Highlighting programs across Canada that support people living with HIV and those at risk for HIV.
In this issue, we highlight a few support programs doing incredible work in their communities. From camps to kitchens, coast to coast, we look at programs that support people living with HIV and those at risk. These programs have an underlying focus on building connection between peers. They create community spaces for people to share, express, and exist. Support can look like many things. Sometimes it’s a shared meal, a place to get away, or a place to learn and share stories and experiences. These programs are coordinated by passionate people and funded by governments, private funds, community support, and volunteers.
West Coast
Camp Moomba—YouthCO
Camp Moomba is a peer support and education program for youth living with, and affected by HIV in British Columbia. It is a life-changing program where campers aged 6-17 spend a week together in a community where HIV doesn’t have to be a secret. At the camp, kids can be kids.
The motto at Camp Moomba is “friends together having fun.” Led by this philosophy, the program blends camp traditions like canoeing and campfires with opportunities for leadership. It features peer education sessions focused on HIV. Former campers return as volunteer leaders to carry on camp traditions and keep building their community. Camp Moomba is also provided to families at no cost, and offers summer and winter camp sessions each year. Youth benefit from a supportive community where they can talk openly about how HIV affects their lives.
“Camper experience and formal research show that making opportunities for youth living with HIV to connect with their peers has positive impact on health and wellbeing,” says a YouthCO Program Coordinator. “This is just one reason that we are proud to offer Camp Moomba.”
Camp Moomba is almost entirely volunteer-run. Programming is made possible thanks to the generosity of individual donors, the Provincial Health Services Authority, and a POSITIVE ACTION community grant from ViiV Healthcare.
Email: moomba@youthco.org
Instagram: @youthco
Website: youthco.org
Prairie Provinces
Collective Kitchen— HIV Edmonton
The Collective Kitchen is a program where each month on a Thursday, community members join the support and outreach team at HIV Edmonton to cook a meal. Community members gather to relax, talk to each other, or play games while waiting for the dinner.
This program is impactful for those living with HIV, especially during the holidays. Some community members don’t have the family they want to celebrate with. Having a turkey dinner on these special occasions helps builds a family bond with the community.
The latest Collective Kitchen saw gold-wrapped chocolate Easter bunnies bought for the community members. The bunnies were hidden around the drop-in space for members to find as they came. One member said, “This is the most fun I have had in a while!”. These small moments make a big impact on those participating in the program.
The collective is a certified kitchen at HIV Edmonton where program coordinators make the meals with community members. The funding for this program comes from a collection of donations, fundraising initiatives, and grants.
Contact: Angela (Program Coordinator)
Email: Angela.A@hivedmonton.com
Website: hivedmonton.com/testing/ross-armstrong-centre/
Central Region
The ACT Women’s Support Program
The Women’s Support program is a comprehensive social support program for all women living with HIV. The program offers one-on-one and group support, capacity-building workshops, cooking sessions, and social outings. These help reduce isolation and provide educational opportunities. They aim to empower women and help overcome stigma. It gives a safe space to learn from each other’s experiences, and foster self-advocacy. The program also helps newcomers navigate the healthcare system and access to care.
The program is centred in the Greater Toronto Area and offers programs in-person and online. ACT also partners with other community organizations to deliver joint programs. These offer women one-on-one support in person, via phone, or text. The ACT women’s program is supported through government funding and fundraising initiatives.
“Women can learn about ways to manage their health better, the importance of nutrition, and opportunities to network,” ACT’s Program Coordinator explains. “Our learning sessions include workshops on stigma, disclosure, mental health, emotional wellness, treatment and adherence, physical fitness, self-esteem, and housing. The interactive sessions empower women to take control of their health and wellbeing and offer the opportunity to engage in recreational activities such as arts and crafts, movies, yoga, and field trips. We hope you will join us in this journey towards empowerment, education, and support for women living with HIV.”
Contact: Grace & Esther
(Program Coordinators)
Email: gchiutsi@actoronto.org
Phone: 416-340-8484 ext 219 or 253
Website: actoronto.org
East Coast
Totally Trans Outright—ACNS
Totally Trans Outright (TTOR) is a five-day leadership retreat for transgender and gender-diverse people. It explores topics like sexual health, mental health, community building, and peer support. The program aims to build capacity and knowledge that peers can then take back to benefit their communities. The program takes place in Halifax, but welcomes participants from across Nova Scotia. Gender-diverse people are often left out of conversations about HIV and other STBBI prevention work, despite being a vulnerable and at-risk population due to inadequate and incompetent services and systems
supporting them. The Public Health Agency of Canada funds this program through the greater prevention work of the AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia.
TTOR’s Program Coordinator says, “my goal was to create a space for folks to learn and share. The reality of the trans community is that we do not have a lot of public resources, and most of the knowledge is shared orally/through personal experience.” Feedback from program participants shows this is working. “This is a meaningful program that is impactful for community leaders,” one participant explains. “It offers an invaluable experience that I would never have gotten otherwise, especially as a rural trans person.”
Contact: Hanley (Program Coordinator)
Email: to.recruiter1@acns.ns.ca
Instagram: @acnshfx
Website: acns.ns.ca
Youth Feature
HYPE—AIDS Committee of Durham Region
The HYPE program was made to address the negative health outcomes facing young HIV-positive people. It builds capacity among young people living with HIV to better prepare them for the adult care system. The program reduces social isolation by building a network of peers to provide each other with support. It helps them share tools to help navigate the healthcare system, giving the opportunity for youth with similar experiences to have fun together.
HYPE also supports communication and cooperation between adult and pediatric care systems.
“The program is simple in its design,” the organization’s Executive Director explains. “HYPE matches youth doing well with youth who might be struggling. This means it significantly reduces feelings of social isolation. When youth have a supportive network of peers, medication adherence and physician appointments, attendance improves dramatically. This leads to undetectable levels of HIV and improved long-term health outcomes. Connection is the intervention.”
Email: hype@aidsdurham.com
Website: aidsdurham.com
Phone: 905-5756-1445 ext. 515