Social Work with People Practicing Same-Sex ... - ILGA Europe

Everybody's journey is individual.
If you fall in love with a boy,
you fall in love with a boy.
The fact that many Americans
consider it a disease says more
about them than it does about
homosexuality.
James Baldwin, an American
writer, 1924—1987
Women’s Network Summer Camp,
2004
“Dark Nights” Party, 2008
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groups and social and psychological services; support groups; various forms of leisure
time arrangement; different consultations, etc. That is why it is necessary to develop
new forms to draw the clients to the prevention programmes and one of these forms
is establishment of community centres. Such centres can provide attractive services:
self-help groups, psychosocial support, household services, safe space for recreation
and communication, leisure time arrangements, etc. Community centres really become
an efficient method that contributes to changes of risky behaviours in the vulnerable
groups.
Community Centre Functions and Objectives
The premises of a community centre are intended for the common use by the
representatives of the community to spend their leisure time, to host social and cultural
events. In terms of HIV/AIDS prevention, the goal of a community centre (CC) is to
provide comprehensive HIV prevention services to the representatives of most-at-risk
groups and their close environment. In addition to these services, CC provides a safe
space for the community members to communicate, share information, provide mutual
support. The centre closely cooperates with a number of other organizations that can
provide support, legal services, and health services or organize special activities to
improve the quality of life of the centre's clients.
Each centre develops its own range of services for the clients depending on their needs
and its institutional and financial capacity.
Standard CC services include:
1. Social
� Distribution of information materials on HIV/AIDS/STI, behaviour change, etc.
� Distribution of condoms and lubricants, safe-sex packages for gays and lesbians
(syringe exchange, provision of disinfecting means or female packages —
depending on the target group and the needs of clients).
� Leisure time arrangements: cultural, informational and educational, entertainment
and sport events.
� Motivational counselling on safer behaviour.
� Self-help groups, parents' groups (depending on the needs).
� Organization of the work of staff employees and volunteers with the components
of resocialization for people, who suffered from rape, or for drug addicts, or for
transgender people after sexual reassignment surgery.
� Training sessions for clients on safer behaviour.
� Psychosocial consultations for LGBT on safer behaviour, sexual and gender identity,
coming out before parents and colleagues, consultations for family couples and
their close ones, consultations for the aged LGBT, consultations for LGBT with
children.
� Referral to the specialists/organizations or to existing programmes (rehabilitation
and substitution therapy for IDUs, care and support for PLH, resocialization for
transgender people after the surgery, etc.).
� Social support with employment, housing etc.
� Organization of social and business network of community services: cafe, barber
shop, massage parlour, souvenirs shop, arts workshop, etc.
2. Health care services:
� Elementary first aid provision.