The objective of this 1.5 hour project session on March 31, 2022, was to spread learnings on how to implement anti-stigma media & messaging projects effectively, allowing for other CATs to join-in so we can grow initiatives together. Projects included social media posters, films, billboards, harm reduction material, patient literature, news releases and more!
Ongoing Collective Project Work
If your CAT wishes to collaborate on anti-stigma projects, contact lists for group work are available. You may create your own request for other CATs, or sign-up to another CAT’s collective project work. Please contact SubstanceUse@bcpsqc.ca for the password to access the sign-up below. The purpose of this collective work may include:
- Shared experience: experienced CATs may offer support on a specific topic, or a CAT may request guidance.
- Shared project planning: find CATs in your region or provincially to share ideas and learnings in planning a project
- Shared project work: collaborate with CATs on implementing a full or part of a project. This could include distributing & spreading anti-stigma material.
The following anti-stigma group projects are seeking CATs:
- Port Alberni CAT, Support Bill C216 Social Media Campaign – Contribute $30 to expand a paid ad campaign to your CAT’s region in the last week of April.
Anti-Stigma Media & Messaging, Project Graphic Recording
Group Brainstorm and Discussion Notes – March 31, 2022
Problems and Goals Discussion: describe the problems of stigma and the goals of anti-stigma project work.
- Stigma from individuals results in not being able to get support, distrust in health care, poor health + death, self-worth affected, lack of dignity and care.
- Stigma from organizations & society results in homelessness; discrimination in health care; and turned away from services.
- Goals of anti-stigma work: access to supports; don’t use alone; respect and empathy; changing laws; targeted groups with peers leading the way.
Ideas Brainstorm: new project ideas and how to work with other CATs.
- Even more collaboration: Province-wide support for Bill-C216; high school education; safe places program; safe injection bus; and join the Facebook page to discuss many more!
Completed Anti-Stigma Projects
Below you will find CAT’s anti-stigma media & messaging materials and completed projects. If you have questions about specific work or would like to learn more from their experiences please reach out to the CAT.
For additions to this page of further CAT project work, please complete the Project Summary Form with the material & links and submit this to SubstanceUse@bcpsc.ca.
Campbell River CAT media, https://www.communityactioncr.ca/media
26 toxic drug deaths: 26 parents, 26 cousins, 26 coworkers, 26 friends. (2022, February 18). Campbell River Mirror. https://www.campbellrivermirror.com/news/26-toxic-drug-deaths-26-parents-26-cousins-26-coworkers-26-friends/
‘A lot of resources’ available to people with addictions in Campbell River. (2021, September 1). Campbell River Mirror. https://www.campbellrivermirror.com/news/a-lot-of-resources-available-to-people-with-addictions-in-campbell-river/
Black Balloon day commemorates those lost to toxic drug crisis. (2022, February 28). Campbell River Mirror. https://www.campbellrivermirror.com/news/black-balloon-day-commemorates-those-lost-to-toxic-drug-crisis/
News, R. B. |, & August 31st 2021, I. I. |. (2021, August 31). Canada’s drug policy—Not drugs—Is killing people at record numbers, advocates say. Canada’s National Observer. https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/08/31/news/canadas-drug-policy-not-drugs-killing-people-record-numbers-advocates-say
Changing the conversation: Pilot projects focus on improving emergency department care for people who use opioids. (n.d.). Retrieved 20 January 2022, from https://www.islandhealth.ca/news/stories/changing-conversation-pilot-projects-focus-improving-emergency-department-care-people-who-use
Community walks bring awareness to drug crisis in Campbell River – Campbell River Mirror. (n.d.). https://www.campbellrivermirror.com/news/community-walks-bring-awareness-to-drug-crisis-in-campbell-river/
Learn how to save a life at Campbell River Overdose Awareness Day – Campbell River Mirror. (n.d.). Retrieved 20 January 2022, from https://www.campbellrivermirror.com/news/learn-how-to-save-a-life-at-campbell-river-overdose-awareness-day/
Providing safer and more compassionate emergency department care for people with addictions | All Points West with Robyn Burns | Live Radio. (2021, September 1). CBC Listen. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-93-all-points-west/clip/15864926-providing-safer-compassionate-emergency-department-care-people-addictions
Stigma can be the hardest hurdle to get over for people recovering from addiction – Campbell River Mirror. (n.d.). https://www.campbellrivermirror.com/community/stigma-can-be-the-hardest-hurdle-to-get-over-for-people-recovering-from-addiction/?fbclid=IwAR2_adhGMIOXkgNJEx_8QUhfHpOjCRJH97DewskRzbt7Bxn_t9vD5R7-jWc
VIDEO: Walk With Me sheds light on toxic drug crisis in downtown Campbell River. (2021, October 28). Campbell River Mirror. https://www.campbellrivermirror.com/news/video-walk-with-me-sheds-light-on-toxic-drug-crisis-in-downtown-campbell-river/
When we run digital campaigns, as well, we often choose either a key message, or event, to promote, and then we would run the paid campaigns linking back to our webpage – or a Facebook event.
