Your thoughts needed: Join our addictions workforce workshops

Do you or someone in your whānau use alcohol or other drugs? We need your input.

We’re stoked to be working with partner organisations to create harm reduction guidance for people in the addictions workforce to best support those who don’t want to stop using drugs.

In the context of alcohol and other drugs, harm reduction means having a pragmatic and compassionate approach that aims to minimise the negative consequences associated with substance use, without requiring people to stop using drugs in order to receive support or care.

The aim of the new guidance is to help the broader addictions workforce feel comfortable and confident having harm reduction conversations with people who use alcohol and other drugs.

We are speaking with a diverse selection of people, including those who use drugs, their whānau, harm reduction practitioners, academics, and training providers.

We’re running workshops with people who use drugs, their whānau and those who support them. We want to hear from you!

We're working with Te Rau Ora on workshops for Māori:

• Ōtepoti (Dunedin) on the 28th of March from 12-3pm
• Pōneke (Wellington) on the 28th of March from 12-3pm
• Online on the 5th of April from 2-3.30pm

>There'll be an opportunity to give feedback on a framework Te Rau Ora is developing for peer alcohol and drug workers.

We've partnered with Asian Family Services on a workshop for Asian people:

• Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) on the 4th of April from 1-4pm

And with Whāraurau on a workshop for young people:

• Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) on the 12th of April from 4-5.30pm

We're also working with Le Va, Asian Family Services, Whāraurau, and other organisations who support families of people with addictions, LGBTQIA+ people, and people without secure housing. If you want to contribute on any of these topics, please email us at admin@drugfoundation.org.nz

Hope to see you there!