The Project 6 Podcast

Emma Crawshaw, CEO of Crew 2000 talks about the work they're doing to have honest and open conversations with people about their drug use.Despite the majority of coverage of substances in the media and TV focusing on one extreme, the majority of people who use drugs will do so in recreational settings, and for most their use of drugs will never develop into more problematic behaviors. So what needs to change?

Danny Ahmed shares about a pioneering project, that between 2019 and 2022 worked with people using opiates to provide them with medical-grade heroin in Middlesbrough. This intervention, which allows people access to an uncontaminated and reliable supply of substances is often discussed as the biggest change we could take to reduce the harms experienced by people who use drugs. Danny talks about the origins of the programme, the impact it had and his reflections on the work that took place.Danny Ahemd is a Clinical Partner with Foundations and a Clinical Director at Cranstoun

Jenny Scott is a researcher and pharmacist prescriber who has been working recently on a project codesigning solutions to improve the numbers of people carrying naloxone (a drug that reverses opioid overdose) in rural Somerset. She shares about the process of working alongside people with living experience to create solutions, as well as some of the barriers the project experienced when it came up against the stigma that still exists in society.

This time George Charlton joins us on our journey exploring what we mean by harm reduction when it comes to alcohol and other drugs.George is an activist, trainer, campigner and worked with people who use drugs for over 20 years. In this episode he shares about We are LUV, a project creating peer-led groups to lead on research and design of local and national services. He describes why he feels it's important we get back to a place where the people we ask first about what support should look like, is the people who use it.

Deb Hussey has worked in harm reduction services for over 10 years. She speaks about the changes to drug policy and commissioning that meant harm reduction as an ethos was lost from our treatment services. She explores why it's important to distinguish between 'lived' and 'living' experiences when it comes to co-designing support.

Jan Mayor came to harm reduction from her experiences of campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights and seeing the dehumanizing treatment of gay men with HIV and people who inject drugs. Now working as Innovation and Practice lead for Turning Point Scotland, she develops ideas and approaches that promote the rights of people who use drugs through projects that ensure they have access to the level of support and healthcare everyone in our society should expect.

We're back for series 2! This time we're speaking to people working across the alcohol and other drugs sector about all things harm reduction. We'll be hearing about innovative approaches to reducing the physical and social harm associated with drug use and finding out the ideas that underpin it. If you believe in choice, opportunity, and respect for people people using alcohol and other drugs, this podcast is for you.

For the final episode of the series, we take one last trip to the Ideas Conference 2023. Listen to an abridged version of the second panel discussion on the day, “Achieving a balanced sector ecosystem". The new drug strategy asks us to collaborate and work in partnership as a priority. So we will hear from an area that has done just that and has built its own ecosystem. The panel discuss the benefits and challenges of working in a collaborative partnership between large national providers and smaller grassroots ones, and how innovative commissioning can create the environment to create positive change. On the panel:Dr Arun Dhandayudham, Medical Director at ViaEmily Todd, Regional Director at HumankindMichelle Foster, CEO and Co-founder of the Basement Recovery ProjectNiamh Cullan, Public Health Partnerships Manager Calderdale Metropolitan Borough CouncilFacilitated by:April Wareham - Director at Working With Everyone 

Listen to an abridged version of a panel discussion that took place at this the Project 6 Ideas Conference 2023, “Harm Reduction, Recovery and Human Rights”. With 10 years of disinvestment and budgets slashed, the panel made up of harm reductionists, treatment providers and recovery advocates consider how we overcome that polarity between the two approaches, to create solidarity in adopting a human rights-led approach to alcohol and other drug treatment.  On the panel:Vicki Beere - Chief Exec of Project 6, Dr David Patton - Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of DerbySohan Sohota - Co-Founder and Managing Director of BAC-INPeter Krykant - Harm Reduction activist and Events, Fundraising & Campaigns Lead at Cranstoun Facilitated by:April Wareham - Director ar Working With Everyone 

The first part of 3 episodes recorded at the Project 6 Ideas Conference 2023. This episode, listen to a snapshot of the day including conversations, views and ideas shared across the conference.

