Education

 

Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Community Education Program

The education program provides holistic and culturally appropriate HIV/AIDS prevention workshops to health professionals, students, communities, youth, incarcerated people, Elders, families and Chiefs and Council. The education program trains speakers living with HIV/AIDS to educate and share their life experiences with Aboriginal communities and organizations.

• Education services are available for rural, remote, reserve and urban communities across British Columbia.
• The education team provides customized training from 1 hour to 4 day training sessions for diverse groups.
• Learning circles and information sharing are tools that are utilized in the workshop sessions to empower workshop participants.
• When possible, counselors are available at the workshop to assist individual with personal issues that may arise.
• The workshops assist diverse groups to respond effectively and appropriately to the complex issues related to Aboriginal peoples and HIV/AIDS.
• Workshop contents range from understanding the HIV/AIDS basics to advanced training of the social determinants and impacts of HIV/AIDS on Aboriginal peoples.
• Aboriginal groups and organizations, organizations that work with Aboriginal peoples are given skills and ideas about creating supportive social, work and care environments for people living with HIV or AIDS.
• Education and community development workshops assist Aboriginal communities to develop work site protocols, band resolutions and self government policies to address HIV/AIDS in their communities.
• Education and support services for families affected by HIV/AIDS are provided in the privacy of the family's home. This service is offered to families who have a member that has been diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. Common questions about HIV/AIDS are answered for the family such as: What is HIV/AIDS? Is it safe to live with someone with HIV/AIDS? How can we support someone living with HIV/AIDS?
• The Speakers Bureau provides the personal and humanizing aspect of HIV/AIDS education. Speakers who are living with HIV or AIDS share through their personal story sharing of hardships, and life experiences.
• Information booths are organized for diverse community events, including, but not limited to - conferences, health fairs, pow-wows, AGMs, youth fairs, First Nations Summit meetings.
• We also provide private in-home Basic HIV/AIDS information sharing, or private one-to-one for newly-diagnosed.
• We have the Healing Our Spirit video. Frequently used is The Long Walk, featuring Ken Ward.
  

For more information, or to book a workshop, please call Healing Our Spirit, 604 879 8884, or toll free across Canada 1-866-745-8884, or email education@healingourspirit.org.