About us

 AVI's Peer Power Leadership Training aligns with AVI’s mission to promote health, dignity, and well-being for all people affected by substance use by delivering harm reduction based education, prevention, and support service.

The Peer Power Leadership Training takes place across the summer, fall, and winter of 2020. Project Facilitator, Sage, and Peer Educator, Jenni are employees of AVI, and are delivering the series in collaboration with the substance use community, including family members and caregivers for people who use substances. The Peer Power Project aims to increase community resiliency, particularly in the Westshore area, through collaborative, community-based education.

We are operating this project during dual pandemics of COVID-19 and the overdose crisis, and want to acknowledge the immense hardship the substance use community, along with caregivers, are facing in these unprecedented times. We are working hard to be in support in the safest way possible. We are offering our leadership training series online and are encouraging participants to join us virtually. We believe it is essential for us to offer in-person groups alongside our virtual groups in order to reach individuals who are not able to participate in an online environment. We are limiting our in-person groups to 6 people, encouraging mask wearing, and frequently cleaning and sanitizing communal areas.

The Peer Power Project offers two-6 week training series over the course of the summer/fall. Afterwards, in December, we are planning to hold a large-scale online event, which will offer a space for Peer Educators from across the island to connect and share the most effective harm reduction strategies being employed in their communities.