Call for Presentations 2025 RICH Conference

We welcome proposals from professionals, peers, advocates, policymakers and volunteers in the field of peer-based recovery, substance use, and harm reduction services.  The goal of this conference is to advance the bridge between peer-based recovery and harm reduction programs & services with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and trauma.  We encourage proposals that identify programs and services that integrate these areas through innovating with evidence-based, effective, programs, services, and systems.  We also encourage proposals that support research and developments in drug policy and support our most vulnerable community members. Proposals that identify and highlight the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion are welcomed and encouraged.

 SOS Recovery Community Organization is presenting the Northeast’s premier peer-based harm-reduction and recovery conference.  The conference will include nationally recognized keynotes that will present on innovations in peer-based harm reduction and recovery supports with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.  This conference will include up to sixteen 75 minute breakouts over 2 days surrounding the theme of the conference.

 This conference will attract leaders and advocates within the prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction communities across New England as well as health care providers, clinical staffs, licensed professionals, mental health professionals, agency staff, social service providers, educators, first-responders and local, state and federal policy makers and legislators. The conference will also attract individuals and family members impacted by drug use, people who use drugs, people who identify as sex workers, and allies of the recovery and harm reduction community.

 The goal of the conference will be to present local and regional innovations, exploring the impact of peer-based recovery and harm reduction support services and integrating efforts between the prevention, treatment, recovery, and mental health communities. with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. We continue to needlessly lose tens of thousands of lives to preventable overdose deaths each year in this country and this conference will provide a space for advocacy, pushing the boundaries of effective responses, challenge the status-quo.  Most importantly, the goal will be one of networking and working together for a compassionate approach to innovation and evidence-based solutions as communities.

The theme for this year’s conference is:

Exploring innovations, emerging policy, and best-practices within peer-based recovery and harm reduction.  The conference will focus on intersectionality and diversity, equity and inclusion.

 *Workshop presentations must be relevant to the conference goal, theme and objectives.*

  Conference Objectives:

 ▪          Provide information that increase familiarity with concepts of the theme of the conference and promote programs, systems and services that will enhance awareness of them;

▪          Provide educational opportunities that will address drug policy, emerging issues and best-practices  within the recovery and harm reduction communities.

▪          Provide educational opportunities that help participants understand how peer-based recovery and harm reduction are impacted negatively by stigma and how we can reduce barriers to wellness through addressing and preventing stigma.

▪          Provide educational opportunities that encourage peer-based recovery communities to better understand harm reduction strategies, in an effort to integrate and enhance collaboration between peer-based recovery supports with harm reduction programs and services with a focus on diversion, equity and inclusion.  We encourage proposals that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion and breakouts that educate our community.

▪          We invite presentations on the harms individuals engaged in the sex trade face due to criminalization and that help to distinguish between the conflation of people involved in the sex trade and sex trafficking.

▪          Support the provision of evidence- based practices; and

▪          Provide opportunities for community leaders, policy makers, peer recovery workers, people who use drugs, people who engage in the sex trade and the community to interact with program and service providers, so that these interactions enhance advocacy efforts and to inform policy needs and help reduce barriers to accessing programs and services.

 Audience:

▪          Conference attendees are drawn from various backgrounds, professions, organizations and agencies including, but not limited to: 

▪          Recovery community organization leaders, staff, volunteers and members.

▪          Harm- reduction service leaders, staff, volunteers and participants including those who engage in sex work and lead agencies that advocate on behalf of.

▪          Policy makers and legislators at local, state and federal level

▪          Agency administrators, board of directors

▪          Licensed providers and staff of substance use disorder treatment programs and services.

▪          Behavioral health and mental health leaders, clinicians, providers, staff, first responders, and agencies

▪          Public health network staff, prevention specialists and continuum of care coordinators

▪          Primary health care; hospital administrators; medical professionals

▪          Social service leaders, agencies, staff and advocates.

▪          Private business leaders and managers who are engaged in recovery friendly workplace initiatives.

▪          Individuals in recovery, people who use drugs and family members and loved ones of those impacted by alcohol and drug use.

Presentation Format

The workshop sessions are 75 minutes in length.  The session will have a range of 35 to 100 participants. 

The conference goal, theme, and objectives described above lend themselves to presentations that focus on, but are not limited to, the following themes or topics: 

 ▪          Innovative and emerging peer-based recovery support services and harm-reduction programs and services along              with local, state and federal drug policy changes.

▪          Advocacy and efforts that encourage reduction in stigma and barriers to recovery and harm reduction services.

▪          Diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and cultural considerations

▪          Impact of colonialism in harm reduction, recovery, and innovative efforts around abolitionism.

▪          Exploration of trauma, toxic stress and resilience

▪          Programs that rely on lived and living experience in recovery and people who use drugs.

▪          Programs that reduce harms or advocate for those engaged in sex trade

▪          Evidence based practices

▪          Priority populations and focuses on permanent housing (e.g. Housing First models) or that reduce housing discrimination for people who use drugs and people in recovery.

▪          Peer-recovery and harm reduction efforts within criminal justice and corrections systems.

▪          Criminal Justice reform

▪          Cross-systems alignment and integration as it relates to the conference theme.

▪          Policy initiatives, needs and barriers

We respectfully ask that all presenters are mindful of person-first language and the impact of stigma in our presentations and language avoiding language such as addict, relapse, substance “abuse” or “abuser” vs substance use, felons or offenders vs. person with a felony or person with criminal justice involvement etc.

 Review Criteria

 Proposals will be reviewed by a committee of people with lived and living experience and professionals in the field and selected based on relevance to the conference theme and objectives, timeliness of the topic, and creativity of approach. Workshop description and objectives should be clear and well defined.  The selection committee reserves the option to request additional information in support of the workshop proposal.