This year there is a new Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD) Award- titled the ‘Sector Champion Award’.
This award recognises an outstanding organisation or individual working outside the Tasmanian ATOD sector. This organisation or individual will have made a significant contribution to leading or supporting meaningful change that has benefited an organisation delivering ATOD services and programs, or the broader ATOD sector.
Bit of a mouthful but hopefully you get the drift.
Sometimes (well quite often) it is easy enough to feel like we are climbing a mountain by ourselves but if we look around we can spot those individuals and organisations out there who make an impact in our sector.
It may be, for example, a local police officer, a volunteer Board Director or a nurse in a hospital who contribute their time to make an impact to drive down drug related harm. They may have connections to a local community organisation in regional Tasmania, they may go the extra mile for ATOD clients who present to their work and advocate effectively on their behalf, they may speak to their colleagues and raise awareness of ATOD issues.
Do you know of anyone like this? Allies are important and we should celebrate them.
Go here if you do and nominate them:
Dr Jackie Hallam
Policy Manager
Jackie’s career path reveals a lifelong learner, always searching for, and interrogating, contemporary evidence-based knowledge to drive policy and research work for the ATDC. Jackie enjoys applying this skill when collaborating on strategy, thinking about systems and problem solving generally.Read more✖Dr Jackie Hallam
Jackie’s career path reveals a lifelong learner, always searching for, and interrogating, contemporary evidence-based knowledge to drive policy and research work for the ATDC. Jackie enjoys applying this skill when collaborating on strategy, thinking about systems and problem solving generally. Jackie is committed to alcohol and other drug subject matter demonstrated through a rich tapestry of experience in roles such as researcher, frontline work in needle and syringe programs, program evaluation and now in the policy role she has held since 2016. In more recent years Jackie has become well practiced at people management and loves to be part of a team – especially a team like this one at the ATDC. Working with Alison and the team is a career highlight and she feels like the team has hit a ‘sweet spot’ with the current mix of skills and talents, underpinned by strong shared values. Jackie would love to see a time when there are sophisticated conversations about alcohol and other drugs. In her words “…drugs have long been used by humans, it is time that we stop discriminating against people who use. Most people use alcohol and or drugs with minimal harm or disruption to their lives, but there exist some who experience way more harm- why is that?” Career highlight:
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Tasmania, 2006 – ‘Rise and Stall of Harm Reduction Policy in Australia, 1980 – 2000’
