GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
To Address Disparities in Mental Health Care
August 22 – August 25, 2011

Georgetown University, in collaboration with the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and AFYA, Inc. is offering a Leadership Academy to Address Disparities in Mental Health Care. This Academy is designed for individuals who are actively engaged in mental health care policy, practice, research, and advocacy throughout the life cycle and who are invested in developing their leadership role in order to address mental health care disparities at the national, state and community levels.  Participants should be in a personal place conducive to undertaking the reflective work that full participation will require.  We will be utilizing an application and selection process in an effort to maximize the diversity of participants’ experiences and populations served.  All applications will be reviewed by a selection committee. 

SELECTION CRITERIA
Selection of participants will be based on responses to questions on the application that determine depth of interest, ability to commit time, and willingness to develop leadership skills with others. Applicants will be evaluated on the demonstration of the following:

• Leadership role/capacity in the community, organization or setting.
• Current role in addressing disparities.
• Commitment to addressing disparities in mental health care.
• Commitment to apply the lessons of the Academy in the community, organization or setting.
• Ability to devote the time away from home and/or work to fully focus on participation in the Leadership Academy.

The selection committee will also be looking to create a diverse learning environment and will be making selections in order to ensure that the participants collectively reflect a diversity of:

• service sectors (e.g. mental health, justice, human services);
• settings (e.g. family organization, community mental health center, state office of health);
• age cohorts (e.g. children, adults, seniors);
• geographic diversity within the U.S.; and
• population served (e.g. race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity)

ATTENDING AS A TEAM
Over the years of implementing the Leadership Academy, we have observed that the information is more readily absorbed and sustained when persons from the same organization/setting attend together.  Therefore, we encourage you to seek out others, who share your commitment to address disparities, to apply.  However, selections will be made on an individual basis.

APPLICATION PROCESS AND TIMELINE

• The Leadership Academy has a two-step registration process:

Step 1 - Application:
Interested parties should complete the on-line application by Sunday, May 22, 2011 (NOTE: This deadline has been extended). The Leadership Academy is limited to a maximum of 50 participants; therefore, participants will be selected from all individuals who submitted an application by the stipulated deadline.

Step 2 – Academy Registration:
a) Following the selection process, successful applicants will receive an email no later than Friday, June 3, 2011 notifying them of their selection along with a link to register for the Leadership Academy and provide payment information.
b) To ensure your spot in the Leadership Academy, your registration form must be completed online and payment information must be received no later than Wednesday, June 15, 2011. (Payment can be made by personal check, money order or credit card or notification of alternate method of payment.)

• A limited number of registration scholarships are available for family, consumers, care givers, and youth applicants.
• You may only apply to one application pool.  Applications submitted to both applicant pools will only be considered as a family/consumer registration scholarship applicant.
• Only applications that are completed in their entirety will be considered.
• Persons in need of alternate formats of the application should contact Vernice Thompson at 202-687-8837 or by email at thompsov@georgetown.edu.

URGENT:
There is a short time between the application closing date, notification of selection and the payment due date.  If there are actions you must take to secure financing for this training opportunity, we ask that you please start the process as soon as possible. We anticipate a waiting list and without indication that payment is in place or will be forthcoming from a selected applicant, we may be forced to invite the next person on the waiting list.

PLEASE NOTE:       Final enrollment will be dependent on (1) selection,
                              (2) confirmation of attendance,and (3) payment.

APPLICANT RESPONSIBILITIES
Applicants are responsible for the cost of the registration fee ($450.00) and travel costs, including airfare, parking, hotel accommodations, ground transportation, and meals not provided at the Academy.

Family/Consumer Registration Scholarships
A limited number of registration scholarships are available ONLY to individuals involved in mental health who are in the following scholarship categories:

• family members with direct responsibility for the care and decision-making for a child, youth or adult with a mental health challenge;
• consumers of mental health services and/or supports;
• caregivers (persons who are not family members but have direct responsibility for the care and decision-making for a child, youth or adult with a mental health challenge); or
• youth/young adults who are receiving mental health services and/or supports.

Selected scholarship recipients will ONLY receive $450.00 to cover the cost of their registration fee. Therefore, all recipients will be responsible for their travel expenses. To help with your planning, please estimate your out-of-pocket expenses at $700 plus Airfare. The $700 will cover the cost of your hotel for 4 nights, dinner for 2 nights, meals while travelling, and ground transportation.

Scholarship applicants must

1. meet the selection criteria for the Academy;
2. affirm that they meet one or more of the qualifying scholarship categories;
3. certify that they are only able to attend with the aid of the scholarship; and
4. affirm that they will attend if selected.