Support – Not Stigma: Harm Reduction Conference

This hybrid in-person (Kingston, ON) and on-line conference on Harm Reduction addresses an identified need to support harm reduction workers who are experiencing work related trauma and moral injury due to the worsening drug poisoning crisis coupled with rising poverty and homelessness in our communities.

The content is informed by the participation and input of front line harm reduction workers through the Support Not Stigma Specialized Training Program for People Who Work with People Who Use Substances.

The conference is supported by the community-wide Support Not Stigma Health Canada Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) initiative and the KFL & A Community Drug Strategy.

Who Should Attend?

• People who work with people (youth and adults) who use substances (harm reduction workers, social workers, counsellors, housing workers, health and mental health professionals, first responders, correctional service workers, etc.)
• Managers and decision-makers of organizations that support people who work with people (youth and adults) who use substances
• Policy-makers
• Harm Reduction advocates

Learning Objectives

Create a forum for harm reduction workers to gather and share their experiences with peers, managers, decision-makers and advocates.

• Understand the impact of harm reduction work on frontline workers
• Understand structural supports needed for harm reduction workers
• Understand Harm Reduction as a “philosophical and political movement focused on shifting power and resources to people more vulnerable to structural violence.” This includes shifts in drug policy.
• Understand how substance use impacts specific members of the KFL&A community.

Film Screenings

• Ronnie Grigg will host a Q&A following a screening of the documentary Love in the Time of Fentanyl.
• Liam Hamilton Productions will screen a teaser for the upcoming Support Not Stigma documentary on Kingston’s Harm Reduction Workers