Health Promotion and Community Development

All workshops are interactive and include group games and discussion.
Bonus: Experiential speakers available upon request!

HIV/AIDS: The Basics – This workshop is a basic introduction to HIV/AIDS, including how HIV affects someone’s health over time, how the virus can spread, testing for HIV and how to prevent transmission.

Hep C: The Basics – Another great introduction workshop, only this time covering Heptatitis C! We will talk about how liver health and function is affected by the Hep C virus, as well as how Hep C is transmitted. This is partnered with prevention information related to substance use and safer body art.

Sex, Society & You – A safe space for youth to use a critical lens to explore how social messages and media imagery can impact our ideas about sex and sexuality. Includes an examination of social messaging, and how they impact our definitions of healthy vs. unhealthy relationships.

December 10
Logan’s Pub @ 1821 Cook Street
10$ at the door

Fundraiser for AIDS Vancouver Island with Hearse, Carolyn Mark, Ballgag N' Chain Gang, performances by Burlesque Queens Jett MaJique & Mz B Haven. Get your photo taken with your local Burlesque and Roller Derby Stars.

Door prizes, raffle, T-shirts, free condoms, and more!

“Kick Off for AIDS Awareness Week”

The event is the kick off for Aids Vancouver Island and St. Aidan’s United Church for the week of AIDS awareness, this Sunday, November 29, at St. Aidan’s United Church, 3703 St. Aidan’s St. beginning at 9:50 am.

Heidi Exner, AIDS Vancouver Island staff and Andrew Beckerman, a board member of AIDS Vancouver Island will be speaking on recent changes in AIDS treatment and policy. A person living with HIV/AIDS has composed a piece of music describing the journey with HIV/AIDS. This will be performed for the first time. A community choir is being formed as part of the event. In addition, panels of artwork from AIDS Vancouver Island will be on display. There will be a chance for people to speak to a number of AIDS Vancouver Island volunteers.

Poz Women's Writing Group Series!

When: Every Thursday, Oct. 1st - Nov. 9th, from 2:30pm-4:30pm.

Where: The Victoria Women's Sexual Assault Centre Group session room: #511-620 View St., downtown (old building on View, Monk's Office Supply on the ground floor/corner, entrance across from the underground parkade in the Bay Centre...)

Who: The writing workshop series is for HIV+ women who would like to explore their stories through writing, and can make a commitment to attend 6 out of the 8 sessions.

To sign up, please RSVP to Heidi Exner at heidi.exner(at)avi.org, Yana Petronis at yana.petronis(at)avi.org, or Kristen Kvakic at kristen.kvakic(at)avi.org.

Application deadline: September 28th.

Dr. Leslie Brown, Associate Dean Research, invites you to attend the Faculty of Human and Social Development's Research Conversation presentation:

Social Determinants of Health: The Case of Aboriginal Women and HIV/AIDS

Charlotte Reading, PhD

Faculty of Human and Social Development, University of Victoria

September 30, 2009 | 12:00 pm—1:30 pm

HSD A373

Using a three-level model, this presentation will explore socio-economic, political and historical determinants, which increase Aboriginal women’s risk of contracting HIV and barriers to managing the illness. Colonization is used as an example of how broad, societal determinants can substantially impact individuals’ health and well-being.

The concept of risk dominates the HIV/AIDS literature pertaining to People Who Use Injection Drugs (PWUID). In contrast the associated concept of worry is infrequently applied, even though it can produce important perspectives of PWUID's lives.

AIDS Vancouver Island participated in a study where 105 registered clients of our needle exchange program in Victoria were surveyed to evaluate their degree of worry about fourteen factors they may encounter in their daily lives. The findings of this research have been published in the Harm Reduction Journal.

Publication:

Worry as a window into the lives of people who use injection drugs: a factor analysis approach
Exner H, Gibson EK, Stone R, Lindquist J, Cowen L, Roth EA. Harm Reduction Journal, 2009, 6:20 (29 July 2009).

Read this article online at: http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/6/1/20

AIDS Vancouver Island (AVI) will be hosting a public BBQ at their offices (1371 c. Cedar Street, off the alleyway) on May 19 to increase awareness of the shocking statistic that one in 12 people on the planet are living with hepatitis B or hepatitis C and yet the majority of those infected are unaware.

“It is important to mark World Hepatitis Day and the fact that approximately 500 million people in the world have either hepatitis B or C and the majority of those infected do not know,” said Jeanette Reinhardt, health promotion worker at AVI. “While rates in Canada are not as high as global figures, British Columbia boasts hepatitis C rates that are twice as high as the national average.”

This year, HepCBC has teamed up with AIDS Vancouver Island to bring World Hepatitis Day Events to the city of Victoria. Last year, HepCBC participated in the Victoria Day parade which coincided with World Hepatitis Day. HepCBC walked proudly in the parade garbed in the “Am I Number 12?” campaign created by the World Hepatitis Alliance. This year, HepCBC will participate in the Victoria Day Parade again as a precursor to World Hepatitis Day events the following day.

This Valentine’s Day make a date to come and learn more about Hep c and how to take good, loving care of yourself.

Over the next month, AIDS Vancouver Island will be organizing and co-facilitating some hepatitis c workshops developed to target higher risk groups, such as sex workers, drug users, youth, and, people of aboriginal and First Nations heritage. On the weekend of February 14th and 15th those participants, along with the rest of our community, will be welcomed to attend further workshops about Hep C at Begbie Hall (2101 Richmond Ave).

Thursday Feb. 5th Hep C Workshop for youth @ Alliance Club: contact Hermione (250 384 2366)

Friday Feb. 6th Hep C Workshop for sex workers @ PEERS: contact Hermione or Marcela (250 388 5325)

Monday Feb. 9th Hep C Workshop for people who use drugs @ Cook St. Clinic: contact Hermione

Friday Feb. 13th Hep C Workshop for people with First Nation/Aboriginal heritage @ Victoria Native Friendship: contact Nicole (250 384 2311)

AVI's new learning and resource center launch will be held on Tuesday, September 16th, from 10am to noon at our Victoria office (1601 Blanshard St).

Yummy baked goods and coffee!
Come and see what we have to offer!