COVID-19
This 3-part series was series published in 2020 during Australia’s COVID-19 lockdowns.
To celebrate the amazing ability of peer responses to adapt in times of rapid change in order to support their communities, we invited our partners to share some of their experiences with us.
This 3-part series was series published in 2020 during Australia’s COVID-19 lockdowns.
To celebrate the amazing ability of peer responses to adapt in times of rapid change in order to support their communities, we invited our partners to share some of their experiences with us.
The emergence of a new viral threat brought with it widespread fear and uncertainty. The resulting lockdowns and border closures cut people off from their usual support networks. Recommendations, regulations, and restrictions were constantly changing.
Peer programs — working within already at-risk communities — had to adapt rapidly and reorient their work to respond to the new and changing priorities and challenges both they and their clients now faced. They had to do this while simultaneously shifting their usually face-to-face services to new models of remote service delivery.
The posts below illustrate how the Australian community blood-borne virus (BBV) response achieved this.
Living Positive Victoria staff members Sara and Tim share how this peer support service needed to move fast to find ways to keep supporting and engaging clients throughout 2020.
This post reflects on how the peer-led HIV response adapted in the wake of COVID-19. It is a heartwarming testament to how critical peer-led responses are in times of rapid change and crisis.
Former BBV Sector Development Program Coordinator Jen Johnson reflects on a series of interviews with peer and community organisation leaders working in the HIV and hepatitis sector about how they were adapting to COVID-19.