Out of the Silence, Inc. is now OFFICIALLY a registered U.S. non-profit organization!  We fall under the category of 501(c)(3), an IRS code that designates the non-profit, tax-exempt status.  Prior to this, Out of the Silence was recognized as a state (New Jersey) non-profit, but now the national government also acknowledges us as a public charity.  This may not seem like a big deal, but this really opens up so many more opportunities for our organization.  Assessment for 501(c)(3) status is a truly rigorous process (I submitted the paperwork in September, went through one round of major revisions, and just received notification today), so having this recognition gives our organization more clout and credibility.  It also allows us to apply for more grants and whatnot, which will help us perform more outreach.  I originally said I would post the 501(c)(3) information when I received it, but apparently all I receive is a brief code, so I have decided not to post that. 

Feel free to message me with any questions!

~Caitlin

Happy holidays, everyone!  I've been very lax in updating the past month due to personal health and OCD problems (you all have been there, I'm sure), but my goal is to start really making a push with this site after the new year (aka: in one day).  I have just one update to make right now, because I am quite excited about it.  I just recently checked the sales report on our Cafepress store, and we had quite a holiday rush!  To celebrate, I added a few more designs.  I just received my own order, and the quality is surprisingly good.  Without sounding too much like a sales pitch, I want to encourage you to buy some of the Out of the Silence merchandise.  It looks great, it helps spread mental health awareness, and all proceeds, after printing costs, go to running Out of the Silence.  Below is a graphic featuring just some of the designs available. 

Click the graphic to go to the store.  Let me know if you have any comments/questions/suggestions.

~Caitlin

As the New Year approaches, I just want to issue a call to all artists and writers out there to try to contribute to Out of the Silence.  One of the integral parts of this organization is spreading awareness about youth mental health.  We have been invited to participate in an art show with NAMI Connecticut this spring, and we frequently go to mental health organization conferences to spread the word about youth issues.  People are amazed by the insights provided by the work submitted to Out of the Silence; the youth perspective is truly underrepresented in the mental health community.  Out of the Silence wants to change this. 

 Just a few points I want to make before proceeding:

1. All work submitted is and will be identified only by the submitter's username.  Privacy is our greatest concern, and we do our best to protect that of our members. 
2. Posts in the forums are never used in print (unless at the request of other publications with the promise of anonymity). 
3. Work is NEVER sold for personal profit.  All submissions are used for educational and awareness purposes only.  If any profits/donations are made at art shows or conventions, all go to Out of the Silence, a non-profit organization. 

In keeping with our slogan, "Share your story. Stop the stigma. Save a life," I would like to collect some writings (poetry, essays, narratives, memoirs, etc.) and artwork (graphic art, photography, traditional art, drawing, painting, digital painting, etc.) to bring to these art shows and conventions.  I hope to design some packets and brochures to distribute.  Soon I would like to start hosting contests, but I need to have enough interest first. 

To submit Artwork, go here, find your photo gallery, and submit.  To submit Stories, go here, find your blog, and submit. 

I was recently contacted by Allyson and Jennifer from Teen Voices Magazine, a publication by teen girls for teen girls.  They would like to know if any members of Out of the Silence would like to be featured in the Health section of the upcoming issue.  They are looking for people to share their poetry or experiences with their readers.  The health topic of this issue will be anxiety and panic.  If any of you would like to be a part of this project, please e-mail me.  This is an amazing opportunity to "Step Out" and get published!

I recently was contacted by a producer from Punched in the Head Productions who is producing an episode of MTV True Life entitled "I Have Schizophrenia."  He is looking for young people with schizophrenia to Step Out and share their experiences.  I think this is a great opportunity for us to reach out to a major youth media venue, MTV, and help bust the stigma. 

Please contact me if you're interested in participating, and I will send you the producer's contact information, as well as more information about the show.   

Just a few quick updates:

1. I just posted a few articles from experts to our new Features Blog.  Until I figure out where to put them, these articles will appear under the Stories tab along with the user-submitted stories. 
2. I have now added a Dual Diagnosis forum.  Dual Diagnosis means having both substance abuse and mental health problems. 
3. I accidentally, while adding the Dual Diagnosis forum, deleted the Celebrating Recovery forum.  It's back now, but all the posts sadly got deleted : (

It's late.  I'll probably add more to this post tomorrow. 

Night!

