Conference delegates can choose from two educational tours, organized by IAS – the International AIDS Society – with civil society partners and local community-based organizations (CBOs) in Brisbane. The goal is to exchange knowledge, best practices, successes, challenges and innovative solutions through dialogue and experiential activities.
Tours are in English and available to delegates at no cost.
Registration will take place on a first-come, first-served basis. Each delegate can choose one tour. Demand for the tours is high, so we cannot guarantee space for all interested delegates.
The tours will take place Monday, 24 July, and Tuesday, 25 July. The IAS will organize and provide free transport from and to the relevant CBOs, and participants will meet in the conference venue. IAS staff and local community members will accompany participants throughout the tours.
For more information, please contact educationaltours@ias2023.org.
The RAPID clinic: Increasing access to care and support with peer models
Monday, 24 July, at 11:30 – FULLY BOOKED
Tuesday, 25 July, at 13:00 – FULLY BOOKED
More info
This is an informative and interactive tour of Queensland Positive People's (QPP’s) RAPID testing clinic. This tour is designed for conference delegates who are interested in learning more about the range of prevention and testing services offered by QPP, a peer-led organization providing health and community services for people living with HIV in Queensland, Australia. Participants will gain insight into peer-led HIV and other STI point-of-care testing processes, prevention and stigma-reducing strategies, as well as the comprehensive support services available at the RAPID clinic and through QPP. On this tour:
- Learn about the welcoming and confidential environment provided by the clinic, where clients can access educational materials and brochures about HIV prevention, testing and treatment.
- Explore the role of trained peer testers in providing judgement-free consultations to discuss clients' sexual health, delivering reactive results, and answering any questions about the testing process.
- Get an up-close look at the process of point-of-care testing for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea and information on the devices and assays used.
- Learn about the vital role of post-test counselling in providing emotional support, guidance on the next steps after a diagnosis, and the process of connecting clients with a network of support services and healthcare professionals specializing in HIV care.
- Learn about the ongoing support and care services provided by QPP, including peer navigation, case management and social support services, all focused on helping clients live well with HIV.
Tour schedule:
Monday, 24 July, at 11:30
Tuesday, 25 July, at 13:00
The tour lasts for about 90 minutes and starts from the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Maximum number of participants: 15
About the organizers:
Queensland Positive People (QPP) is a peer-led, community-based organization committed to improving the lives of all people living with HIV and helping reduce new acquisitions of HIV and STIs across Queensland. QPP offers the following services:
- Peer-led HIV & other STI point-of-care testing, prevention and education
- Online HIV home testing kits
- Community development and peer support
- Peer navigation to navigate the complex environment of HIV diagnosis, treatment and care
- Practical assistance with accessing medications, clinical services, food, housing and other essential support services
- Legal support and referral for stigma, discrimination, migration and the law
- Emergency funding support
- Advocacy and policy development
- Research
- World AIDS Day awareness campaign
Led by our communities: Queensland’s LGBTIQ+ programmes
Tuesday, 25 July, at 11:30 – FULLY BOOKED
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This tour is an opportunity to hear how the Queensland Council for LGBTI Health (QC) works with lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer, sistergirl and brotherboy people (LGBTIQ+ sistergirl and brotherboy people) and communities to deliver community programmes that are led by the voices of these community members. QC staff will share lessons from programmes that support the health and well-being of LGBTIQ+ sistergirl and brotherboy people across a range of areas, like medical services, sexual health, mental health and health promotion. Tour participants can learn about the ways that the QC work and strategy is informed by locally led solutions, voices and lived experience of the communities it works with. Tour participants will visit the QC Brisbane community centre and see how it is a place where LGBTIQ+ sistergirl and brotherboy people and groups come together to share with each other, reduce social isolation, build their capacity and deliver their activities.
Tour schedule:
Tuesday, 25 July, at 11:30
The tour lasts for about 90 minutes and starts from the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Maximum number of participants: 15
About the organizers:
The Queensland Council for LGBTI Health (QC) has been a home for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer, sistergirl and brotherboy people and communities in Queensland for nearly 40 years. It is a community-led and community-owned health and well-being service, representing the diversity of its communities. QC remains committed to continuing this work – led by its communities; owned by their expertise, commitment and knowledge; and walking alongside the beautiful diversity of its communities as partners and champions of change for their collective futures. This tour offers the chance to learn about the various programmes that QC delivers across a range of areas, like medical services, sexual health, mental health and health promotion, as well as find out how QC supports capacity building.