The POWER Communications Working Group works to elevate a bold, hopeful, and accurate public narrative grounded in recovery, rights, dignity, and empowerment for all people. We are committed to ensuring that these messages achieve broad visibility and reach through coordinated use of digital platforms, social media, print media, radio, television, podcasts, and other emerging communications channels. Through strategic storytelling, rapid response messaging, and proactive media engagement, we seek to amplify voices of lived experience, family members, advocates, providers, and allies across our communities.

The Working Group will also support the development of a dynamic speakers’ bureau that prepares and connects movement leaders, subject matter experts, and people with lived experience to opportunities for media interviews, news conferences, public forums, trainings, and presentations before state and national audiences. This bureau will strengthen our ability to respond quickly to current events, shape public dialogue, and bring credible, compelling voices to the forefront of policy and practice discussions.

Central to our mission is challenging and replacing false, harmful, and outdated narratives that undermine recovery and human rights. We will work to counter the inaccurate conflation of violence with mental health, addiction, and trauma-related challenges, while promoting evidence-based understanding rooted in compassion, prevention, and community support. We will also confront narratives that misrepresent system failures to engage and support a broad diversity of individuals as merely “noncompliance” requiring coercion or involuntary mandates. Instead, we will advance solutions centered on trust, choice, cultural responsiveness, peer support, housing, healthcare access, and meaningful community connection.

Through these efforts, the Working Group will help build a stronger public understanding that recovery is real, rights matter, and effective supports are rooted in hope, inclusion, and self-determination.