The demand for naloxone training has increased as we have now surpassed the 10-year mark since mass overdoses were declared a public health emergency.
I started hosting these workshops because I know that everyone in our community has been affected by this crisis in some way or another, and people want to engage in harm reduction; they just might not know where to start.
Receiving this grant really helped me to bring in more attendees for these workshops, because I was able to budget for a room rental at Collingwood Neighbourhood House. Having a workshop like this available at a community hub that people are already familiar with can definitely increase attendance, because people are more comfortable in the space, and there is access to multiple facilities like washrooms, kitchens, projectors, etc. I have hosted dozens of these workshops in the past, always for free and often with no budget at all, but this was one of the biggest groups I have had to date (17/20 registered attendants!).
Also, being able to use this grant to budget for food was a game-changer for me. Food is a great way to bring people together, and giving folks a break from the hard topics to have a snack is a good way to regulate nervous systems and encourage folks to socialize with one another. Not to mention, making sure people are fed is another aspect of harm reduction and a part of the community care mentality we are trying to facilitate here.
There was a variety in age and experience levels in our group; some people had a little background knowledge on the topics we discussed, while others were learning things for the very first time. All participants got the chance to practice injecting naloxone (we used a ciabata bun as a substitute dummy), and this hands-on experience gave them a huge confidence boost, as many folks expressed feeling nervous about having never used a syringe before.
This project opened up a lot of doors for me as an independent facilitator and showed me how a small community grant can have a big impact. I saw firsthand how eager people in our community were to learn about the toxic drug crisis when given the opportunity. Now there are a few more people in the world who can support someone experiencing an overdose, and ultimately, help in cultivating safer communities.
