Promote Health. Build Community. End HIV and AIDS.
Together Towards Zero
Last Friday, ACT held our Together Towards Zero brunch fundraiser to commemorate this year's World AIDS Day. It was inspiring to see over 100 attendees come out to show their support for HIV-positive women, the work that ACT does, and our goal to achieve zero new HIV infections.

Dr. Mona Loutfy, Physician & Researcher, Grace Chiutsi, ACT's Women's Support Program Coordinator, and Judith, a servicer user at ACT, came together for the keynote panel. Their discussion shined a light on how HIV impacts women and the importance of HIV services and treatment for women.

Thank you to everyone who attended the event or made a donation for making this year's Together Towards Zero a success!
Integrative Community Therapy
ACT broke new ground by partnering with Visible Hands Collaborative and Point Park University in the US to bring Integrative Community Therapy (ICT) to Ontario. In doing so, ACT became the first organization in Canada to work with ICT.

ICT is a method of supporting individual and community health through group conversation, using guided discussion between members of a community to create a safe space for participants to share life experiences and wisdom.

It is based on a South American method created by psychiatrist Dr. Adalberto Barreto and can be performed successfully in both in-person and online formats.
What are Doxy PEP & Doxy PrEP?
ACT’s Online Outreach program’s volunteers and staff have noticed more and more men asking them about Doxy PrEP & PEP. So, they decided to put together a quick explanation for anyone who might be curious about what exactly Doxy PrEP & PEP are.

Doxy PrEP & PEP are a pharmaceutical intervention to prevent STIs – similar to the idea of PEP and PrEP for HIV, except this intervention is to avoid STIs using an antibiotic called Doxycycline. 

Doxy PEP (like HIV PEP) is about taking 200 mg of Doxycycline 24-72 hours after a potential exposure to an STI (i.e. oral, anal, or vaginal/frontal condomless sex). 
 
Doxy PrEP (like HIV PrEP) means taking Doxycycline daily to stop a sexually transmitted infection from developing.
16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence
16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence is a key international moment to call for an end to violence against women and girls. It began on  November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and runs until December 10th, Human Rights Day. 

ACT is supporting this campaign, by the Women & HIV/AIDS Initiative, which this year focuses on the rights and safety of sex workers and 2-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (2SLGBTQ+) communities.

Over the past year, we have seen social, policy and legal realities that have translated to increased violence against both of these communities. As a result, both of these communities have faced increased realities of violence that directly impact safety and health, including HIV risk.
ACT Holiday Closure
ACT will be closed over the holidays from Monday, December 25th until we reopen on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024.
Stay Connected
Find the most up-to-date info on ACT programs and services as well as HIV, sexual and mental health info on the ACT website. You can also follow ACT on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

As a service user, volunteer, staff member, or donor, we would also love to hear from you. Is there something you'd like to see in the newsletter?
 
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