Room – Main Ballroom 3:30 pm February 22nd, 2023, Hyatt Regency Centre, Calgary Alberta
Speaker Giuseppe Ganci
Session Description
Addiction often leads to isolation; recovery helps change that. In a Recovery Oriented System of Care that builds Recovery Capital, the goal is to focus on the whole person and the whole community with which they live to heal. One of those opportunities is to help the individual have fun in recovery, building their human, social and cultural capital, individuals with substance use disorder have higher health outcomes.
From many in early recovery we hear that recovery was neither visible nor easily accessible, by building a recovery community, we not only help the individual in front of us, but we are also helping the next person who may experience some of the benefits of a recovery community. By building a recovery community, the message of recovery is more visible.
We can build recovery communities by supporting recovery events, anti-stigma campaigns, recovery awareness days, and advocacy drives to force government policy changes so people who use substances feel less marginalized and encouraged to ask for help.
Using peer support and thriving on the personal experience of the community, allows the community to feel empowered to make these initiatives start off as grassroots with room to grow, strengthening and supporting the community along the way.
To help grow the local recovery community, community partners are needed such as municipal, provincial, and federal governments, treatment centres, indigenous community leaders, LGBTQ2S+ organizations.
Learning Objectives
- Participants will learn how to engage the community to organize and want recovery events
- What is the return on time and money invested in community events
- The difference between a recovery event and a mutual support group event
- Resources to organizing recovery events
- How to move forward after COVID with in-person events
- Recovery Month has been voted in by the House of Commons, now what?
References
- Munton AG, Wedlock E and Gomersall A (2014) The role of social and human capital in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. HRB Drug and Alcohol Evidence Review 1. Dublin: Health Research Board
- Gilbert, WC, “Correlates of Recovery from Substance Use Disorders” (2015). Doctoral Dissertations. 757. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/dissertations/757
- Russell, C. (2018). Essential Elements of an Asset-Based Community Development Process. ABCD Institute Publication .
- Anderson, M., Devlin, A. M., Pickering, L., McCann, M., & Wight, D. (2021). ‘It’s not 9 to 5 recovery’: the role of a recovery community in producing social bonds that support recovery. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 28(5), 475–485. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687637.2021.1933911
Bio
For over a decade Giuseppe has been advocating for equal access to recovery-oriented systems of care in Canada.
Giuseppe works tirelessly as the Director of Community Development for Last Door Recovery Society, a nonprofit Canadian charity that provides addiction treatment services for youth, adults and families.
Giuseppe also is behind many recovery initiatives both local and national, he is the Committee Chairperson for Clean Sober and Proud, a series of sober events during Metro Vancouver Pride season.
Chairman of the Board of the Recovery Day BC Society, a one-day street festival that features, music, information booths, and over 40,000 attendees. 2022 marks the 10th Anniversary of Recovery Day BC, with an anticipated goal of 70,000 people.
Conference Committee Chair for the 5th Anniversary of the Recovery Capital Conference, a national event that brings together recovery leaders, policymakers, and occupational health and healthcare professionals.
Giuseppe also co-hosts and produces a weekly live radio show called Talk Recovery Radio on 100.5 fm and streams live on Facebook. This year marks its 8th Season interviewing guests from across North America to discuss the many paths to recovery and the latest addiction recovery news.
Giuseppe believes technology is key to continuing to break down the stigma of addiction and recovery. The mission of Giuseppe is to use technology to remove barriers to better health. Two tech projects that Giuseppe is working on is the “My Recovery Plan” Software and the “Better – My Recovery App” both tools will help build recovery capital. MRP allows service providers to measure, mentor, and monitor an individual’s recovery journey. Better App is a recovery and overdose prevention support tool to help save lives and connect people.
Giuseppe tries to keep the recovery conversation public and at the forefront with over 35 social media platforms with a yearly reach in the millions, ensuring people see the message that recovery from addiction is possible, attainable, and sustainable.
Contact
giuseppe@lastdoor.org
Visit Giuseppe’s Link Tree @GiuseppeGanci | Linktree
Click on a button for more details
https://www.caccf.ca/recovery-capital/
