Download:  Fall 2009 Calendar & Registration Form

Course Fees: Half-day=$50, Full-day=$70
Student Rates: Half-day=$25, Full-day=$35

Registration & Payment: To register, please fax your completed registration form to 212-213-6582.  Please mail a copy of your registration form with payment to the "Harm Reduction Coalition," Attn: Amanda Harris, 22 West 27th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10001.

Upon receipt of payment, your registration will be complete and you will receive a confirmation letter listing all of the trainings for which you and/or your agency staff are registered.  Please note you are not officially registered for any training until you have received a confirmation letter.

We accept checks, money orders, credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, or American Express), or cash. Receipts of payment will be provided upon request. Participants are not registered for a training until they receive a confirmation letter and The Institute receives payment.

TRAINING POLICIES

* Please note the Institute has revised its Training Policies in order to maximize our resources and serve you better

ATTENDANCE & CANCELLATION

• Participants must give notice of cancellation at least three full business days prior to the training date. Exceptions are given for emergencies.

• Participants must arrive no later than 15 minutes after a training begins and stay for the entire session to be considered present and receive a certificate of attendance.

• In order to allow as many providers from various agencies to participate in our FREE trainings, we limit registrations per agency to a maximum of three participants per training.

PAYMENT & CREDIT

• For PAID trainings, payment must be received three business days in advance of the FIRST registered training. Otherwise, registration is not guaranteed.
  

• The Institute reserves the right to cancel any training and to substitute the trainer/presenter. Should we have to cancel, registrants will receive a credit for a future training.

• Participants must cancel three full business days in advance to receive a credit for a future training and must use those credits by the end of the following calendar cycle. Individual participants receive credits unless otherwise notified. No refunds will be given under any circumstances.

Contract Trainings: The trainings offered by The Institute are also available on a consultant basis. If you are interested in bringing any of the trainings we offer to your agency, please contact Amanda Harris, Training Coordinator, at 212-683-2334 x17, or email harris@harmreduction.org for details and fees. Visit www.harmreduction.org for a full list of available contract trainings.

Fall 2009 Training Calendar

Focus on Criminal Justice

Taboo Yardies

Wednesday, October 14 • Course Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Selena Blake, Writer & Producer

Course Fee: FREE

Taboo Yardies is a documentary that addresses homophobia and the violation of ones human rights in Jamaica West Indies from a socio-economics, socio-political, mental health & the intergenerational transmission of homophobia. Taboo Yardies will provide a unique visual experience of how violence gets generated, perpetrated, preserved, and re-enacted in Jamaica and in the U.S.  We will show a short screening of the film followed by a dialogue on the impacts of homophobia in Jamaica and in the U.S.

Perpetual Punishment -- CANCELED

Tuesday, October 20 •  Course Time: 10:00am – 5:00pm

Eddie Ellis, HRC Consultant

Course Fee: $70

This training looks at the wide range of punishments and sanctions visited upon people with criminal convictions.  It traces the development of “tough on crime” public policy and examines its practical effects.  The training will explore the relationships between criminal and social sanctions, reviewing the numerous barriers to education, housing, health care and employment. Participants will learn about the short and long term collateral consequences of having a criminal conviction and the enormous difficulties of overcoming that stigma. 

La Reducción de Daño / Overview of Harm Reduction in Spanish

Miercoles, día 21 de Octubre • Course Time : 10:00am – 1:00pm

Paula Santiago, HRC

Precio del Curso: GRATIS

La reducción de daños es un conjunto de estrategias prácticas que reduce las consecuencias negativas del uso de drogas mientras mejora las condiciones de vida del usuario.  La reducción de daños  incorpora de métodos que van desde el uso con riesgos menores, el uso controlado y la abstinencia. Estas estrategias están dirigidas al usuario en “su situación del momento”.  Los participantes de este entrenamiento: entenderán los principios de la reducción de daños, participaran en actividades diseñadas a explorar actitudes y creencias acerca de la reducción de daños y desarrollaran destrezas e intervenciones prácticas que podrán utilizar en sus trabajos con usuarios de drogas. 

Gender Responsive Approaches to Women with Criminal Justice System Involvement -- CANCELED

Thursday, October 22 • Course Time: 10:00am-1:00pm

Chandra Villanueva, HRC Consultant

Course Fee: $50

This half-day training will build skills and knowledge of participants wishing to learn more about the unique impacts of the criminal justice system on women who have criminal justice system involvement. Topics covered include: women’s pathways to the criminal justice system, the impact of the drug war on women, and what it means to be gender responsive when using the principles of harm reduction in your work and advocacy.