Phoenix Futures Director of Marketing and Innovation, Jim Armstrong shares some of the barriers he feels the alcohol and other drug sector faces to make real and effective change to the stigma people experience.We discuss the Anti-Stigma Network, a new project aiming to improve understanding of the stigma and discrimination by bringing together campaigns by bringing individual people, families, communities, educational institutions, charities, businesses and policymakers together to share, learn and create.    Links from this episode:The Anti-Stigma Network - www.antistigmanetwork.org.uk

To mark volunteers week, we speak to Raquel Anne about her journey from accessing support at Project 6 to taking the next step into volunteering. We discuss the impact volunteering can have in helping shape someone’s journey, be that recovery from alcohol or other drugs or as part of other significant life changes.

Dr David Patton shares about his recent paper to the UN’s Commission on Narcotics Drugs about tackling stigma in treatment and recovery. From changing the way we encourage people to talk about their experiences of addiction to how people in recovery should be seen as the experts in change.Dr David Patton’s research centres on the lived experience of people recovering from addiction and rehabilitating from offending histories. It uses the often marginalised voices of these individuals to co-produce utopian visions of how the criminal justice system and society can be radically transformed to promote human flourishing.

The Recovery Street Film has been showcasing short films about addiction and recovery and promoting stories of lived-experience for over 10 years. Lucie Mauger of Phoenix Futures shares about her work tackling stigma and the difference the film festival is making in challenging perceptions of substance use and people who have been affected.Links from this episode:The Recovery Street Film Festival – www.rsff.co.uk

Dr David Patton discusses his latest research project, Pathways to Recovery. This brought together participants from recovery organisations to train people with lived experience of alcohol and other drug use to become researchers on their own experiences of recovery. Links from this episode:Pathways to Recovery - www.pathwaystorecovery.co.ukDr David Patton’s research centres on the lived experience of people recovering from addiction and rehabilitating from offending histories. It uses the often marginalised voices of these individuals to co-produce utopian visions of how the criminal justice system and society can be radically transformed to promote human flourishing.

This time, Project 6 Senior Trainer Simon speak to Michael Corbishley about his work on Changing Futures in Sheffield. Changing Futures is a three-year programme working in cities across England to improve services and support for people experiencing multiple disadvantage. They discuss what better could look like for support services in the South Yorkshire.Links from this episode:Changing Futures Sheffield Website - https://changingfuturessheffield.info/

In this bonus episode, Tim Renshaw tells Project 6 Senior Trainer, Simon about his experiences and what he learned completing a 14-night sleepout in Sheffield. Their conversation explores how quickly being homeless can change someone's sense of belonging in society and their perception of themself. Make sure you check out Tim's blog written during his sleepout - https://www.archerproject.org.uk/news/tim-s-14-day-sleepout-slog

In this episode Project 6 Senior Tranier, Simon Francis speaks to Tim Renshaw about the notion of choice and if it's right to say people have the lives they do because of the choices they make.Tim is the CEO of the Archer Project, a Sheffield-based charity working to support people experiencing homelessness in the city.Links from the episode - The Archer Project website - https://www.archerproject.org.uk/Tim's Sleepout Blog - https://www.archerproject.org.uk/news/tim-s-14-day-sleepout-slog

This is a follow on from episode 1, 'What impact is drug policy having on women?'. Building on their conversation from the last episode, Project 6 CEO, Vicki Beere and Professor Julia Buxton discuss ideas for change and approaches to improve society's perception of people using drugs and understanding of the challenges people face.Links from the episode - The Washington Office on Latin America, Inside Out From Women’s Prisons: Resisting Punitive Drug Policies - https://www.wola.org/analysis/inside-out-from-womens-prisons-resisting-drug-policies/The Impact of Global Drug Policy on Women: Shifting the Needle - https://g.co/kgs/esm2Sv

Vicki Beere speaks to Professor Julia Buxton about her researchinto international and UK drug policy and specific barriers to accessingservices experienced by women using substances. Julia is British Academy Global Professor, who is currently conductingresearch on the changing patterns of drug supply, and the impact ofdecriminalisation and legalisation initiatives on the quality of drug policymaking, stakeholder inclusion and reduction of drug-related harms. Her researchfocuses on illicit drug markets and the impact of counter-narcotics policies ondevelopment, gender equality and security. Links from the episode - The Impact of Global Drug Policy on Women: Shifting the Needle - https://g.co/kgs/esm2Sv