Despite the province’s increased investment in overdose prevention and response, high rates of overdose deaths due to the criminalization of drugs continue to escalate. Key voices are often missed in the rush to respond and resources are less accessible, equitable and appropriate for the very communities they intend to serve. With thousands of lives lost, the urgency of the crisis has driven leaders from these communities to take matters into their own hands. Despite having minimal external support and resources, they have developed innovative solutions to meet the needs of their communities by educating and empowering the individuals within them.
In this webinar, Eris Nyx from the Coalition of Peers Dismantling the Drug War and Upkar Singh Tatlay from Engaged Communities Canada Society will present their successful community-led initiatives: the VAN CCAPO (Vancouver Community Coalition Against Prohibition and Overdose) Street Degree, the SALMON (South Asian Local Mobilization Outreach Network) Project, and the Overdose Intervention (ODi) App. Through presentations and an engaging panel discussion, these organizers will discuss the importance of adaptive community-led responses to the overdose crisis, the challenges of working within the non-profit sector, and how systems can better support and sustain these efforts.