The buzz in the HIV/AIDS community these days is all about the International AIDS Conference. I attended one of the conferences in 2002. It was a whirlwind of activity and I wish I had been better prepared for the magnitude of the event. After the first day of just bouncing around aimlessly I made the point of sitting down every evening with the conference guide to choose what I would do the next day. I reviewed my plans over breakfast and then headed out the door. For a week I was immersed in the international HIV/AIDS community. I engaged in dialogue with people from around the world; my room mate was from Israel and she opened my eyes to challenges I had never thought about before. We were staying in a university dormitory with a few hundred other conference attendees. It was very exciting with conversations going well into the night.

This year the conference is in Vienna, Austria and there is a significance about this particular year – 2010 is the year all those great and powerful (read: wealthy) nations had set for universal access to treatment. Now we all know there is not universal access to treatment around the globe. We do not even have that here in Canada. Promises and platitudes. As much as I dislike focusing on the broken promises and empty platitudes I cannot help but see the fall-out from this lack of action. It can be heartbreaking at times.

Rather than amping up resources and support for HIV+ individuals they are actually  diminishing at an alarming rate. This past year major players have shifted their focus towards malaria and tuberculosis initiatives instead of HIV education, prevention and treatment. It’s all important. A life saved is always important. People need resources to combat malaria and tuberculosis. But why is it a matter of this over that? Why pull back on HIV/AIDS now? This is not the time to remove support from people living with HIV. The fight is not over. Not by a long shot.

Last December the International Community of Women Living with HIV closed down. It was an international network for HIV+ women and I visited the website regularly to keep informed and to hear from women around the world. I found it to be a valuable resource and a great tool to build community. Things are also shutting down closer to home. On June, 21, 2010 Voices of Positive Women in Toronto closed it’s doors. It makes me weep. It shakes me quite deeply. I rail against the powers that deem the closure of a support agency for HIV+ women to be a good decision. It is not a good decision and I fear it may be the shape of things to come. 

Despite the fear and deep disappointment I choose to look at our successes. Here in BC there is a resurgence of peer counselling and I’m witnessing a shift in how we advocate for one another. I’m seeing a return to one-to-one support. We’ve always been a resourceful bunch of individuals, especially at Positive Women’s Network. We continue to overcome obstacle after obstacle. I don’t see how a lack of financial resources will stop us from caring for one another. We are in this till the end. I close with this quote from an anonymous author because I love the image it conjures up: “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘WOW What a Ride!”  Indeed. Hold on tight.

-Monique

Note: To watch live webcasts throughout the International AIDS Conference (July 18-23), visit Kaiser Family Foundation.

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.  
  

There has been a flurry of events in recent weeks aimed at connecting immigrants and refugees with the health and social services that are available.  At PWN, finding a way to reach immigrant women who are living with or at risk for HIV is like the Holy Grail.  I had the distinct (and somewhat accidental) pleasure of attending three recent intercultural events.  All were successful events at which I learned a lot and make some connections that I think will be useful in future.  But I came home with dozens of business cards, highlighted notes, and ideas that are completely disconnected, and it got me thinking about Canadian multiculturalism, the joys and challenges of Vancouver’s diversity, and the overwhelming sense of disconnectedness that newcomers must feel.

I have some (very limited) experience with being plucked out of my surroundings and transplanted in another culture, because I lived in France for one year in high school, without any previous French-speaking ability to speak of.  But I chose this strange and isolating adventure.  My goal was to be immersed and to absorb myself in the language and culture – essentially, to be assimilated for twelve months after which I knew I would be heading home.  This is completely different from the experience of immigrants who – whether or not they come as refugees – are leaving their homes permanently because they think it’s the best bet to build a better life for themselves and their families.  Shahla Masoumi, who spoke on a panel at the Robert Lee YMCA’s Strategic Connections for Inclusive Communities symposium, said that immigrating is like having your whole life saved on a computer and then having it crash.

I also set up and staffed PWN info booths at the AMSSA Diversity Health Fair and the Abbotsford Diversity Health Fair  – two successful annual public events aimed at connecting immigrants with a broad range of health-related services that they may not be aware of otherwise.  It’s obvious that there are many barriers for newcomers to accessing services and support: language barriers, stigma and discrimination, different cultural assumptions, lack of information, the added psychological stress of immigrating, possibly post traumatic stress disorder, and different expectations about what services might be out there.  For women, there are additional barriers because of the patriarchy that dominates most of the world’s religions and cultures, because women are too busy caring for everybody but themselves, and because we require specialized care around sexual and reproductive health.  I think it is also obvious to most moderately progressive Canadians that we want to try to get past these barriers.  But how?