~Caitlin

I think I have finally solved the problem of the blogs and photo galleries (aka: Stories and Artwork).  From now on, each person will have his or her own blog and photo gallery, which will be created upon registration.  Below is the format of the links to each feature:

Personal Story Blog:
http://stepoutofthesilence.org/blogs/USERNAME/default.aspx

Personal Artwork Gallery:
http://stepoutofthesilence.org/photos/USERNAME/default.aspx

NOTE:  The USERNAME is not always the same as your regular username.  "Caitlin C." would become "caitlin_c" - no punctuation is used and spaces are converted to "_"

Once you reach your blog or gallery, you can post a new story or piece of artwork via the link on the left side module.  If you have trouble accessing these features, please send me a message.  Enjoy!

ATLANTA - The suicide rate among pre-teen and young teen girls spiked 76 percent, a disturbing sign that federal health officials say they can't fully explain.

[Read More on YahooNews]

We have a couple new features coming up, so I figured I would give you a heads up about them.

1. Ask An Expert:  I already posted about this in a previous update.  I am currently lining up mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, guidance counselors, etc.) that will answer general questions about mental health issues.  There is an "Ask A Doctor" thread in the forums where you can air your questions.  These questions cannot be case-specific.  All answers will be to inform, not advise.  Out of the Silence does not and will not endorse any forms of treatment.
2. Feature Articles:  I also hope to feature unsolicited articles from these mental health professionals.  These articles will be about current advances, trends, and issues concerning the youth mental health field. 
3. News Links:  I plan on either figuring out how to mirror a mental health news feed via RSS or researching mental health news articles throughout the week and posting links to them on Fridays.  It's always good to be informed about the latest news.
4. Resources for the UK, Australia, and Canada:  When I first started this site, I originally intended on it being exclusively for the US.  Yes, I am very naive.  This has inevitably grown to be international, so I am now looking to create resource pages for the rest of the English-speaking countries.  Please e-mail me at admin@stepoutofthesilence.org or send me a message if you have any websites or hotlines that should be included.  Be sure to include which country the resource is for!
5. Fact Sheets:  This website is by no means meant to diagnose or treat any mental illness.  However, you know I live by the "knowledge is power" cliche.  I am trying to get permission to reprint some of the pamphlets from other organizations to add to our "Resource" center.  Again, these fact sheets will be meant to INFORM not DIAGNOSE!
6. Legislative Center:  Let me be the first to admit that I have no clue what IDEA or parity or any of these legal terms really mean.  I hope to make a little glossary of terms and annotate some pieces of legislation.  Now we have no excuse not to write to our legislators and advocate for mental health!  If anyone from the UK, Australia, or Canada has any information on legislation in your respective countries, please let me know. 
7. Press Center:  I'm going to be featured in my local paper this Saturday.  Thus begins our Press Center.  I will upload all press releases and press coverage to this center once I create it. 
8. Art/Writing Contests:  Our final addition will be art and writing contests.  I am trying to find sponsors to donate prizes for contests, as well as to find judges. 

All of these should be added around our launch date of September 9!

In honor of our upcoming launch, I have started a new forum entitled Ask A Doctor.  I eventually hope to feature articles from mental health professionals regarding teen mental health issues.  I hope that a few people in the field will be willing to answer some GENERAL mental health questions we have.  For complete guidelines, please see this thread.  Can't wait til September 9!

-Caitlin

I hope to officially launch the Out of the Silence site on September 9, for National Suicide Prevention Week.  I will be writing press releases tomorrow and hope to send them out Friday.  Anyway, one of my mentors suggested that I create a video on YouTube in order to further my 'viral advertising' campaign.  Does anyone have any ideas regarding what should be in the ad?  I was thinking about having kind of a montage of statistics, artwork, and quotes, but I'm not the most YouTube literate person.  Our artwork gallery is also a little small at this point, as is our story blog.  This could pose a problem in composing the montage.  So, if anyone has any ideas, please let me know.  Please also try to submit your stories and artwork.  (I'm currently working with my web designer to try to make the submission section more accessible.)

Thank you!

-Caitlin

Hi, all!  This is just basically a test entry to determine how this new software works.  Sorry I've been so lax in updating recently.  I've been working on making the site more interactive (hence the new blog feature!)  I've received all of your entries, don't worry!  I just haven't had a chance to update.  Thank you so much for your continued support. 

-Caitlin