Training overview: Meaningful involvement of people who use drugs can increase support for harm reduction policy and advocacy efforts; challenge myths related to drug use, HIV, and viral hepatitis; and reframe the narrative supporting criminalization. Opportunities for job training and employment are in themselves an important component of harm reduction in communities of people who use drugs. More importantly, meaningful involvement of people who use drugs ensures the leadership and decision-making power of people with lived experience of drug use in the response to the intersecting crises of drug use, viral hepatitis, and HIV.
These are drop-in technical assistance hours where you’re welcome to stay as long or as little as your schedule allows. This is not a training, but an open space to bring questions, discuss case studies, and engage with other providers, with facilitator support available to answer questions and provide guidance.
Training Objectives:
- Explore with participants what meaningful involvement looks like in their respective communities and context.
- Identify ways of strengthening and broadening by practically applying the principles of harm reduction.
- Review how to apply the principles of harm reduction to guarantee true meaningful involvement of people who use drugs at different programmatic levels.
Facilitator: Tanagra Melgarejo, MSW (she/her), National Harm Reduction Coalition
Organized By: The Harm Reduction Training Institute
