Crew joined our international friends at the 20 year anniversary conference of Check-it! an Austrian harm reduction organisation based in Vienna. Check it launched as a peer led drugs harm reduction organisation offering welfare and information stands in nightlife settings much like Crew.
The organisation soon developed “drug checking” as one of the key harm reduction strategies they could offer at parties and in the community offering analysis of drugs using lab equipment. Check-it! now offers drug safety testing in various settings including using a mobile laboratory which will pitch up at parties and in city centres.
Reduse 2018 – New Aspects and Developments in Recreational Drug Use was a two day conference running from 13-14 September which was delivered in partnership with the Medical University of Vienna. Speakers from harm reduction projects across the world attended with speakers from the UK, Australia, the Netherlands and Romania to name a few! There was also representation from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Abuse (EMCDDA) – an agency collecting data about drug trends in Europe and the creator of the “Know Drugs App.”
Crew is part of a European network of organisations working in nightlife settings called “NewNet” which works cooperatively to promote safer nightlife culture and activities. Connecting with other professionals and peer workers from different countries is an essential part of what Crew does, helping us to keep our knowledge and information up to date.