Programme Committee Americas

I’m the coordinator for the nightlife harm reduction intervention program at GRIP in Montreal. I first got involved with GRIP as a volunteer in 2015 and I started to work full-time at GRIP last year as assistant coordinator for the nightlife harm reduction intervention program. I am developing a program, which aims to prevent problematic drug use, high-risk behaviour and overdoses in festivals and raves in Quebec. Since 2019, I am also pursuing my master’s degree at the University of Sherbrooke in a program specifically designed with regards to drug related psychosocial interventions.

I (Kristin Karas, she/her) am the Director of Operations at DanceSafe, a 501(c)(3) that promotes health and safety within the electronic music and nightlife communities. Since 2014, I have held a variety of roles within DanceSafe leading up to my current position in which I oversee the strategic planning, chapter development, programs, and other key facets of the organization. During my time at DanceSafe, I have provided health services at several national events such as Lightning in a Bottle, Imagine Music Festival, and the Global Eclipse Gathering and spearheaded initiatives including the development of the DanceSafe Training Program and #WeLoveConsent. Additionally, I have spoken at a number of events including the International Drug Policy Reform Conference, National Harm Reduction Conference, AEMCON, and past Club Health conferences.

I have been involved in a variety of party scenes since 2003 and got involved in the Trip! Project, a city-funded nightlife and youth harm reduction project in Toronto Canada, since 2005, taking the project coordinator role 8 years ago. We do health promotion; outreach and peer support as well as being a partner in Toronto’s drug checking service. I have a degree in Sociology & Anthropology and am currently in graduate studies to become a psychotherapist through the Gestalt Institute of Toronto. I have presented about harm reduction, nightlife outreach and consent at three previous Club Health conferences and a variety of other conferences and events. I sit on the Canadian Drug Policy Committee, the Toronto Drug Strategy Committee and multiple youth-serving networks in Toronto. I also prioritize activist work, spending time with family, friends & small dog, knitting and planning and participating in local Burner, rave and geek events.

I (Mohawk Greene, they/them) am an Outreach Coordinator for DanceSafe and President of New York DanceSafe, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that started off as DanceSafe’s New York-based Chapter, and I am also the Technical Program Manager at NEXTDistro. As a long-standing, active member of the electronic music community, I organize and oversee harm reduction, health & safety outreach to members of many music communities within New York (including LGBTQ), as well as participates with other global harm reduction agencies worldwide (such as ANKORS, Safe ‘n’ Sound, and Unity). I create informational resources, give college lectures at Berkeley College, collaborate with drug reform agencies such as Drug Policy Alliance, and, through my page MohawkTheEducator on social media, spread awareness.

I am Julian – a sociologist and Master in Social Studies of Science and Technology. Since 1996, my work and studies have focused on drug issues from a cultural characteristic perspective; the new generations of drug traffickers and the promostion of a regulated the cocaine market. I have participated in research and design of public policies, in the last 10 years and introduced the analysis of substances at parties, access to hygienic injection material and Naloxone programs in Colombia. Currently. My focus is on strengthening working groups, public policy and legislative reforms in Latin America.

Hello! My name is Aika. I represent a Canadian community organization based in Quebec called Élixir. We are working hard to reduce the negative impacts of various addictions among women. Among other projects, our intersectional feminist approach addresses several issues experienced by women during festivities. We pride ourselves in using the harm reduction approach. Over the next few years, I am striving to start the discussion surrounding responsible use of drugs, in order to demystify taboos, false beliefs and prejudices around psychoactive substances.

I Fany (she/ her) I’m a psychologist from the Faculty of Psychology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Since 2012 I have been working in drug policy, especially in education and training about harm reduction strategies aimed at young students, families, teachers and vulnerable populations. In 2015 I was part of the development and implementation of the first and unique drug checking program in Mexico called Programa de Análisis de Sustancias. We provide health information and timely attention to people who use psychoactive substances in party settings, giving informative flyers of psychoactive substances, drug checking service and personalized counseling based on chemical results. I have also trained harm reduction workshop facilitators and substance analysis service facilitators with a peer education perspective. I have carried out communication campaigns through presenting the result of the intervention in festivals, write articles and interviews to publicize the importance of harm reduction perspective, as well as presentations on the program, function and methodology at conferences in educational and research centers.

I (Alice Reis, she/her) am a Psychologist and Harm Reduction Agent. For the past 7 years I have contributed with Harm Reduction in a variety of roles, from public health, harm reduction in nightlife (festivals) to working technology and social media. I believe in the power of the Internet as a tool to provide innovative ways for Harm Reduction strategies, but also as a way to reach people that would not encounter this information otherwise. I've been part of a Harm Reduction project in Brazilian nightlife called ResPire Redução de Danos since 2012, and I have volunteered with many other groups, including Kosmicare (Boom Festival and Being Gathering), PsyCare (Psy-Fi), Balance (Universo Paralello). I'm also the Co-Founder of Girls In Green, a media platform focused on educating people towards cannabis and creating an innovative way to deliver information and reduce vulnerabilities through harm reduction strategies, information about drug policy and creating a safe environment for women, so they can open up and learn together with us.

With 16 years of harm reduction education and drug checking experience with ANKORS, she co- wrote the Drug Checking at Music Festivals: A How to guide, several papers published on drug checking and many presentations at conferences on drug checking work at festivals and drug checking research. Chloe Sage is the coordinator of the Shambhala Music Festival drug checking project with ANKORS 70 person team with almost 30,000 tests completed. Chloe works collaboratively with many groups nationally to move drug forward as part of the response to the Overdose crisis in Canada.

Shelby is a nurse and the Director and Founder of Indigo Harm Reduction Services based out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Shelby has been an avid festival attendee and member of the EDM community for over a decade in Western Canada. In 2016 Shelby started to notice the lack of harm reduction programs that support attendees at large electronic dance music events, festivals and the nightlife industry in the Province of Alberta. When Shelby noticed a health need within Alberta, she wanted to bring change by establishing an organization that empowers “party-goers” or “festival-goers” to embrace harm reduction strategies to reduce their risks when attending these events or consuming substances. She wanted to help reduce the risk associated with such industries and bring awareness to the current contamination and poisoning of substances in our country. The province of Alberta has embraced Indigo’s philosophy of care and have been tremendously successful in working with both provincial and municipal governments. Alongside advocating for harm reduction, Shelby is a supporter for drug policy reform and hopes in her lifetime there will be a safe supply and production of substances. Outside of working with Indigo, Shelby brings her philosophy of harm reduction into her nursing care in one of Edmonton’s busiest emergency departments.

I am Vannesa - a Sociologist specialising in Territory Studies. I have been working with the Social Technical Action Corporation since 2012 coordinating and leading consumption prevention projects in the school environment and also in risk and harm reduction in festive environments. Currently, I coordinate the Échele Cabeza Project and I am the Director of the Festival of Psychoactive Shorts and the line of women and drugs, art and drugs.