Upcoming Webinar: Exploring Cultural Experiences of Stigma

Written By Lisa Gardener

Date: Thursday 23th January

Time: 12.30 – 2pm

Navi Dhesi, founder of No More Pretending will host guest speakers Ann Marie Sweeney, Aunee Bhogaita, Heewr Bag and Stella Kityo as they discuss how 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. 

Participants will gain insight into the following:

  • Gain a deeper understanding into how stigma can manifest across diverse cultural contexts.

  • Learn how intersecting identities (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, disability) influence experiences of stigma.

  • Further explore the compounded effect of multiple stigmatised identities.

  • Understanding the role of education, policy and community engagement in challenging stigma.

  • Learn more about advocacy and inclusive practise to better support people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

  • Critically reflect on your own cultural bias and how that translates into practise.

Host

Navi Dhesi

Navi is the founder of No More Pretending and recent founder of Nekta Drinks Ltd, as well as being a Consultant Security Architect. No More Pretending is a non-profit think tank and alcohol recovery advocacy group representing the voices of Punjabi communities, tackling the impact of alcohol within the community.

Website: No More Pretending
LinkedIn: Navraj Dhesi | LinkedIn
Insta: nomore_pretending

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.

Website: Coolmine TC – Coolmine TC
LinkedIn: Coolmine
Facebook: Coolmine Therapeutic Community 
Instagram: coolmine.tc

Aunee Bhogaita

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

LinkedIn: Aunee B | LinkedIn
Insta: brown_girl_in_a_bottle

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.

Instagram: kurdish_all_wales_association
Facebook: Kurdish All Wales Association
X: @Kurdish_Wales

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.

Website: findstella.com
Facebook: Soulgetic 
LinkedIn: Stella Kityo
Instagram: Soulgetic
TikTok: TikTok - Make Your Day

Lisa Gardener
Next

Errors in reasoning that contribute to stigma.