Community Participation in Developing Drug Strategies

1
Community Participation in Developing Drug
Strategies

• IFNGO 22nd World Conference
• Macau, 16 May 2007

2
Defining the Terms

• Community (Broad UN term is Civil Society)
• Community has many meanings
• Neighbourhood
• Work
• School
• Leisure/hobby
• Social network
• Political affiliation
• Church/mosque/religious affiliation
• Family
• Trade Union/Professional Association
• Age group
• Gender/Sexual preference

3
Defining Terms (2)

• Harmful consequences (Harm reduction)
• Means different things to different people
• My own framework
• Reduce the likelihood of drug use
• Reduce the likelihood of continued drug use
• Reduce the likelihood of drug injecting
• Reduce the likelihood of high risk behaviour
• Increase the likelihood of entering treatment
• Increase the likelihood of long term abstinence
• Improve the sense of and actual community safety

4
Building community participation

• Need to build on what is there
• Understand what concerns and motivates different
  communities
• Identify shared agendas/concerns
• Drugs may be the link, but responses are often
  about wider environmental/social issues

5
Some Examples

• Covent Garden, London 1973/4
• Kings Cross, London 1993
• CeIS, Rome 2000
• Needle Syringe exchange/distribution
• Southwark, London 1981

6
Conclusions

• Community participation requires a focus on the
  needs and aspirations of the specific community
• Too often the approach has been professionals
  patronising the laity
• Listening to and empathy with communities is as
  important as in work with clients
• When we dont live there, we need the knowledge
  of those who do