ABRPO

10/15/2026

National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day

Today, we recognize National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day — a time to raise awareness about HIV while challenging stigma, discrimination, and barriers to care and support within Latinx communities.

For many, HIV has brought experiences of grief and loss — including the loss of loved ones, relationships, health, community, and belonging. Migration, family separation, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and barriers to healthcare can add further layers of loss and grief that are not always recognized.

At ABRPO, we believe grief and bereavement support should be rooted in culture, connection, dignity, and compassion. Peer support creates space to share stories, honour those we have lost, celebrate resilience, and remind one another that grief does not have to be carried alone.

-We honour the strength and resilience of Latinx communities.
-We remember those whose lives and contributions have been lost to HIV.
-We celebrate the Peers, families, advocates, and communities continuing to create change.

Awareness. Remembrance. Connection. Community. Action.

10/14/2026

This week, October 12-16, we’re celebrating Peer Appreciation week! 🤝

Peers demonstrate courage, empathy, and wisdom when bringing their lived experience every day to better support clients. They are a vital part of the interdisciplinary team at Casey House across many domains, sharing lived experiences with HIV, substance use, mental health challenges, the immigration system, transgender experience, and much more. The knowledge and expertise brought by peers is unique to each individual, cannot be emulated from a textbook. Thank you to all of our peers! We will be continuing festivities for our cohort here at Casey House all week long.

If you’d like to learn more about Casey House’s peer program, including two profiles, you can visit caseyhouse.ca/peer

10/14/2026

SAVE THE DATE! Wednesday October 21, 2026 from 1:00 - 3:00pm for our next TTOA virtual Meeting.

We will be exploring Grief in the Body. We know that Grief is not only something we feel in our hearts or think about in our minds. Grief can live in the body, too. A loss can show up as tiredness, tension, changes in sleep or appetite, headaches, heaviness, restlessness, or a feeling that something just does not feel right.

For people and communities living with HIV, working in Harm Reduction, or carrying the weight of repeated loss, grief can take many forms. We may grieve people we have lost, changes in our health, relationships, community, identity, or the loss of a sense of safety and connection.

Sometimes our bodies are holding stories that we have not yet found words for. Recognizing grief in the body can be an important part of caring for ourselves and one another. We can slow down, notice what we are experiencing, and give ourselves permission to respond with compassion rather than judgment.

Your grief deserves space. Your body deserves care. And you do not have to carry it alone.

To register, please email [email protected]

10/12/2026

💙 Peer Appreciation Week 2026 | October 12–16

Peers bring something to our communities that cannot be taught in a classroom or captured in a job description: lived experience, connection, understanding, and the knowledge that comes from walking a path yourself. Peer work matters.

Peers create spaces where people feel seen, heard, respected, and less alone. They share knowledge, build trust, challenge stigma, offer support during difficult moments, and remind us that our experiences have value — including the difficult ones.

Peer Appreciation Week is an opportunity to pause and recognize that work.

From HIV and harm reduction to grief, mental health, housing, healthcare, and community support, Peers make an important difference every day. Their contributions strengthen individuals, organizations, and entire communities.

This week, October 12–16, let's celebrate the Peers who share their time, knowledge, compassion, advocacy, and lived expertise.

💙 To all Peers: Thank you for everything you bring to our communities. Your experience matters. Your voice matters. Your work matters.

10/12/2026

National Coming Out Day October 11, 2026

Coming out can be a deeply personal journey of courage, self-discovery, authenticity, and connection. For some, it brings joy and relief; for others, it may unfold over time — or not happen at all because of concerns about safety, relationships, housing, employment, or wellbeing.

Coming out can also involve grief and loss. People may grieve changes in relationships, family connections, safety, belonging, or expectations for the future. These losses may not always be recognized by others, but they are real and deserve compassion.

For people living with HIV, coming out may also mean navigating intersecting experiences of stigma related to HIV, sexual orientation, gender identity, and substance use. These experiences can affect relationships, community, and a sense of safety.

At ABRPO, we believe supportive grief and bereavement care means creating spaces where people can be heard without judgment, have their losses acknowledged, and find connection and support.

You can support people coming out by:
- Respect each person’s choice of if, when, and how they come out.
- Recognize that coming out can bring both joy and grief.
- Challenge stigma and discrimination.
- Create spaces rooted in safety, belonging, and connection.