We have run awareness campaigns for the 5th anniversary of the toxic drug crisis, to increase naloxone access, to promote our events and partnerships (i.e. Walk with Me, International Overdose Awareness Day, Black Balloon Day).
Attached are graphics that we use, and we generally run our ads across Facebook, and then bounce them back to a website landing page (like our naloxone page here: https://www.communityactioncr.ca/naloxone or our resources page here: https://www.communityactioncr.ca/ops and here: https://www.communityactioncr.ca/services )
Right now, we are in the midst of conducting a North Island Substance use survey, so we are running digital camping as part of that project to see if we can increase awareness of the survey and generate digital community responses (there is also an in-person component, but we are running a second data set on private in-home surveys). In this case, we are using graphics to send people back to our website to potentially complete the survey here: https://www.communityactioncr.ca/nipeer) This approach also brings people into our website, where we notice about 50% of people will stay and click through to another page (so, leaning about what’s going on with the CAT or community resources) – we track this through google analytics.
We try to keep our graphics message focused, so as not to further stigmatize people (this may be less effective in some ways, from a traditional marketing and communications perspective, but I feel it really maintains integrity and doesn’t exploit or perpetuate stigma – if that makes sense?), I have attached a sampling of our graphics here.
The New Westminster CAT created the following two anti-stigma videos (Project Summary), with the help of Techno monkey Media.
Men in the Trades Anti-Stigma Video Campaign Project Summary
We are producing four 1-minute videos and one 5-minute video appealing to men in the trades who use substances and may be at risk for overdose, meeting an urgent need to connect with a demographic dying at expedient rates due to the contaminated drug supply and exacerbated by isolating social- structural dynamics.
By addressing the impacts of hegemonic/toxic masculinity, our videos will attempt to shift trades workplace cultures towards compassionate understanding for coworkers using substances. Each video will speak to different trades community member with the potential to contribute to a caring environment: co-workers, substance users, and employers.
These were done through our Facebook and Instagram account. We also had the same stories and sharing in the newspaper but it was a different format.
EQUIP Pathways Collaboration Project Summary
To work in partnership with EQUIP Pathways to address substance use stigma in systems of care and provide feedback to material.
- Everyone in this working group participated in discussions & providing feedback.
- Experiential workers – Expert participants
- Frontline workers / physicians – Community participants
- CAT Coordinator – Participant, assisted in organizing meetings & handle honorariums
- Nurses / Researchers /Educators – Facilitate meetings
- Social Media Guide for organizations/CAT Teams
- BC CAT Teams Facebook page
- Learning Moments – Articles written by Lived Experience people on Substance disorders and Mental Illness
- Port Alberni CAT Facebook Page – Anti-sigma and Harm Reductions memes and social media campaigns that can be copied and shared
- Bill C216 Resources – We will be running a paid social media ad closer to the end of April for 6 days. (That’s when Gord John’s office wants to run it). Other CAT’s can partner with us. $30 gets the ad into an area. If we get $300 to $400, we can run it across the Province in all the medium to major ctrs. (so far, several Island CATs and one Lower Mainland CAT have joined in.)
