What is R.I.G.S?
Radical Intersectional Grief Support
A grassroots group that offers supports and services to people impacted by the drug-poisoning crisis.
Offerings include: Virtual open group (Mondays 6-8pm EST); in-person programming; workshops & consultancy.
RADICAL because deaths related to the drug poisoning crisis are products of policy failures and other intentional malicious actions of governmental and related institutions. Healing from the brutal impact includes radical approaches including direct action community organizing and rethinking what care, wellness & community look like.
INTERSECTIONAL because there are more factors at play than a tainted drugs and bad drug policies. The housing crisis, the health care crisis, colonization, capitalism, the displacement of racialized people, the decimation of our land… are intertwined with the grief we feel. A fulsome look at our pain and healing means considering the contexts - both historically and currently- in which they exist.
As no one grief journey is the same, our approaches to healing must also be grounded in intersectionality. To achieve well-rounded care, R.I.G.S aims to offer a breadth of skills, perspectives and modalities that often interplay with each other (eg: The relationship between body practices and emotional processing).
Lead Facilitator
& Program Developer
Morgan Elizabeth (they/them) worked front-line harm reduction, in Toronto, for approx. 8 years, including at at safe injection site, and community organizing. After reaching critical mass,they transitioned to grief specific support for folx impacted by the drug-poisoning crisis. With an academic background in counselling, addiction support and grief/loss, they are in pursuit of becoming a registered counsellor. They have lived experience with grief and loss, particularly related to the drug-poisoning crisis. They come to this work with a wide range of skills- including cognitive processing, body-based work,and spiritual & creative practices. They strongly value community care and hope to build something meaningful together.