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Brock Assistant Professor Scott Neufeld recently visited northern Ontario communities to share his research on stigma related to substance use and harm reduction.<\/p><\/div>\n
For Neufeld, the knowledge mobilization trip was a chance to engage with people with lived and living experience (PWLLE), local politicians, and the community health workers who \u201care doing the work of trying to address stigma at the community level\u201d \u2014 both by sharing his work and by hearing about their insights on and experiences with stigma.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to hear how people are addressing the things that I\u2019m talking about and sharing examples from their own context is a really rich learning experience that helps me define what these issues look like and the value and impact of studying them,\u201d he says. \u201cIt feels really rewarding to be a part of that process and possibly give people a new lens or a new way of thinking about the work they\u2019re doing so they\u2019re more able to envision solutions and feel empowered to do meaningful strategic and effective anti-stigma work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lisa O\u2019Brien, Health Promotion Specialist in Community Wellness at Algoma Public Health, says extensive consultation with local community members, including PWLLE and their families, identified stigma as \u201ca weakness in our community and a barrier to people accessing services.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe looked to Scott Neufeld\u2019s research on anti-stigma campaigns and recommendations to guide evidence-informed practices,\u201d she says. \u201cAs a result, we have suggested that local organizations address structural stigma through assessment and training as a next step in our report.\u201d<\/p>\n