LIVED EXPERIENCE LEADING CONVERSATIONS

Megaphone’s Speakers Bureau, presented by Central City Foundation and established in 2019, is a public awareness program connecting audiences with speakers who have lived experience of drug use and overdose prevention.

Here's a quick overview:

As you see in the video, our speakers offer candid reflections on their experiences navigating the world as a drug user. Depending on audience interests and needs, they can also speak directly to:

• developing services that meet the needs of people who use drugs,
• adjusting policies and practices to be more inclusive of people who use drugs, and
• responding to overdoses.

Presentations are delivered in public events or privately hosted workshops with the support of a skilled facilitator and Megaphone staff. As the program matures, a selection of the presentations will be made available online for public use and archival purposes. 

This launch of this project was made possible thanks to the support of our visionary founding funders, Central City Foundation,  the City of Vancouver, Community Action Initiative, the University of British Columbia, the BC Centre on Substance Use, and our exclusive media sponsor, CBC Vancouver.

The continuation of the project relies on grants and sponsorship to cover the costs of ongoing training and support for speakers, the public event series, and scholarships for community groups who need but cannot otherwise afford workshops. If you would like to support the Speakers Bureau you can donate through Megaphone or contact [email protected] to become an official sponsor.