Participants made several connections between Harm Reduction and Learning. These include: learning about Harm Reduction, judging the quality of those learning experiences, getting trained (with or without certificates) to teach others about Harm Reduction, participating in high school upgrading and other courses, joining programs designed especially for them, such as the PEERS programFootnote 12 and participating in informal discussions about topics related to Harm Reduction.
Star: As an injector, I’ve learned at least five things (from the nurses at InSite) that helped me and then I can suggest them to other injectors. (Focus Group #1)
The Harm Reduction literature is full of useful information about helping street-involved people to learn about harm reduction, and there are lots of such activities in the DTES. Star’s comment is an example of how participants are not only aware of their own learning, but is also willing to take on the role of teacher/mentor on specific issues. Similarly, Angel said:
Better certified education equals better harm reduction and hopefully being able to help another user by educating them. (Focus Group written responses)
Focus group participants had suggestions about how learning could contribute to better harm reduction. For example, they suggested workshops on various aspects of Harm Reduction.
In most cases, learning about Harm Reduction was described as separate from the other kinds of learning people do at Learning Centres in the Downtown Eastside. They mentioned educational games, like word bingo, learning a new craft, the Book Club and reading the newspapers. Some expressed interest in more formal education:
A few people asked for information on other programs. For example, Karen talked about how much the PEERs program was helping her (she found out about it at WISH).
Return to footnote 12 PEERS is a program designed to help women and men who want to get out of the sex trade.