New York State is honoring Haley Amering with the 2024 ‘What’s Great in our State’ Youth/Young Adult Award, which recognizes those New Yorkers with lived experience who have taken their personal mental health knowledge and experiences to make a difference in their community. Amering was presented the award Tuesday during the event in Albany and celebrated for using her lived experience to amplify the voices of youth and young adults.

“Haley demonstrates an unwavering commitment to giving a voice to the youth and young adults living with mental illness, truly exemplifying the spirit of ‘What’s Great in Our State,'” state Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said. “Through her work with the NAMI-NYS NextGen initiative, she serves as a true inspiration for her peers as an advocate for children’s mental health.”

The Government Affairs Coordinator for NAMI-NYS, Amering is also co-host of the NAMI-NYS Perspectives series and uses her own mental health journey to lend a voice to the youth struggling with these challenges. She shared her story at the 2023 Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health in Brooklyn and spearheaded the Youth Mental Health Track at the National Alliance on Mental Illness-New York State Education Conference.

Amering showcased her visionary leadership and commitment to amplifying the voices of young adults by establishing NAMI-NYS NextGen, a young adult advisory group representing the voices of youth and young adults across with lived experience throughout the state. This 10-member group is dedicated to guiding the parent organization toward kinder, innovative, and inclusive outcomes for mental health among youth and young adults.

"To be the recipient of this year's Young Adult Award means everything to me,” Amering said. “It is always my goal every day to remind someone living with a mental illness that they are not alone and that they matter. As someone who began greatly struggling with their mental health at a very young age, it is my mission to always spread warmth and hope."

Established in 2010, ‘What’s Great in Our State’ recognizes individuals and programs that are successfully advancing the cause of children’s mental health in New York State and is celebrated annually during Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. The day-long conference in Albany features a ceremony recognizing honorees, in-person and virtual workshops, and an art show featuring artwork created by children receiving services from New York State’s mental health system.

The event is sponsored by the state Office of Mental Health, Department of Health, Department of Education, Office of Children and Family Services and the Office of Addiction Services and Supports. In addition, several children’s mental health advocacy organizations sponsor the event, including the Council on Children and Families, the Early Care & Learning Council, Families Together in New York State, Inc., Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc., National Alliance on Mental Illness - New York State, New York State Network for Youth Success, Prevent Child Abuse New York, and the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc.