Indigenous Peer based drug users program Who is The Connection?  The Connection is a peer-based, Aboriginal Drug User Service run by and for Aboriginal people to address the health, social and legal needs of Aboriginal people who use drugs. Who is The Connection?  Auspice by AIVL Now operates with direct support from CAHMA (Management, contract negotiations, training, supervision and support)  Funded by OATSIH (office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health)  Who is The Connection? Primarily focused on Aboriginal people who use illicit and/or injecting drugs, but also provides services to non-Aboriginal drug users who have connections to local Aboriginal communities.  Based at the Civic bus interchange, with CAHMA and AIVL  Open Monday to Friday 10am-4:30pm  The Connection Services Referrals  Peer education  Information  Support  Advocacy  Most common areas of support Pharmacotherapy  Family services/care and protection  Accommodation  Court, Probation and Parole  Centrelink  Internet access  Help with job applications  In the Beginning  In 2003 and the early part of 2004, AIVL the national peer based drug user organisation based in Canberra, ran a two hour workshop every week with local Aboriginal drug users (IDU’s) in the ACT to do peer education and inform them about hepatitis C, harm reduction, safer using, and so on. In the Beginning  The Aboriginal users (most of them under 25 years) worked with AIVL on developing a training workshop about Aboriginal drug users taking control; of their own organisation, that eventually was run with Aboriginal healthcare workers attending the HHARD Conference in Sydney in May 2004. In the Beginning A number of young people from the project approached AIVL to see if AIVL could support them to continue the work started by the hepatitis C project but to also build something much bigger and much broader.  The youth coalition and AIVL set up a partnership to develop a DVD to promote the work being done by the young Aboriginal users.  A Story about life The Connection is Born  AIVL started working with us to look for funding to help us set up a drop-in space so that we could continue to meet and have a safe space where young Aboriginals could support each other. While looking for the funding we continued to meet as a group each week through support from AIVL. The Connection is Born A proposal for a 3 year project was submitted to Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) in September 2004.  We also came up with a name for the proposed service: “The Connection” symbolising the connections young people had with each other and the connections we hoped to make between young people, services and the community.  The Connection is Born In late 2004 AIVL and the young people received the news that the proposal had been successful.  John Van Den Dungen become The Connection co-ordinator and worked his role efficiently for 5 years. In 2006 John was rightfully awarded with a Young Australian of the year award.  The Connection  Building on the base funding from the FYA, The Connection then received funding from ACT Health pact for the “Healthy, Mobile Mothers and Babies Project”, from the Department of Family Services for a family violence project and from the Office of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH) for a sexual health project. The Connection  In June 2006 The Connection employed 5 permanent paid peer workers (all under 25 and two under 20), numerous volunteers and many participants. The service moved into bigger premises in the newly built Griffin Centre and expanded its opening hours to 4 days per week. The Connection  The Connection ran a peer drop-in centre which offered peer education, support, advocacy, referral and information. The drop-in centre provided a safe space for Aboriginal and nonAboriginal youth in Canberra where they could get a free meal and relax. The Connection In 2008 it was decided by both John Van Den Dungen and Annie Madden (EO AIVL) that The Connection takes a step backwards.  The Connection finished all of the funding requirements and didn’t re-apply for more, except for the small amount of funding from Office of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health (OASTIH).  The Connection  In 2009 John took a position with AIVL and I joined The Connection. At this same time Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation & Advocacy (CAHMA) and The Connection were sharing the office space in the Sydney building both services were Auspice by AIVL but had no manager. It was decided that to keep The Connection afloat it would become a service of CAHMA. What happened and why? Too fast and too much to do  If we knew then what we know now  So what are our plans from here? Peer support and advocacy for people in our community  Peer education and training for our community  Systemic advocacy  Our plans from here  We are going to spend this, our tenth year, consulting our community and building a model that we know will work and that we can build upon year on year. We know that we are capable and our community is both capable and willing and aware of what is needed and together we can continue to work on all these issues. Achievements          ‘Hangin’ in… not hanging out’ DVD National crime and prevention award A ‘YOGI’ award from the ACT youth services network ACT workers group Award Participation in the minimal qualifications strategy Aids Action council’s ‘community 2005 award’ Input in to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Blood Born Virus & Sexually Transmissible Infections strategy 2010-2013 Input into the ACT Opioid Treatment guidelines Australia’s first Naloxone Program Thank you