Transgender Awareness & The Criminal Legal System
Tuesday, October 27 • Course Time: 10:00am-5:00pm
Gabriel Arkles, HRC Consultant & Elana Redfield, HRC Consultant
Course Fee: FREE

Transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex people face specific and unique challenges in the criminal legal system. This training serves two functions: first, to introduce and explore some of the basic issues faced by transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex people as they live and participate in society; second, to examine some of the unique issues faced by these communities as they interact with the criminal justice system in the United States. The presentation will focus on the intersection of transgender issues with other forms of oppression affecting low-income trans people and trans people of color, including racism, unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and lawful immigration status.

Wellness Disconnect:  Mental Health in the Criminal Justice System -- CANCELED
Thursday, October 29 • Course Time: 10:00am-5:00pm
Doneley Meris, HRC Consultant
Course Fee: $70

This training will identify the multiple mental health issues faced by men and women with histories of incarceration which is often neglected and not incorporated in the criminal justice system.  It will provide a framework for clinicians, criminal justice officials, outreach workers and prevention specialists to acknowledge, begin to access and include mental health concerns in the care and treatment of this disenfranchised population.  The training will provide supportive strategies and inclusive innovative service interventions that can meet the mental health needs of these men and women with incarceration histories.

Rockefeller Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow: Developing a Public Health & Safety Approach to Drug Policy -- CANCELED

Date Tuesday, November 3 • Course Time: 10:00am-5:00pm

Sam Rivera, HRC Consultant & gabriel sayegh, HRC Consultant

In a curious contradiction, New York is home to both the failed Rockefeller Drug Laws and many effective harm reduction programs. The contradiction becomes problematic as, after 35 years of a criminal justice approach to drug policy under the Rockefeller Drug Law regime, many key stakeholders--health care providers and public safety officials alike—lack a shared understanding of substance misuse/dependence as a health problem.  This multifaceted training will outline a history of the Rockefeller reforms as well as the pressing health and human service concerns providers will face with the release of prisoners under the reformed laws including: HIV, hepatitis C, mental health, and others. Participants will learn the skills to make strong connections with clients to help them get the medical coverage they need. The training will also focus on advocacy strategies to build mutual understanding among diverse stakeholders and, in the wake of Rockefeller Drug Law reform, advance a public health approach to drugs in New York.

Discharge Planning, Social Service Delivery & Cultural Competency -- CANCELED

Wednesday, November 4 • Course Time: 10:00am-5:00pm

Eddie Ellis, HRC Consultant
Course Fee: $70

This training examines the elements necessary to construct a comprehensive needs assessment and discharge plan for people coming out of the prison system.  It reviews the provision of community based social services that are culturally competent, and prepares and connects participants with the lives of people in prison, offering insights into the challenges and issues confronting soon to be released prison populations.  The training discusses the race, class and gender implications most often over looked in constructing such a plan and helps participants understand their significance.  Participants will learn about developing accurate assessment skills and designing and evaluating successful discharge plans. 

Street Law: Know Your Clients’ Rights -- CANCELED

Thursday, November 5 • Course Time: 10:00am-5:00pm

Natasha Johnson-Lashley, HRC Consultant

Course Fee: $70

Participants will engage in discussions about clients’ substance use and its impact on work, crime, and police conduct, and review street law terms in depth and how their clients would potentially be processed in court systems. An overview and breakdown of the warrant process and how to advocate for clients will also be presented, as well as the rights of individuals who are homeless. In addition, there will be a discussion on client rights and its variation for immigrant substance users.

Policy, HIV, & Gender: Examining the Impacts of HIV on Women & Girls in Black & Latino Communities

Tuesday, November 17 • Course Time: 2:00pm-5:00pm

Tracie M. Gardner, HRC Consultant

Course Fee: $50

This training will provide an overview on New York State policy issues that address powerful driving forces behind HIV infection in New York Black and Latino communities with a special focus on women and girls. The training will include a presentation on newly collected and analyzed zip code level data from the Women and Girls HIV Visibility Initiative that powerfully identifies the scope of the impact of HIV infection on women and girls in New York City communities and the significant co-factors that underlie the epidemic’s spread. A special focus will be on HIV testing and correctional health policy issues.

Moving Forward After Rockefeller:  Panel Discussion on the Impacts of the Rockefeller Drug Law Reforms

Wednesday, November 18 • Course Time: 4:00pm-6:00pm

Howard Josepher, Exponents

Cheri O'Donoghue, FREE!

