Over 70 NSW Community Drug Action Teams (CDATs) from Bowraville to Ballina gathered in Newcastle on March 12th for the 2018 NSW CDAT conference. Championing the work of CDAT's and providing them with a platform to collaborate and connect, the event included an awards ceremony to highlight the state's most successful strategies, projects and activities undertaken by local CDATs.
CDATs are local groups of passionate volunteers leading Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) prevention projects aiming to strengthen their communities. Along with teams from all over NSW, a recently formed CDAT from Bowraville also attended the event.
Funded by NSW Health and hosted by the Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) as part of the 2017/18 ADF Community Engagement and Action Program (CEAP), the conference was officially launched by the Executive Director, Centre for Population Health Dr Jo Mitchell.
The event included a number of guest speakers including Liz Skelton - Director of Collaboration for Impact, Ms Annie Bleeker – AOD Consultant Trainer and Facilitator, and Mr Geoff Munro – National Policy Manager at ADF. These discussions played a vital role in updating participants' knowledge in key areas of policy, research and practice in AOD, harm reduction and community mobilisation.
From 2013 to 2017 Aboriginal participation in CDATs has more than doubled and the representation of Aboriginal people at the 2018 NSW CDAT Conference was an encouraging reminder of this progression.
To learn more about the CDAT Program visit adf.org.au.
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