Bay Area Affiliates' Multicultural Symposium of 2024

Join us for the 2024 NAMI CA Multicultural Symposium on Thursday, July 11 from 10:00am-2:00pm, hosted by NAMI Santa Clara. This year's theme is "Bringing Equity and Mental Health to Minority Communities".

This event is FREE and includes a free lunch.

RSVP by signing up for a ticket.

Our diverse lineup of speakers include:

• Dr. Miguel Valencia from Gardener Health Services

Dr. Miguel Valencia, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, has worked in community-based behavioral healthcare in Santa Clara County for over 40 years. In 1977, he was part of a cadre of volunteer psychology graduate students and social workers who founded the Centro de Bienestar (later named Gardner Health Services’ Specialty Behavioral Health Services) to meet the need for culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services for Mexican Americans and other immigrant populations. Dr. Valencia became the Behavioral Health Director nine years later. For the next four decades, he led the organization until his retirement in 2024 as it grew from its fledgling state to an agency that now annually serves more than 4,500 of Santa Clara County’s most vulnerable, ethnically diverse residents. Dr. Valencia is a county leader, serving on boards and committees to provide guidance and to advocate for culturally appropriate behavioral health services.

Nalia Kelly, facilitator for NAMI Connections

Naliah Kelley was introduced to NAMI in her early twenties. After working with her peer mentor, she felt encouraged to attend the NAMI Connections peer support group where things changed for the better. She then took NAMI’s Peer-to-Peer course and is now a facilitator for NAMI Connections. Naliah has grown to value her unique perspective as someone with lived experience. As a member of NAMI’s Helpline, and NAMI's Community Peer Program, she seeks to connect with and give back to the mental health community through NAMI. Naliah is also motivated by participating in positive life changes, such as obtaining her certificate as a Peer Mentor from San Jose City College. In her spare time, Naliah enjoys reading, music, and family gatherings.

• Amia Nash from the Eating Disorders Resource Center

Dr. Amia Nash is a Postdoctoral Scholar at UC Berkeley’s Innovations 4 Youth Research Hub and her current research focuses on 1) statewide social and emotional learning initiatives and 2) youth participatory action research to promote youth well-being, which brings youth voice to the design, development, and implementation of health programs and practices that affect young people. She received her Doctor of Public Health with a specialty area in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health from UC Berkeley, School of Public Health; MS in Community Health and Prevention Research from Stanford University School of Medicine; and BS in Public Health from Santa Clara University. Amia’s previous qualitative research at the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Well-being focused on the mental health needs and concerns of Asian-American adolescents and parents in Palo Alto. She has partnered in community-engaged research focused on health equity with underrepresented youth for the past 8 years. In 2024, Amia was awarded a Community Hero Award by the County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health Department for her policy and advocacy work focused on adolescent mental health.

• Ericka Alvarez Hernandez from NAMI Santa Clara's NAMI en Espanol.

Erika Alvarez Hernandez has been the coordinator at NAMI Santa Clara County's Spanish programs for six years, a certified leader of “Familia a Familia” and “Persona a Persona” classes and as an In Our Own Voice speaker. Additionally she is an associate coordinator of the Latino Team for NAMI Faithnet in which she has given presentations for the different churches in the Bay Area, as well as has participated in dozens of classes given to the Latino community. She always demonstrates the importance about making everything available to Latino families, such as the resources that NAMI offers for mental health. She herself has had a mental health condition for 25 years and has suffered from bipolarity, for which developing her work is currently her greatest achievement. Through this she can reach a large number of people who at just like her, they have suffered and struggle from a mental illness while being far from their country of origin. When she is not working, Erika enjoys cooking and spending time with her family and friends. Her email address is [email protected].

Address: 2960 North Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View, CA 94303 . We will be located in the Augusta & Pebble Room.

Host or Publisher NAMI California