Stigmatic Barriers Mini-Conference

— for Burnaby service providers —

November 5, 2021 | 12:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Stigma plays a huge role in how people interact with community services and how they are treated. Stigma is defined as being judged in a negative or unfair way based on things that people usually have no control over, such as skin colour or cultural background. People experiencing stigma might face bullying, have fewer job opportunities, or find that they are not getting the healthcare that they need.

In almost every area of our work as participating Burnaby Primary Care Networks (PCN) partners, stigma is known to be a major barrier to folks getting the support they need for health and wellness. It affects people’s ability to access healthcare services and the level of care they receive.

Being aware of where stigma comes from allows us to better understand how it affects people. Sometimes, people develop biases (strong personal judgments) due to how they were raised or how they have interacted with others in the community. Bringing awareness to these biases is a small step towards addressing stigma in Burnaby.

The purpose of this mini-conference is for our partners to come together to collectively understand stigma and its impact — and to begin to build a strategy for overcoming its negative impact across the PCN community.

If you have any inquiries about this session, please contact PCN Community Engagement Coordinator Andrea Creamer at [email protected].

Sharing Stories

We are asking for people to share stories related to stigma. We are focusing learning and discussions for attendees at the mini-conference around storytelling. All stories will remain anonymous unless you choose to share your name.