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Volume 1, Issue 1
Spring 1998

InStride

The Quarterly Newsletter of AIDS Calgary
IN Side
Stride

A New Beginning...

Dan Holinda, Executive Director

In the previous, special issue of the newsletter, the agency staff and board provided information about our year-long community consultation and planning process, highlighting the agency's current priorities and addressing areas of change. The newsletter included an invitation to a membership meeting on March 23rd, where some members of the association brought forward their concerns and feedback about a range of issues. We would like to thank the individuals who shared their feedback with us. It will assist us as we move along through change.

We're proud to bring you our current newsletter issue – the premiere issue of InStride. We have planned the general content of the quarterly newsletter to address a range of issues that will interest and inform a wide group of agency stakeholders – from clients, volunteers, and members to funders, donors, and the general public.

This issue of InStride will include some further information related to program changes, and the agency's move to a new location. We welcome Artichoke Design to our communications team, and look forward to communicating with, and informing our stakeholders, through InStride.


A New Look...

As you may have noticed, the AIDS Calgary Newsletter format has undergone some changes since last time you received it. The newsletter has been revamped in look, timing and name.

The name InStride refers to the spirit of individuals who stand up and face difficult challenges head on. In addition, the name speaks to this stewardship within the broader scope of a supportive and understanding network.

Since the key function of InStride is to be the primary means of communication for AIDS Calgary, the new layout style is clean and simple. This allows the message of AIDS Calgary, its clients, volunteers and supporters to be communicated clearly.

The newsletter will be produced four times a year. This format allows us to communicate key messages and provide updates in relation to the AIDS Calgary programming schedule.

We are thrilled to be working with AIDS Calgary and hope you are pleased with the new face of InStride.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Lussier + Elizabeth Reeve
Artichoke Design Ltd.


Volunteer in Profile:

Robin Clysdale

Each Friday AIDS Calgary offers a lunch to agency clients. The success of this program depends on volunteers to prepare the meal, set up and clean-up the lunch room. Robin Clysdale has been a volunteer in the Friday Lunch program for the past year.

He has brought in his friends from the Taoist Tai Chi society to prepare scrumptious lunches and has scrubbed more than his fair share of pots and pans. Thank you Robin for being part of what makes the program such a success!


Interested in Volunteering?

General Volunteer Orientation
Provides information about the agency and its programs. Focuses on the volunteer system and the responsibilities of individual volunteers.
Saturday, May 23, 2024 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
AIDS Calgary is always looking for more volunteers! If you are interested, contact Susan Cress at 228-0155.


Volunteer Training

A reminder to all volunteers to complete their annual AIDS 101.

AIDS 101
Prevention and Treatment: Provides basic HIV prevention and transmission information, along with a discussion of the HIV continuum from the point of HIV infection to the diagnosis of AIDS. Includes aspects of treatment.
Saturday, May 16 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Tuesday, June 16 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

AIDS 201
Psychosocial Aspects: Provides information about living with HIV/AIDS, including psychosocial aspects. The focus is on personal stories.
Tuesday, May 19 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Wednesday, June 24 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Safer Sex Guidelines
An overview of the Canadian AIDS Society’s Safer Sex Guidelines. Clarifies risk factors associated with specific behaviors. Includes a discussion of harm reduction principals.
Tuesday, June 9 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Challenging Stereotypes
Provides an opportunity to discuss homophobia, racism and sexism. The focus is on creating a safe environment for persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Saturday, May 16 /98 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Thursday, June 25/98 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Loss and Grief workshop
Vathana Chandtan addresses the stages and tasks of loss and grief, and offers strategies for caregivers and others dealing with this sensitive issue. Vathana has a Masters Degree in "Transcultural Palliative Care" and brings with her extensive experience in dealing with death and dying issues. Open to volunteers and any other interested individuals..
Saturday, May 9/98 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

CALL 228-0155 TO REGISTER!


Program Updates:

Support

Garth Goertz, Team Leader

For many years a focus of AIDS Calgary was to provide support through therapy oriented counseling. Since less was known about the disease and few resources were available to people living with HIV/AIDS, this was an appropriate way to provide support to those coping with the unknown. While there is still much to learn about this baffling and cunning disease, there is even more to learn about how to provide appropriate support for those living with it. We acknowledge that the face of HIV/AIDS is changing which impacts how support is delivered.

Today we are seeing an increasing number of marginalized populations contracting the virus. HIV infections are increasing among women, aboriginals, intravenous drug users and young gay men. AIDS Calgary needs to be accessible to everyone, however, accessing this support does not come easily to all individuals. As a result of varied circumstances, not everyone views AIDS Calgary as a safe haven. Therefore, AIDS Calgary needs to become more visible in these marginalized communities and reach out to those individuals where they are.

Partnerships with other community agencies will help provide support to people who are falling between the cracks of the existing system. Stepping up our involvement with organizations like Safeworks, AADAC, SAC, HAS Coalition, Positive Action, etc., will help to link consumers to a broader base of supports.

