Facilitator Readiness
It is imperative that facilitators have done personal work to deconstruct societal stigmatic attitudes towards peers, attitudes that they may also perpetuate even without intending to. This work looks different for peer facilitators than those without personal experience but is still important to do as we may hold internalized judgements. Our culture, as influenced by the drug war, sees and treats people who use drugs as worth less (worthless) than a non-drug using counterpart.
As drug-use stigmas exist intersectionally, some drugs or methods of consumption face a greater stigma than others. The stigma that affects users who tend toward “hard” drugs, often is intersected by class influences- for example, someone who smokes crack and is visible as a street level user will experience a very different treatment than a user who does cocaine and has closed doors to snort behind. Crack is the same drug as powder cocaine, but is more affordable and has a shorter window of influence. Often substances that have a more affordable price point also have a more complex risk profile. Poverty and the violence of prohibition compound meaning that folks with multiple barriers or multiple axes of oppression experience compounded impacts. Facilitators must have some amount of understanding as to how sexism, transmisogyny, sex work stigma, homelessness, racism and ableism all contribute to the experiences a peer may have in regard to stigma and discrimination. Good facilitation of this work requires an understanding that oppression is worse for some people, based on conditions outside of their control.
The Healing Centred Harm Reduction Principles as outlined by the Reframe Health and Justice Collective are a helpful framework for understanding some of these aspects of intersectionality and diversity. You can find a write up about them here: https://medium.com/@reframehealthandjustice/principles-of-healing-centered-harm-reduction-5e728cf20e56 or available on their website in a poster here: https://www.reframehealthandjustice.com/principles
The expectations of modern capitalism are such that participation in the consumer economy is somewhat mandatory. When we find ourselves criminalized, unstably housed, or at a “point of no return” in relation to being able to meet these expectations, it becomes increasingly likely that this wound of disconnection, stigmatization, and existential feelings exist as a literal pain in the physical and mental well being. When we are disconnected from our purpose, our environment, our families, our communities, our cultures, we may find ourselves using anything we can to ease this pain. The common experience amongst all humans is not that we use drugs, or alter our perceptions, but that we all feel pain. Building compassion and moving beyond stigma driven narratives is assisted by having perspective on things like attachment, dislocation, colonization, trauma, PTSD, abuse, resilience, and healing. Moving beyond stigma in the context of Street College could look like building a meaningful relationship with drug users for non-peers, and for the healing of one’s self-perception for peers. Understanding contemporary theories around drug use and addiction, including the works of Bruce Alexander (Rat Park), Gabor Mate (In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts), Magdalena Harris (Staying Safe Project), and community based research and harm reduction initiatives (many of which can be found within the resources here) can be helpful for facilitators in this process.
The common narratives in our society pertaining to drug users are often incredibly disparaging and exist not only all around us in the media but also in our collective imagination. We need to engage in this work in a way that recognizes and centers the humanity of drug users. A part of doing this effectively also involves challenging internalized perspectives that peers may carry. If someone’s lived experience involves being chronically disregarded and disrespected it is challenging to foster regard and respect for one’s self. Internalized oppression functions in such a way that the negative stories being told about us do not need to be actively spoken for us to continue to replay them for ourselves ultimately shifting our views of ourselves and others within similar social groups. Lateral violence describes the ways that marginalized people compete and fight with each other rather than fighting the systems that are oppressing us. The concepts of fighting for scraps and divide and conquer are both mechanisms built into modern capitalism. The way disparaging stories are told about and to ourselves and each other can serve to cycle the violence without the initial triggers present.
Doing this personal work must be an ongoing pursuit. Learning, healing, and taking care of ourselves are things that this project can collectively support. Collective care helps ensure everyone involved gets the most out of the experience. It is important to remember, especially if you are interacting with this programming as a non-peer staff or support person, that while this work can be therapeutic, it is not therapy. Everyone participating (including staff) should be encouraged to build and maintain robust networks of support; especially given the impacts of the drug war, opioid epidemic/fentanyl overdose/poisoning deaths have affected everyone in this field of work. Our communities are ripe with grief, and also still very much in the trenches so to speak. The death tolls are still rising and collective care practices, including networks of support, can help us move through the pain together.
Check out this Vikki Reynolds resource for more information on resisting burnout.
