P.E.E.R Intention
Peer. Empowerment. Education. Resources
Welcome and thank you for visiting my info site.I create care-centered, community-rooted spaces and initiatives that support connection, mutual aid, and lived experience—especially for people navigating caregiving, isolation, disability, or limited access to community.
ABOUT ME
I’m a community-rooted creative and former professional with over 20 years of experience working alongside families, schools, and local communities—both professionally and as a volunteer community member.I grew up in a working-class, marginalized community in the 1980s, where communal care wasn’t an idea—it was how people survived. Neighbors showed up for one another, shared resources, and filled gaps when systems didn’t. That early grounding continues to shape my work today.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt called to do more than wait for better days. I volunteering and fundraising for the National Alliance for Mental Illness and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, began building grassroots, care-centered initiatives using what I had: lived experience, skills, creativity, and deep community connection.
Community Work
The non-profit Learning Leaders ran for 60 years before it was shut down in March 2017, having been founded in 1956. The organization, originally known as the NYC School Volunteer Program, was the oldest and largest public school parent volunteer group in the country before its closure. This organization trained and managed 4,500 NYC classroom volunteers citywide.This was the door that opened for me to become involved in community service as a Classroom Floater for 2years.
NAMI was a life saver during some of the most painful periods in my life. I learned about NAMI as a resource to learn more about mental illness after losing a few friends to suicide. From there it was a place where I decided their service to community especially in NYC was invaluable and wanted to support in any way possible. Since 2020 I have been involved with NAMI as a fundraiser, education and Advocacy Ambassador.
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Initiatives and Projects
Since then, my work has focused on peer support, storytelling, creative expression, and holding space for people whose lives often go unseen.I don’t operate as an LLC or nonprofit. I work independently, intentionally, and in alignment with my values—centering care, accessibility, and sustainability.
The Bronx Butterfly Community Arts Initiative (TM)
Bronx Urban Village Project (TM)
DistractAble Me(TM)
Artful Distractions By Amarie( TM)
Services
Peer-Led Speaking & Community ConversationsI am offering peer-led speaking engagements grounded in lived experience, community work, and care-centered practice. I am a certified Mental Health First Aider and bring decades of professional and volunteer experience in school- and community-adjacent spaces.My talks are human, accessible, and rooted in real life—not clinical lectures or motivational performances. I speak to both the personal and systemic realities of caregiving, disability, mental health, and community care.
Topics may include:
Caregiving, isolation, and layered responsibilities
Disability and mental health in a performance-driven society
Community care outside institutional systems
Peer support and lived-experience leadership.
Burnout, sustainability, and boundaries in care work
Sliding Scale & AccessibilitySpeaking engagements are offered on a sliding scale, reflecting the diverse economic realities of New York City communities.Typical ranges vary by location, organizational resources, and format:Reduced-rate and community-supported engagements for grassroots and under-resourced groupsStandard and institutional rates for funded organizationsA limited number of no-cost engagements are available each month for grassroots or volunteer-run spaces.This structure allows the work to remain accessible while supporting long-term sustainability.
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Affiliates
LET'S CONNECT
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