Furthermore, strengthening our referral base will address issues of Health Management facing many AIDS Calgary consumers on a daily basis. Issues of appropriate housing, adequate food, and drug/alcohol addiction are primary concerns for many. Without addressing these concerns, many cannot begin to even think about dealing with the virus. Programs such as the Friday Lunch program will continue growing to meet nutritional needs as well as providing individuals the opportunity to connect and expand their support system.

Another focus for the Support Team is helping individuals reintegrate into the workplace. Now that people have the resources and treatments to help them stay healthier, we need to break down the barriers that keep HIV+ people from reintegration. We are providing tools to help re-entry into the workforce through connections with co-op programs, training workshops, and advocacy.

Helping individuals to advocate on their own behalf is also a key component of support service delivery. We need to be able to support and empower people to make informed choices. With the ever changing challenges that face us, the ability to self-advocate is imperative.

The continuation of the Care Team program is an integral part of the support that AIDS Calgary provides. Offering an invaluable service, our volunteers provide a consistency in care at a time when it is greatly needed. The need to be loved and appreciated never diminishes regardless of how other needs change.

Above all, it is important key stakeholders are involved in the evolution of programs and support services. Communication is vital in developing appropriate services for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. I welcome you to bring any concerns and issues regarding support to my attention.

At present the Support team members are: Roger Graham and Deborah Amo who are Support Workers providing problem-solving, advocacy, and referrals. Two practicum students, Wendy Deakin and Salimah Walji, have just completed their practicums with us and have worked in a variety of support programs and projects. Garth Goertz is the Team Leader for this program area.


Community Outreach

Audrey Gardner, Team Leader

The Community Outreach team was developed out of the community consultation process that the agency has carried out for the past year. You told us to go out to the community! Get out on the street! Go to where the risk of transmission is! And this is what we are doing.

Community Outreach is situating staff and volunteers within environments where prevention strategies can be most effective. These are environments that are chosen by the consumer as part of their life. By going directly to the consumers, we are facilitating comfort, trust, and opportunities for dialogue on the consumer's terms.

This means that staff and volunteers find themselves working in a variety of settings: a downtown street, a mainstream classroom, a university nursing class, a rave party, a public park, a gay bar, a bathhouse, a sex trade stroll, a group home, a young offenders centre, a supportive housing program for young pregnant women, a worksite, as well as hanging out at some of our partner agencies such as EXIT.

At present the Community Outreach team members are: Cindy Fischer who coordinates the Speakers Network program, and Scott Bayley who is the Outreach Worker for the YouthXChange program that works with street involved youth. Two practicum students, Marilane Koutis and Natalie Cox, are just finishing their practicums with us and have worked in all Outreach programs and projects. Audrey Gardner is the Team Leader for this program area. Many volunteers are also part of the Community Outreach team. Whether they are Speakers Network, National Condom Week, YouthXChange, or kit stuffer (condom and lube) volunteers, their dedication and contribution is crucial.

Along with the entire agency, the Community Outreach team provides direct service to consumers based on two models central to HIV/AIDS prevention. The Health Promotion and Harm Reduction models support our working philosophy of providing life enhancing choices, supportive environments, and meeting the consumers where they are at. In addition, these models acknowledge that risk for HIV/AIDS is influenced by poverty, injustice and drug use, as well as racism, homophobia and heterosexism, violence, sexism and ignorance. Community Outreach provides opportunities for choice and behaviour change through interpersonal interaction between staff or volunteer and consumer. It is a much more specific way of working rather than only providing general education on HIV/AIDS. The responsibility of education on HIV/AIDS is now shared amongst the three program areas: Community Outreach, Support, and Information and Training. Education is achieved through activities such as discussions on sexuality and values, drug use and values, training and problem solving skill building.

The Community Outreach team focuses primarily on marginalized populations that are at high risk for HIV. These are street-involved youth of all orientations, genders, and cultures (YouthXChange program), and gay and bisexual men (Men's Outreach). We also target youth in general in diverse learning, residential, and social settings (Speakers Network program). Finally, we target sexually active young adults as we know that there is a high level of STD (sexually transmitted disease) transmission, which definitely increases the risk of HIV transmission (National Condom Week and Speakers Network).

This spring the team is evaluating Speakers Network to further develop effective strategies and increase accessibility to the program. YouthXChange is investing more time in the community and building partnerships with agencies that serve street-involved youth.

Presently AIDS Calgary is negotiating a partnership with GLCSA (Gay and Lesbian Community Services Association) to increase awareness and accessibility to the Men's Outreach project. The project is planning to expand its direct service with an outreach worker who will provide safer sex tools (condom and lube), and a supportive dialogue around HIV risk, drug use, and social impact on choice. In addition, referral information for men having sex with men in the most high risk locations (baths, public places, bars) will be provided. If you are interested in volunteering with the Men's Outreach project, or have any suggestions or ideas please call Audrey at 228-0155.

If you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions about the work the Community Outreach team is doing please do not hesitate to contact any member of the team.