Everyone deserves to be seen, valued, respected, and supported — through the joys, changes, losses, and new beginnings of living authentically.

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

The World Mental Health Day, theme is "It's Time to Prioritize Mental Health In the Workplace." In HIV and Harm Reduction work, we know how important that is! ABRPO has a Resource Library which is full of FREE learnings and resources on mental health and worker wellbeing. Some of our offerings include:
- e-learning modules on Grounding, Black Voices Locating Our Grief, Bracketing, and Holistic Check-in
- zines and guides on HIV & Grief and Disenfranchised Grief
- a holistic way to engage our bodies and minds with Waves of Grief - Currents of Liberation
- a guided meditation called A Love Note to Harm Reduction Workers

and much more! Follow the link in our bio to check out our Resource Library.

Mental health isn’t just an individual responsibility — it’s a workplace responsibility.

In HIV, Harm Reduction, and Peer Support, our work can mean holding space for grief, trauma, stigma, overdose, discrimination, and ongoing loss. Peers and Workers may also draw on their own lived and living experiences while supporting others through difficult moments.

Prioritizing mental health means creating workplaces where people can ask for help, take breaks, set boundaries, debrief, and access meaningful support. It also means recognizing and addressing the emotional labour that can contribute to burnout, compassion fatigue, moral injury, and chronic stress.

This World Mental Health Day, let’s build workplaces where grief is acknowledged, support is accessible, and wellness, connection, and dignity are part of the culture — not just the conversation

10/08/2026

Celebrating Le***an Communities

Today, we celebrate the strength, leadership, resilience, and contributions of Le***an communities and honour the many Le***ans who have helped shape the HIV and Harm Reduction movements.

Le***an activists, Peer workers, healthcare providers, and community organizers have challenged stigma, advocated for compassionate care, supported Harm Reduction, and built communities rooted in connection and justice.

We also recognize the histories of stigma, discrimination, rejection, invisibility, and loss experienced by many Le***an people. Grief can extend beyond the death of a loved one — it can include the loss of relationships, community, safety, belonging, identity, or the hope of being fully accepted.

At ABRPO, we believe everyone deserves space to have their losses acknowledged and their grief met with compassion, connection, and support. Peer support and lived and living experience can help people navigate grief and change without having to do so alone.

- We honour those who paved the way.
- We remember those whose lives and contributions have been lost.
- We celebrate those creating change today.

In times of joy, grief, and everything in between, every Le***an person deserves to be seen, affirmed, connected, and supported.

10/06/2026

Peer Appreciation Week | October 12–16, 2026

Peers are at the heart of our communities.

This Peer Appreciation Week, ABRPO is celebrating the knowledge, strength, care, and lived and living experience that Peers bring to HIV and Harm Reduction work every day.

Peers contribute in countless ways - as advocates, educators, volunteers, support workers, leaders, mentors, and community members. Their experiences and expertise help shape services, strengthen connections, challenge stigma, and create more compassionate and responsive communities.

From October 12–16, 2026, we invite organizations, Workers, and Peers across the sector to take time to recognize and celebrate the invaluable contributions of Peers.

Share you appreciation in meaningful ways.
Recognize the knowledge that comes from lived and living experience.
Continue to build a culture where Peer contributions are valued, respected and supported.

Let’s make Peer Appreciation Week a collective celebration of the people who continue to strengthen our communities through their knowledge, experience, leadership, and care.

10/05/2026

October 4 is a day to remember, grieve, and take action in honour of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People.

We recognize the profound grief carried by families, survivors, and communities, while honouring the lives and legacies of those who have been taken. Grief can be personal, collective, and ongoing. Meaningful healing requires listening, accountability, and action.

The National Inquiry's Calls for Justice remind us that ending this ongoing crisis requires collective responsibility. We can all take action by:
- Learning about the history and ongoing impacts of colonialism.
- Reading and supporting the implementation of the 231 Calls for Justice.
- Challenging racism, sexism, and discrimination wherever they occur.
- Supporting Indigenous-led organizations, initiatives, and advocacy.
- Listening to and amplifying Indigenous voices while respecting Indigenous leadership.
- Advocating for equitable access to housing, healthcare, education, justice, and culturally safe services.

Real change happens when awareness is paired with accountability and sustained action.

We remember. We honour. We grieve. We stand together for justice, healing, safety, and self-determination.