VOICES OF EXPERIENCE
Two Humankind volunteers describe the transformative effect that volunteering can have – on themselves and the people they work with
JULIET ’ S STORY
Juliet is a volunteer on the peer-to-peer naloxone programme in Humankind ’ s London services . Here ’ s what she has to say about her volunteering role
‘ Naloxone is a drug which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and it saves lives . We currently only distribute the injectable version , but we ’ re soon going to start offering the nasal version which is great because a lot of people are not as comfortable with needles , and we need to give as many people as possible access to this live saving medicine in any form .
The model of peer-to-peer naloxone has been used in many places around the world including the UK and is a research-backed strategy for getting naloxone into the hands of the people who need it the most . The idea is that people who already engaged with services at Humankind are eligible to be ‘ peers ’ in the programme and are best suited to talk to people about naloxone because they already have the life experience and knowledge around opioids and naloxone , whether that be personal or otherwise .
I go out on outreach once a week with peers to talk to people we meet about naloxone . If people are interested , we offer them training and a naloxone kit on the spot . I also have experience as a researcher , so I help with the data side of the project . I ’ m from the United States , which has incredibly high rates of drug-related deaths . Things like opioid substitution treatment , naloxone distribution and education , and drug consumption rooms are all evidence-based tools for addressing this crisis . I ’ ve been engaged in research , advocacy , and direct services in efforts to increase access to these services for the past five years in the US . I moved to London last year to pursue my Masters in public health and wanted to engage in similar volunteer work here . I was very excited when I found out Humankind was in the beginning stages of starting a peer-to-peer naloxone programme and wanted to learn about the process of creating and sustaining a successful programme . It has been amazing !
I believe that nobody deserves to die prematurely , and an opioid overdose is a completely preventable death . Yet still , there were nearly 5,000 drug-related deaths in England and Wales in 2021 . I ’ m so grateful to be so graciously accepted as a volunteer in a group of incredible peer educators where we get to educate and offer people a drug that can and does save people ’ s lives every day around the world . The evidence is there – naloxone saves lives . Our jobs are just to get it into other people ’ s hands so people who use drugs ( and the people around them ) will keep each other safe .
I ’ m also so grateful to the people who accept naloxone from us because they are so generous and patient with me and the peer educators as we endeavour to learn about their life experiences with drugs , drug treatment services , and harm reduction tools like naloxone .’
D ’ S STORY
D is a volunteer mentor in the segregation unit at Humankind ’ s Reconnected to Health service in HMP Frankland
Before D entered HMP Frankland , they relied on alcohol every day and drank four times more than the recommended weekly amount .
Because they went to work every day , they didn ’ t think they had a problem with alcohol , and didn ’ t realise how much it affected their family life . When they entered HMP Frankland , D wanted to do something positive with their time and decided to engage with the Reconnected to Health DART ( Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team ).
After speaking to a coordinator , they signed up . D engaged with in-cell work , awareness group sessions , and programmes . This made D realise how much they were drinking , how it impacted them , and how it impacted people around them .
D applied to become a DART mentor after completing this work , to help others move forward with their recovery and to give back . They started as a mentor in the segregation unit , completing inductions for individuals that had been transferred there while providing support and advice to increase people ’ s motivation . They received positive feedback from DART staff based on their work supporting prisoners with their substance use . D also distributed information and awareness leaflets and display posters in the unit to promote harm reduction .
D took this experience further and co-facilitated spice awareness sessions aimed at staff in the unit . These sessions were attended by senior officers and custodial managers , raising awareness of spice , its effects , and its harms . About their volunteering role , D said : ‘ Being a DART mentor is a privilege . It ’ s a role where you can pass on your knowledge to other prisoners to help them move forward too .’
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