Information + Training

Susan Cress, Team Leader

The initial concept for AIDS Calgary to offer a specific area dedicated to providing and sharing information on HIV/AIDS began with the Resource Centre. The birth of the Resource Centre can be credited to a group of innovative and dedicated staff and volunteers who saw the need for AIDS Calgary to have a lending library. The needs of the Calgary community have changed since then and so must the services offered through the newly formed Information and Training team.

The community consultation process has led to a renewed vision of AIDS Calgary's role in providing information and training. We have been asked to deliver more training workshops on HIV/AIDS to other service providers. We will be helping human service organizations and businesses to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to address HIV/AIDS in these environments. Volunteers will also benefit as we offer more workshops that will further assist you in your various roles as volunteers. Information and training will be focusing on distributing more "for keeps" resources such as pamphlets and updates on treatment information. In the very near future the information and training team will be creating HIV/AIDS information products for distribution.

The Information and Training team is also responsible for producing the newsletter on a quarterly basis. InStride will keep up you updated on programming at AIDS Calgary and some of the ongoing changes in HIV demographics, treatment and prevention strategies. Through the agency’s Web site we will be promoting the services offered by AIDS Calgary and researching emerging issues in HIV/AIDS.

The volunteer program is also situated within the Information and Training portfolio. Mark Randall provides administrative assistance to the volunteer program on a part-time basis. He will ensure that volunteers have their training workshops completed, TB test results submitted and annual dialogues completed. Annual dialogues are now being completed by the program area instead of on an individual basis. This means that every January for example, volunteers in the Speakers Network will be evaluated. Changes in programming will also mean changes in volunteer opportunities and a shift in current volunteer work. The volunteer program will address the training and information needs of volunteers as programs continue to expand and evolve.

Mark and Susan would be pleased to answer any of your questions and would like to know about your ideas and suggestions.


InStride Notes

Casino!
AIDS Calgary casino dates have been set for August 17 and 18 at the Elbow River Casino.
We are in need of volunteers to work various shifts on these two evenings. Contact Thom Kyle at 228-0155 to complete an application. Applications are due by June 15, 1998.

The agency’s high profile fundraiser, Calgary Cares, will not be held during the spring, as in past. The Calgary Cares committee has selected February 20, 2024 as the next date. Please mark your calendars!

Positive Action Update
Positive Action will be holding an election for our new Board Representative on Friday, May 15. All candidates will present a brief speech at this time, directly following the weekly Friday lunch. Any self-declared HIV positive individual who is also a member of AIDS Calgary is welcome and encouraged to vote.

Currently Jennifer Hebert, the present Board Representative alternate, is the only candidate, however any member of the Positive Action Executive Committee is invited to run. You may also nominate any committee member to run if you wish, though they will have the option to decline.

Please participate – we are trying to make a difference!

Are we Moving?

In the last newsletter, we discussed some of the reasons behind the board and management team's preparation for a possible move to a more stable, affordable space.

The board of AIDS Calgary would like to announce to the membership that the agency will be moving to a new location near 4th Street and 17th Avenue SW, most likely during late August this summer. We are in the process of working with a design group linked with the location’s redevelopment, and floor plans are being drawn up. In addition, agency staff are obtaining quotes from movers and preparing a plan for the move.

The board and management team will be able to provide more detailed information about the move during upcoming weeks, and in the next issue of InStride.

AGM & Membership Meeting

The association's annual general meeting will be held on Monday, June 22nd. Watch for details in the next newsletter.

The second membership meeting regarding ongoing agency change is scheduled for May 12th at 6:30pm at AIDS Calgary.


other ways to reach us...

Talking Yellow Pages
AIDS Calgary maintains a thorough and well-used information site through the Telus Talking Yellow Pages. For a range of information about HIV/AIDS, call (403) 521-5222 (long distance charges apply outside of the Calgary area), and enter codes as follows:

Topic Enter this Code
Are HIV & AIDS the same thing? 4680
The Most Important Thing You Need to Know 4688
What Are the Symptoms? 4682
How Do I Get a Test? 4683
Everything You Need to Know About Condoms 4684
All About Safer Sex 4685
Women & HIV 4686
Youth & HIV 4687

interested in contributing?

For more information, comments about, or contributions to InStride, contact Susan Cress at AIDS Calgary, 228-0155.

help!

We are continually updating our mailing list to ensure that you receive InStride on a regular basis. If you have not been receiving the newsletter, have been receiving duplicate mailings, or have any changes to your address, please contact Shan Pancoast at 228-0155.

We will put forth our best effort to make sure InStride reaches you!

by the way…

InStride is published quarterly by AIDS Calgary. The newsletter is mailed free of charge to association members. InStride is also available at AIDS Calgary, the Southern Alberta Clinic, and Beswick House.

AIDS Calgary is a member of the Canadian AIDS Society, the Alberta Community Council on AIDS, and Calgary’s HIV/AIDS Strategies (HAS) Coalition. The agency receives funding from Alberta Health, Health Canada, United Way, and City of Calgary FCSS.

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AIDS Calgary Awareness Association
Suite 200, 1509 Centre St. South
Calgary, AB T2G 2E6
Tel: (403) 508-2500, Fax: (403) 263-7358
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.aidscalgary.org

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