Corrine Carey, New York Civil Liberties Union

Simone-Marie L. Meeks, New York Academy of Medicine

Moderated by gabriel sayegh, Drug Policy Alliance

Course Fee: FREE

In 1973, New York State and the entire country witnessed some of the harshest drug laws ever written in the U.S. with the inception of the Rockefeller Drug Laws. This year, after 35+ years of organizing and advocacy to repeal the laws, successful and long-awaited reforms have been made. This two-hour panel discussion will offer insights from community, advocacy, legal, and health leaders on the impacts of the Rockefeller Drug Law reforms in our local communities. Panelists will discuss impacts of the reforms on family life, the legal system, and health and human services, as well as new challenges and next steps. Join us for a vibrant discussion followed by community Q&A.

Opioid Overdose: Build Your Skills & Knowledge—Get the SKOOP!

Tuesday, December 1 • Course Time: 10:00am-1:15pm

Sharon Stancliff & Bill Matthews, HRC Staff

Course Fee: FREE

*CASAC credits are available for this course

Heroin and other opioid overdoses are a common cause of death among users, yet these deaths are often preventable through education, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and when possible, through the administration of Naloxone (Narcan). In this workshop, participants will start by learning the essentials of preventing opioid overdose deaths including prevention, recognition, and action. Participants will receive a certificate as a Trained Overdose Responder, and become qualified to train heroin or opioid users and colleagues at their own facilities on how to prevent an overdose. Participants will learn how to implement a NYS DOH-approved program with support from the Harm Reduction Coalition.

* People that have been abstinent from opioids for a period of time due to events such as incarceration are at high risk of overdose

HIV Over 50

Sponsored by ACRIA & SAGE

Wednesday, December 2 • Course Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm

Doreen Bermudez, HRC Consultant

Course Fee: FREE

Adults 50 and over account for 27% of the U.S. population with HIV. The HIV epidemic is graying as a result of advances in treatment, and lack of adequate information directed to older adults. SAGE, in collaboration with the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), offers a free, first-in-the-nation, HIV training for staff and peer leaders working with older adults, including community centers, health care settings, senior centers, libraries, and other locations. This free, ½ day training will cover: issues of stigma, how to talk to older adults about sex, understanding HIV treatment, & HIV prevention.

Syringe Access Services & Law Enforcement

Thursday, December 3 • Course Time: 10:00am-5:00pm

Narelle Ellendon, HRC Staff & Emma Roberts, HRC Consultant

Course Fee: $70 NOW FREE

Syringe access is a vital intervention for people that inject drugs in order to prevent infection of HIV and Hepatitis. Fear of poor interactions with law enforcement is one of the most significant barriers for drug users accessing syringe services, carrying sufficient sterile syringes to meet their injecting needs, and returning used syringes to appropriate disposal facilities. This training is for service providers working with people who inject drugs, and will explore strategies and resources to improve relationships with law enforcement. This interactive workshop will address the issues for injecting drug users, service providers, and police. We will discuss how we can support participants to successfully advocate for themselves when approached by police officers and how we can build collaborative relationships with law enforcement.

Reaching In/Reaching Out: Working at the Intersection of HIV & Imprisonment

Tuesday, December 8 • Course Time: 10:00am-5:00pm

Laura McTighe, HRC Consultant

Course Fee: $70

HIV and imprisonment are connected – both in the lives of the one-in-four people with HIV who will pass through correctional facilities this year, and in the very fabric of our communities. This day-long training is designed for service providers and advocates who have found themselves at the complex intersection of HIV and imprisonment, and want to deepen their skills for working towards community healing in a time of mass imprisonment.  Through an interactive presentation of the history of imprisonment and the AIDS epidemic in the United States, we will explore 1) the spectrum of HIV prevention, treatment and care behind the walls; 2) the specific policies that restrict individuals’ abilities to get the support they need upon release from prison; and 3) practical steps for nurturing individuals’ resilience and resistance as they recover from imprisonment and build towards long-term stability.

Coming Home: Supporting Former Prisoners Who Are Re-entering Our Communities

Wednesday, December 9 • Course Time: 10am-5:00pm

Sam Rivera, HRC Consultant

Course Fee: $70

This training will outline issues surrounding the process of re-entry by providing information and tools on how to support men and women who are transitioning from prison to local communities. This training will focus on many areas of concern for direct service providers such as health, employment, substance use, programs and services. Part of the training will also discuss criminal justice issues as they pertain to former prisoners’ criminal justice involvement and parole. In addition, participants will examine concerns associated with family life, attitudes, and expectations of individuals and communities in former prisoners’ lives.