NADA is delighted to be hosting our annual forum for International Women’s Day (IWD). If you’re a member of the NADA Women’s Clinical Care Network (a.k.a. the Women’s AOD Network), the NADA Consumer Advisory Group (CAG) or work at a NADA member service, we would love for you to come along! This forum will be accessible online and in person.

The theme for IWD 2024 is, ‘Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress’ (UN Women Australia 2024). This theme is intended to draw attention to the economic empowerment of women. At the event, NADA will hold sessions that aim to promote economic empowerment for women in alcohol and other drugs (AOD) service provision. We will also hold sessions focused on promoting health equity for women, and those in non-binary communities who feel some affiliation with womanhood (such as non-binary women), in healthcare service provision more broadly.

Schedule

9.30am-10am: Tea/coffee and registration
10am-10.10am: Welcome to Country by a representative from Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council
10.10am-10.20am: NADA thanks people for coming and introduces the IWD theme
10.20am-11.20am: Panel on the significance of First Nations Data Sovereignty for First Nations women in healthcare services. Moderated by Raechel Wallace, Chair of the NADA First Nations Research and Data Advisory Group. Featuring Belinda Tully, Operations Manager-Inverell, Armajun Aboriginal Health Service and Dr Cassandra Sedran-Price. More speakers TBC.
11.20am-11.50am: Morning tea by Kallico Catering
11.50am-12.50pm: A panel of women with living and/or lived experience accessing AOD services, discussing what economic empowerment looks like for them, and why it's important in AOD service provision. Moderated by Jennifer Uzabeaga, Consumer Engagement Coordinator, NADA. Featuring Naif-Jamie Martin (ACON), Rebecca Riseley (NUAA), Kate Johnson (Lives Lived Well), Sinatt Tang (Odyssey House Multicultural Programs) and Ele Morrison (AIVL).
12.50pm-2pm: A networking lunch, where you'll be able to chat with workers from services that provide specialist financial, welfare and homelessness support, such as WAGEC, the Welfare Rights Centre, and the Women’s Homelessness Prevention Service at PIAC.
2pm-3pm: Session on how to create inclusive healthcare services for trans and non-binary women. This session will be facilitated by Dr Loma Cuevas-Hewitt, who has a background in anti-racism and trans inclusivity training. Featuring Naif-Jamie Martin (ACON) and Ellen Horspool (Kedesh). Please note there was a programming change of speakers for this session.
3pm-3.10pm: Presentation by Dr Mei Lin Lee (Senior Research Officer, NADA), who will be discussing her preliminary research findings for a project where she examined the outcomes of women accessing women's residential rehab services compared to mixed gender services.
3.10pm-3.30pm: NADA facilitated reflection workshop on how attendees might implement what they've learned at the forum
3.30pm-3.40pm: Survey of the event and forum close

Please note: This event is open to NADA Women's AOD Network members, those on the NADA CAG, and people working for NADA member services. NADA will work to allocate tickets to ensure tickets are accessible to people across a range of services. If you have been allocated a ticket, you will be notified prior to the event. If you are not able to access a ticket to come in person, we would love for you to register to come online :).

If you would like more information about the NADA Women's AOD Network (including eligibility and how to join), please check out the webpage.

For more information about the forum, please contact Hannah at NADA.

A language note
The official title for 'International Women's Day' was set by the United Nations in 1975. This event will include content on inclusive practice for people in health settings who are women, and those who are not exclusively women, but partially identify with, or feel some affiliation with, womanhood (such as non-binary women).

For those not aware, the term 'non-binary' refers to people who are not exclusively male or female. It can be a descriptive term added to labels such as 'trans' or 'transgender', though some people simply use 'non-binary' to describe themselves. Some non-binary people may feel some affiliation with 'binary' genders such as male and female, and thus use the terms 'non-binary woman' or 'non-binary man' to describe themselves, while others will not.