Leaving the PWN Board … for now

For the last few years I have served on PWN’s board of directors. We have at times been a small group, with directors coming and going, but we always sought diverse representation and participation of HIV+ women. It has been a satisfying experience and I know I will run for election again in the future.

My first foray into sitting on a board of directors was with the Canadian AIDS Society 10 years ago. I was nominated by my peers and encouraged to give it a try, so I did and much to my surprise, I was elected. I was curious and eager to be involved. I also had no idea what I was getting into! Thankfully I had joined a very supportive board of directors who modeled for me a whole new set of skills. It was at times painful and I often felt awkward, but with perseverance and observation I learned the protocol and felt my confidence growing.

For me, the largest challenge of board work was defining what I was doing – what does a board of directors do? What does a director do? I needed to figure that out for myself and put it into my own words before I could trust my ability to contribute. I reckon board work involves accounting to and representing the membership, overseeing the society’s budget, observing and (when appropriate) evaluating staff performance, appraising potential research and community projects, participating in fundraising, and representing the society in public. I feel most competent as a director when I am attentive to the voices brought to the table and when I have informed myself of the current and emerging issues.

I have always felt a need to volunteer and this need has been expressed in various ways over the years. Sitting on a board is something I enjoy and it engages both my interests and my skills set. It requires me to look at the ‘bigger picture’ while keeping an eye on the details. For example, I am primarily engaged with safe and affordable housing advocacy. I join protests in keeping with my code of ethics, and I try to educate and stir up compassion in others. PWN has portable housing subsidies and I got involved with board work pertaining to these subsidies. Did you know that the money raised for PWN during the AIDS Walk goes towards these subsidies? The details are me staying informed and active; and the bigger picture is my board work around housing research and policy.

I feel confident of the work I did while on PWN’s board and I am excited to see what the new board does in the coming years. I leave with nothing but the best of memories and desire for more.

- Monique

The Annual General Meeting of Positive Women’s Network’s will take place on June 29.  
  

This was posted on Friday, June 18th, 2010 at 10:00 am and is filed under News . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.

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