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Caring Communities conference coming

A collaboration of health care and social service providers announces the third bi-annual Creating Caring Communities conference.

A partnership and collaboration of health care and social service providers is pleased to announce the third bi-annual Creating Caring Communities spring conference. The conference begins the evening of May 14 and continues all day May 15 at Castlegar’s Selkirk College.

Statistics and anecdotal reports show the  Interior Health region have been experiencing high numbers of youth overdose deaths, youth hospital initiations due to drug use and emerging new drugs appearing in our communities.

Creating Caring Communities felt it important to focus this conference on youth, and how we as a community can support youth through rites of passage.

For decades, we have been operating from a paradigm of “just say no” with youth in regard to substance use, and “I told you so” when problems emerge.

Bruce Alexander’s Dislocation Theory of Addiction compels us to re-evaluate our understanding of the dynamic behind substance use problems.

The conference will have keynote speakers on trauma and healing by Kim Haxton, youth and the rights of passage by Duncan Grady, and brain development, connection and empathy by Robert Aitken.

Creating Caring Communities is proud to premiere Photovoice, a participant-driven research method that sheds light on the realities of under-represented groups in our society.

This project is designed to give voice to youth dealing with substance use. The goal is to create a short video that raises awareness and creates social change in the places where youth are impacted by substance use. A panel session will follow the premiere of Photovoice.

 

For more information contact Alex Sherstobitoff at 250-505-5506 or go to the Selkirk College website: selkirk.ca/creating-caring-communities-conference or yourcaringcommunity.ca