The stigma of drug and alcohol use within some minoritised communities can create barriers to treatment, leading to poorer health outcomes and inequality of access to support needed. 

Join our guest speakers as they talk about this and answer your questions on some of the complexities involved in additional barriers to accessing support. All welcome. 

Host - Navi Dhesi. 
Founder of No More Pretending, a non-profit think tank and alcohol recovery advocacy group representing the voices of Punjabi communities and tackling the impact of alcohol in Punjabi communities. 

Speakers:

Ann Marie Sweeney 
Recent winner of Intersectionality at the Traveller Pride Awards 2024, Ann Marie will talk about her own experiences of losing custody of her children, drug and alcohol dependence and time in prison to graduating from a number of college courses, regaining custody of her children and helping members of the Travelling community deal with their addiction issues.

Aunee Bhogaita
Public speaker/life coach specifically focusing on substance addictions, sexual abuse and domestic violence within the South Asian Community.

Heewr Bag 
Through Heewr’s personal and professional experiences, he is committed to advocating for refugees, asylum seekers, and marginalised ethnic communities as he strives to continue to work towards creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for these individuals, empowering them to overcome barriers and achieve their potential.

Stella Kityo
Development specialist | coach | speaker | group facilitator. Helping people to live authentically by design not by default. Stella has experience working with homelessness, youth work, domestic abuse, PWUD (people who use drugs), mental health, sex work and offending.