#GivingTuesday is a global movement to celebrate year-end charitable giving. This year we’re aiming to raise $6,000 for conference scholarships for people who, without this support, are unable to attend next year’s National Harm Reduction Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico from October 15 - 18.

Harm Reduction Coalition receives hundreds of scholarship requests from community members who are eager to learn about and share the work they’re doing to reverse the harms caused by the war on drugs, eliminate overdoses and infectious disease transmission, and end stigma faced by people who use drugs. Since the very first conference, we’ve provided scholarships to people with limited resources to ensure their participation because the conference is one of the few places where people — who are often ignored or villainized — can build meaningful connections and experience a sense of belonging and purpose.  

This year we’re celebrating #GivingTuesday by giving the gift of the National Harm Reduction Conference to people with lived experience. With your support, we’ll dedicate even more resources to scholarships for next October’s conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico because we want to celebrate the work of people dedicated to bringing harm reduction to their communities, especially those who often work for free and without societal support. 

But you don’t have to take our word for it.

“Attending the Harm Reduction Conference was a dream come true for me. As a person with lived experience, I had always felt "not good enough" or "unworthy" and often sold myself short. The scholarship offered to me by Harm Reduction Coalition gave me the chance to see I was not alone, that there were many people like myself, and that my voice mattered. It was the jumping-off point for my start of advocacy at a local level, knowing that I have a huge community to cheer me on, and I have since seen how my voice has become a valued one at the local, state, and national-level. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity and encourage folks to support others like myself to find their voice.”

- Tara, scholarship recipient & attendee of #harmred18

Tara is just one of many people for whom the conference was an important turning point. Maybe the conference was a turning point for you! Please make a choice this #GivingTuesday to support this gift for someone else.

Will you join us at #harmred20 in Puerto Rico?