Since Canada prides itself on celebrating cultural diversity and on taking a multiculturalism rather than an assimilation or segregation approach to immigration, how can we possibly find a way to reach everybody?  Maybe the first step is to recognize that there is no Holy Grail … there is no one solution that will work for everybody.  Just because print materials are translated doesn’t mean they will be used … and when it comes to interpreters, much is lost in translation, including humour and personality.  Even the trend toward organizing groups of peers to support each other within a given ethnic community (which I think is a good idea) runs into problems when there is stigma, power imbalance, or distrust within that community.  Marja Romic, another speaker at the Strategic Connections symposium, spoke out against the tendency to think of immigrants as “a group” rather than as individuals.  While some speakers talked about the importance of learning and being sensitive to the cultural norms of a particular cultural group, others were critical of this approach, which they argued focuses too much on “dividing into groups” and not enough on respecting everybody’s diversity, regardless of race, ethnicity or language.

Maybe part of accepting multiculturalism is accepting that one approach won’t work for everybody, which might just mean that we will always be juggling disjointed information and responding to it in disjointed ways.  What do you think?

-Miriam

Positive women are having multiple healthy children and enjoying the joys and challenges of parenting. But being an HIV+ mom and dealing with questions from people who might not know about HIV can be stressful. Questions around breastfeeding alone can be tricky for women who haven’t disclosed to everyone in their community and wish to maintain their confidentiality.

Having a newborn for the first time or the fourth time is an adjustment. Want a confidential space to talk about your pregnancy ups and downs? Those first months of sleeplessness? How to maintain privacy for you and your baby? This June 14, we’ll be offering a support group for women who are pregnant or have had a baby in the past two couple of years.  Share your thoughts, worries, successes and delights with other women. Know you’re not alone.

The group is a partnership of Oak Tree Clinic, YouthCO and Positve Women’s Network. Lunch will be served, and it’s all free of charge if you’re a member of PWN, YouthCO or Oak Tree.

Pregnancy and New Mom Support group
June 14, 12 Noon to 1:30 PM
PWN’s Meeting Room: 103-1033 Davie Street
Please RSVP in advance to Dulce at Oak Tree: 604-875-2250. Bring your belly, bring your babe! If you need a childcare subsidy, please contact Dulce for more information.

 - Janet

Today’s a BIG day for the PWN Health Promotion department.  It has been two years since we decided to take the plunge into the world of social networking, and this, my friends, is our 100th Blog Post!  To mark the occasion, we’ve pulled up a list of “greatest hits” for your enjoyment, and for those readers who, like me, forget what they’ve read until they run into it again …

Our hardest hit (i.e. most popular) posts were last year’s Condom Trivia post for World AIDS Day (everything you never wanted or needed to know about condoms!) and Will that be low risk or high? about the riskiness of oral sex for the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Here are a few other gems worth revisiting:

• Maybe Baby? (June 20th, 2008) deals with the exciting reality that women living HIV can safely get pregnant and deliver healthy babies.
• I Have This Friend … (August 22, 2008) is about the challenges of talking and asking questions about sex.
• HIV Denial and Debate (January 16th, 2009) recognizes the tragic death of AIDS denialist Christine Maggiore and deals briefly with AIDS denialism in general.
• Sunrise, Sunset: HIV & Aging (July 31, 2009) introduces the topic of aging with HIV.  Since that post, we’ve taken up the issue of sexual health for women over 40 with our You Should Know project and an upcoming pocket guide for women living with HIV in midlife and beyond.
• “Chronic Manageable Condition” Exerts Pressure To Be Optimistic (April 9, 2010) addresses the potentially troubling medical trend toward addressing HIV as a “chronic manageable condition”, which is not necessarily a reality for many of our members.

We’ve also covered some BIG news over the past two years, including H1N1, the devastating earthquake in Haiti, and the 2010 Olympics, which took place almost right outside our door.  Another piece of news that might not have gained world-wide attention, but that was a big deal for us, was the decision of Vancouver Women’s Health Collective to open the doors of Lu’s Pharmacy to Transgendered women.

It’s been a busy and rewarding two years both on-line and off, and we plan to continue blogging and building up our readership.  On behalf of all our bloggers, thank you for your support!

-Miriam

We all have three very basic needs which must be met for us to survive; these are clean water, nutritious food and safe shelter. These are of course the most basic of needs and they are for the survival of our bodies. What about the survival of our minds? How about the survival of our spirits? What about going beyond surviving and actually thriving? Then what’s needed? Only you can answer that last question for yourself. I know what I need to thrive. Actually, I’m learning what I need to thrive because I really don’t have all the answers.

Thankfully all of my basic biological needs are met. Despite the fact that I’m living in poverty, on paltry social assistance disability benefits I have found ways to thrive. I was diagnosed HIV+ in April of 1994 and continued to work full time. I lived in a small guest house, in a community of my choosing, and had a little vegetable garden. I was very happy and satisfied. But as the years passed and the virus slowly began to affect my quality of life I realized I needed to make a change. I needed to quit my job and go onto benefits. My body needed a lot more rest than I was able to provide when I was working full-time.

This was a hard decision and it forced me to look at how I define myself. What will I do with my days? How will I stay productive? How will I contribute? What is my function as a citizen?  Along with wrestling with my self esteem and identity I was also faced with the basic fact that I could no longer afford my cute, little cottage. And with the ever increasing frequency of doctor’s appointments I would also need to move into the city. This was a desperate time for me as a lot changed in a very short period of time.