It is imperative that facilitators have done personal work to deconstruct societal stigmatic attitudes towards peers, attitudes that they may also perpetuate even without intending to. This work looks different for peer facilitators than those without personal experience but is still important to do as we may hold internalized judgements. Our culture, as influenced by the drug war, sees and treats people who use drugs as worth less (worthless) than a non-drug using counterpart.
As drug-use stigmas exist intersectionally, some drugs or methods of consumption face a greater stigma than others. The stigma that affects users who tend toward “hard” drugs, often is intersected by class influences- for example, someone who smokes crack and is visible as a street level user will experience a very different treatment than a user who does cocaine and has closed doors to snort behind. Crack is the same drug as powder cocaine, but is more affordable and has a shorter window of influence. Often substances that have a more affordable price point also have a more complex risk profile. Poverty and the violence of prohibition compound meaning that folks with multiple barriers or multiple axes of oppression experience compounded impacts. Facilitators must have some amount of understanding as to how sexism, transmisogyny, sex work stigma, homelessness, racism and ableism all contribute to the experiences a peer may have in regard to stigma and discrimination. Good facilitation of this work requires an understanding that oppression is worse for some people, based on conditions outside of their control.
The Healing Centred Harm Reduction Principles as outlined by the Reframe Health and Justice Collective are a helpful framework for understanding some of these aspects of intersectionality and diversity. You can find a write up about them here: https://medium.com/@reframehealthandjustice/principles-of-healing-centered-harm-reduction-5e728cf20e56 or available on their website in a poster here: https://www.reframehealthandjustice.com/principles
The expectations of modern capitalism are such that participation in the consumer economy is somewhat mandatory. When we find ourselves criminalized, unstably housed, or at a “point of no return” in relation to being able to meet these expectations, it becomes increasingly likely that this wound of disconnection, stigmatization, and existential feelings exist as a literal pain in the physical and mental well being. When we are disconnected from our purpose, our environment, our families, our communities, our cultures, we may find ourselves using anything we can to ease this pain. The common experience amongst all humans is not that we use drugs, or alter our perceptions, but that we all feel pain. Building compassion and moving beyond stigma driven narratives is assisted by having perspective on things like attachment, dislocation, colonization, trauma, PTSD, abuse, resilience, and healing. Moving beyond stigma in the context of Street College could look like building a meaningful relationship with drug users for non-peers, and for the healing of one’s self-perception for peers. Understanding contemporary theories around drug use and addiction, including the works of Bruce Alexander (Rat Park), Gabor Mate (In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts), Magdalena Harris (Staying Safe Project), and community based research and harm reduction initiatives (many of which can be found within the resources here) can be helpful for facilitators in this process.
The common narratives in our society pertaining to drug users are often incredibly disparaging and exist not only all around us in the media but also in our collective imagination. We need to engage in this work in a way that recognizes and centers the humanity of drug users. A part of doing this effectively also involves challenging internalized perspectives that peers may carry. If someone’s lived experience involves being chronically disregarded and disrespected it is challenging to foster regard and respect for one’s self. Internalized oppression functions in such a way that the negative stories being told about us do not need to be actively spoken for us to continue to replay them for ourselves ultimately shifting our views of ourselves and others within similar social groups. Lateral violence describes the ways that marginalized people compete and fight with each other rather than fighting the systems that are oppressing us. The concepts of fighting for scraps and divide and conquer are both mechanisms built into modern capitalism. The way disparaging stories are told about and to ourselves and each other can serve to cycle the violence without the initial triggers present.
Doing this personal work must be an ongoing pursuit. Learning, healing, and taking care of ourselves are things that this project can collectively support. Collective care helps ensure everyone involved gets the most out of the experience. It is important to remember, especially if you are interacting with this programming as a non-peer staff or support person, that while this work can be therapeutic, it is not therapy. Everyone participating (including staff) should be encouraged to build and maintain robust networks of support; especially given the impacts of the drug war, opioid epidemic/fentanyl overdose/poisoning deaths have affected everyone in this field of work. Our communities are ripe with grief, and also still very much in the trenches so to speak. The death tolls are still rising and collective care practices, including networks of support, can help us move through the pain together.
Check out this Vikki Reynolds resource for more information on resisting burnout.