When: Thursday, July 24th, 2025 - 12-1:30 pm ET
Presenters: Katherine Rudzinski, Adrian Guta, Charlotte Smith
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This webinar explores innovative arts-based research methods used to understand the real-world impacts of safer supply programs in Toronto. We'll present findings from two community-engaged projects that employed photovoice and cellphilms to capture participants' lived experiences with safer supply programs at two different Toronto sites.
The photovoice project, conducted from October 2023 to April 2025, engaged 15 women and non-binary safer supply clients who used photography to document how access to a safer supply of drugs transformed their lives. Participants' powerful images and stories revealed that safer supply did more than prevent overdoses—it enhanced physical well-being, housing stability, self-confidence, community connections, and personal agency. The project culminated in community photo exhibitions that now serve as permanent visual testimonies to safer supply's broader impact.
The cellphilms project, running from August 2024 to January 2025, engaged 13 safer supply clients in capacity-building sessions that provided hands-on training in storytelling, storyboarding, and video creation skills. Participants created short videos responding to the prompt "Because of safer supply I..." Seven participants produced six compelling short films that documented their experiences and the wide-ranging impacts of safer supply programs, including improvements in stability, access to housing support, mental and physical well-being, family connections, and overdose prevention.
Attendees will learn about the methodological considerations of using photovoice and cellphilms with people who use drugs, including practical lessons about adapting these arts-based approaches to meet participants' needs. We'll share key findings that demonstrate how safer supply programs can improve quality of life and social stability, while discussing the implications for healthcare and social justice—particularly relevant given recent program closures.
This presentation offers valuable insights for researchers, service providers, and policymakers interested in both participatory research methods and evidence-based approaches to addressing the drug poisoning crisis through the voices and experiences of those most directly affected.
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Recordings of past Hot Topic webinars and past Research Spotlight webinars are available.
