Community Connection
Women value and need community connection to be healthy, safe and well, reduce HIV risk, and foster positive health outcomes.
About Community Connection
Women who face structural discrimination identified the importance of spaces to share experiences, resources, knowledge and support with one another. This was heard widely amongst Black and Indigenous women, drug using communities, women living with HIV, and those who have experienced violence. Listening, empathy, and authenticity were identified as paramount, as was valuing women’s expertise and leadership to build relevant programs and increase trust.
What is WHAI doing?
Moving forward, WHAI is committed to community development work that aims to foster these valuable spaces and recognizes the importance of community connection to women’s lives and health. Work in this area may include:
- Building capacity among community organizations and networks to foster peer-led spaces for women to support each other, share experiences and knowledge with each other, linking to HIV prevention, care and support, and building community connectedness
- Facilitating communication between community organizations to bolster warm referrals and wrap around supports for women living with HIV and face structural risk factors related to HIV
- Working with women and community partners to understand cultural relevance and awareness in programming, and in building open and inclusive spaces
Community Voices
Our work is always informed by the lived experiences of women.
“Wellness requires connection to others, like really connecting with people and being part of a community.”
“Promote through people with lived experience- This is how it changed my perspective. Talking to women in community and hearing about their lives. Seeing healthy POZ women- I learned best from talking to POZ women.”
Featured Resources From WHAI
Creating Welcoming Spaces Poster
