Ending the Silence

Join NAMI Vermont in our quest to find the perfect pet ambassador for the ‘Make Some Noise. End the Silence VT’ campaign. This social media campaign aims to engage and encourage young people living with mental health conditions to share their stories as part of our impactful Ending the Silence (ETS) program.

How You Can Help:

Nominate a Pet

If you know a pet that provides exceptional mental health support, please nominate them! To nominate an ambassador, email the pet’s photo, name, fun fact, and a brief story of how they support mental health to [email protected]. Note: Pet photos with humans require a signed release. Therefore, solo images are preferred. If nominating someone else’s pet, please include the pet parent’s contact information for consent.

Vetting (don’t worry, not that kind!)

We respect your privacy. If you nominate your own pet, we’ll review your submission with you to ensure it doesn’t include any mental health information you’re uncomfortable sharing. You can also choose to remain anonymous. If someone else nominated your pet, we’ll ask for your consent to include them in the competition and review the nomination with you. Again, anonymity is an option.

Vote for Your Ambassador

Stay tuned for our dedicated Loudest Bork webpage! You’ll be able to view the nominees and vote between March 21-31 at www.namivt.org.

What to Expect if Your Pet Wins

If your pet receives the most votes, the NAMI Vermont team will contact you to offer your pet the ambassador position for ‘Make Some Noise. End the Silence VT’ campaign. Upon acceptance, we’ll request photos or videos for the official announcement and inquire if you’re comfortable sharing a more in-depth story about their mental health support. Again, your privacy is our priority, so you can choose to share your story anonymously.

We hope to announce the winner in April. The Ambassador and pet parent(s) will receive some honorary swag. Throughout the year, we may request additional photos or videos of your pet. All content will be coordinated with respect to your preferences regarding posts featuring your pet.

How to Support the Ambassador:

• Boost the ambassador by liking and sharing their posts.

• Use the hashtags #MakeSomeNoise, #EndtheSilenceVT, and #Bork4MentalHealth!

• Share your story as an ETS presenter. To learn more, email [email protected]

Plus, we’ll communicate with all submitters, sending a consent form to feature their pets on our website, social media, and more! Let’s make some noise for mental health!