NISA which is short for "Northern Initiative for Social Action". NISA serves an underprivileged and somewhat marginalized group that often goes by the term, "consumer/survivor". A consumer/survivor is anyone who has used or is using mental health services. NISA not only serves consumers/survivors, but its membership and board consist of consumers/survivors as well.
NISA is an organization run by and for consumers of mental health services. We develop occupational skills, nurture self-confidence and provide resources for recovery, by creating opportunities for participants to contribute to their own well-being and th
Categories:
Counseling & Mental Health,
Non-Profit Organization,
Organization
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
Our upcoming Spring Art Show is open to all local artists whose work has a connection to mental health and well-being. Selected pieces will be on exhibit and for...
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
Create your very own upcycled sculpture of an owl (doing yoga!?) and support local mental health initiatives at the same time! This event is in support of the Sudbury...
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
Create your very own gorgeous mandala painting and support local mental health initiatives at the same time! This event is in support of the Sudbury Yogathon for...
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
CALLING ARTISTS AND SEWING AFICIONADOES People with lived experience of mental illness, mental health struggles or altered states will find this a great opportunity...
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
APPELANT TOUS LES ARTISTES ET LES AFICIONADOS DE COUTURE Durand se projet de 8 semaines, vous travaillerez avec l’artiste locale et professionnelle Laura-Leigh...
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
"Mental illness" isn't only mental -- we experience it through our bodies and through our senses, and not only in the ways we have been told we do. On September...
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
Artists and sewing aficionadoes will want to register for NISA's fall Memory Quilt workshop. In this 8-week project, you'll work with a professional local artist...
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
Join NISA as we launch our Uncovering Recovery mixed-media arts workshops at this coffeehouse exhibit. The coffeehouse will feature videos, readings and exhibits...
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
Join NISA’s “Exploring Our Skills and Goals” workshop for a Q&A with local entrepreneur, Nathan Sckopke. Nathan has successfully started and managed three...
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
The Mental Health Nursing Interest Group of the Registered Nurses' Associationof Ontario invites members of the public to an open discussion and question period...
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
Are you a current NISA member who is, or has been, an active participant in our Artists' Loft? Do you identifty as a Sudbury resident who has lived experience with...
At NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action
Did you know LGBTQ2IA folks experience higher rates of mental health and addiction issues and often lack access to services? If you identify, come to our community...