Volunteer Spotlight: Christie Schweighardt

It's time to celebrate: March Volunteer Spotlight! Today, we shine a light on Christie Schweighardt, a dedicated volunteer who has been instrumental in advancing the efforts of the AFSP New Jersey Advocacy Committee.

Christie's Journey:

When I was a teenager, I started to experience symptoms of anxiety and OCD after going through several traumatic life events. It was hard for me to find support and I had to do a lot of the research on my own. This lack of mental health awareness within the general population pushed me to join my university's student government to help promote awareness and increase mental healthcare resources on my campus, and beyond. Once I graduated, I started to volunteer as a Crisis Counselor for Crisis Text Line to help provide one-on-one support for those who needed a listening ear. I also weaved my passion for suicide prevention through music and short films I created and released with my friends.

A little over a year ago, I joined my employer's 'Talk Saves Lives Champions' program, where 30+ colleagues became trained to facilitate AFSP's Talk Saves Lives programs for other colleagues and company partners. Sharing this passion with my colleagues made me realize how powerful AFSP's educational programs are, and I wanted to get more involved with my local community through the AFSP New Jersey Chapter. I joined the amazing group of volunteers who work to educate teens and adults across our state!

Through those experiences, I saw how awareness, education, and policy ALL were important in creating healthy populations--it is meaningful when we are aware of how important mental health is, but the real change happens when we are educated about it and have proper resources for all who need and deserve support. When I made the realization that I was ready to get back into advocacy, AFSP NJ announced it was launching its first-ever Advocacy Committee--it was the perfect match! Now, I work with our incredible team of advocates to help run advocacy trainings and support policies that promote suicide prevention within our New Jersey communities. I cannot wait to see the kind of change we will create together!

Christie joined the AFSP NJ Advocacy Committee because she understands that government decisions have a big impact on suicide prevention. She is passionate about making change not only in New Jersey but across the country and knows that advocacy is a major way to help implement change. She has experience advocating for mental health funding, college tuition and funding, and reproductive rights at the state and federal levels. Christie believes that suicide prevention requires us to focus on more than mental health, it requires full support throughout a person’s journey.

- Siobhan Power, AFSP NJ Board Member and Advocacy Ambassador

AFSP NJ Advocacy: Influencing Policy for Change:

AFSP Advocacy Committees work to influence policy change at all levels of government. They build relationships with members of Congress, the White House, governors, state legislatures, mayors, and local officials in communities nationwide.

Throughout the year the AFSP NJ Advocacy Committee will:

• Utilize the AFSP Action Center and regularly participate in legislative calls to action including supporting or opposing legislation, letter-to-the-editor campaigns, and opportunities for public comment
• Maintain regular communication with the Public Policy Team, Chapter staff, and chapter leadership regarding committee activities and progress, including regular updates at chapter board meetings
• Learn AFSP’s position on approved public policy priorities; work with the chapter Advocacy Ambassador and the Public Policy Office to monitor these priorities on the state level and participate in the legislative process
• Promote AFSP’s public policy priorities and advocacy efforts on chapter social media pages including events, legislative alerts, and advocacy successes. Chapters are encouraged to follow and connect with all respective legislators at the federal and state levels on social media channels
• Maintain regular correspondence with, and conduct occasional in-person visits with, public officials in their chapter area. This includes members of Congress, state legislators, mayors, city council members, and other local officials as well as their governor’s office. Chapters are encouraged to invite public officials to other chapter events including but not limited to walks, Talk Saves Lives presentations, and research connections
• Promote advocacy and policy at other chapter events as appropriate and work to increase the statewide Volunteer Advocate network by sharing the sign-up form at events and through social media
• Work with the Public Policy Team to identify a priority list of public officials to “friend raise” with; work with their committee members to learn what issues are most important to them and how the chapter can best utilize their knowledge and connections to promote AFSP’s policy priorities at the federal and state level
• Work with Chapter staff, the Public Policy Office, and the Chapter Advocacy Ambassador to build relationships with area organizations and community stakeholders. Build coalitions around public policy issues of mutual interest and work together to mobilize advocates
• Work with chapter leadership and staff to encourage local media coverage of local public policy and advocacy developments and make yourself available for interviews as needed

How Can You Get Involved?

If Christie's story resonates with you and you're eager to become a part of our volunteer community, complete our volunteer application. We're always thrilled to welcome new faces with a passion for making a difference!