My first city home was a teeny-tiny unit in a housing co-op right downtown. It was certainly culture shock, but I also found it really exciting to be right in the thick of it. The novelty quickly wore off and I found myself looking for a new home within a year. The place that I currently live in is much more suited to my needs for surviving and thriving. First off, I’m out of the downtown yet still very close to the city. It’s another housing co-op so it has a “small town” feel in that I know my neighbours. This is important to me. We also have a lot of outdoor green space, both shared and private, and I’m looking forward to growing some vegetables this summer.

So it seems my three basic needs for biological survival are covered. Whew. How do I nurture my other needs? I find meaningful ways to contribute. I live with animals. I engage in debate. I nap in the afternoon. I spend time with my loved ones. I cook marvellous food. I knit and crochet. I go for long walks. I choose how I need to live with HIV. This is by no means an exhaustive list and it’s always changing. Things are added, deleted and/or amended. We change and grow. We adapt. We survive. Hopefully we thrive.

-Monique

Want to learn more about PWN’s bloggers?  Visit our Meet the Bloggers page!

Next week is Prevention of Violence Against Women Week (April 19th to 26th, 2010), so naturally we at Positive Women’s Network decided to blog about it.  The rates of violence against women in BC and Canada are discouraging to say the least.  For some of these statistics, visit The Violence Stops Here.  I’ve been surfing the web looking for events and activities around the province and I want to highlight a few.  Of course, this is just a snippet of what’s going on, but it’s encouraging to see so many groups organizing and hosting amazing initiatives to raise awareness and get people mobilized against gendered violence.

In the Lower Mainland, the Urban Women’s Anti-Violence Strategy will again be presenting a series of film screenings, panel discussions and interactive forums.  This important partnership of feminist women’s organization currently includes WAVAW, Vancouver Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter, Battered Women’s Support Services, YWCA’s Munro House and Act II Safe Choice.

There is also a full line-up of events planned in Prince George – hosted by a number of  groups including the Elizabeth Fry Society, Phoenix Transition Society, and John Howard Society.

In Kimberley and Courtney, an impressive list of organizations and businesses have banded together to present their own Clothesline Project.  T-shirts painted by women, with messages relating their personal view of violence against women, will be on display in various locations.

Meanwhile, The Violence Stops Here will be hosting a Men’s Roundtable, bringing together men’s anti-violence activists, professional athletes and politicians – urging men to own their role in ending violence against women.  For more information, contact Battered Women’s Support Services.

In the coming week, whether you are a woman or a man, take a moment to think about what role you can play in preventing violence against women, and check out some of the events in your neighbourhood.  If you are a woman experiencing violence, don’t hesitate to call WAVAW’s 24 hour crisis line at 604-255-6344 / 1-877-392-7583

-Miriam

The days are getting longer (we did just “spring ahead” after all), the sun shines now and again, and my hay fever is driving me crazy … yes, it must be Spring. At Positive Women’s Network, that means SpringBoard! Join us for our annual conference, on Thursday April 22nd, from 4:00pm onward, at the Century Plaza Hotel (1015 Burrard St) in Vancouver.

This year’s theme, Confines of Health, focuses on the factors (positive and negative) that shape our health and our ability to access healthcare. In a workshop called We’re all in it together, Sharon Milewski will showcase the WISER project – a partnership between PWN and YouthCO – and will explore the barriers, challenges and strengths that young HIV+ and HepC+ women face. Emily Quinn and Sangam Grant will share what they have learned in their work educating and learning from geographically isolated women through Sangam’s service provider trainings and Emily’s LEAD (Leadership, Engagement, Action and Dialogue) project research. Monique Desroches’ Sacred Spaces workshop will look at acknowledging our whole selves as body, mind and spirit, and creating a sacred space to breathe and meditate.

We are thrilled to welcome three panelists for the keynote session this year – Dr. Ruth Martin, Dulce Feder and Amber Christie, who will share their experiences supporting women to develop health strategies while they are in prison and after.

SpringBoard is FREE and open to all members of PWN and other interested participants, including service providers. Men are welcome.
For more information or to Register, contact PWN at 604-692-3000 or pwn@pwn.bc.ca.

I hope to see you there!

-Miriam

 “What do you want to be remembered for?”
“Kindness.”

So answered wacky, over the top comedienne Phyllis Diller to interviewer Jian Ghomeshi earlier this week on CBC radio. I came in late on the broadcast, but I caught that gem at the end, simply and gently stated.

I first saw Phyllis Diller when I was a kid- her wild hair, long cigarette holder, and her raucous laughter that was often at herself. That vivid persona has stuck with me. When I heard her say she wants to be remembered for kindness, it was a lovely comment on what matters.

BC Persons with AIDS Society’s upcoming AccolAIDS is more than a comment on what matters, it’s an awards evening that honours volunteers, paid staff, visionaries, activists and consistent supportive voices who work on behalf of people living with HIV.

There are several different categories of awards, and people nominate their favourites to win. Kinda like the AIDS Oscars, if you will. I went for my first time last year, and had a great time seeing folks I work with but rarely get to relax with. I found it an amazing evening- the emotion and generousity in the room was moving.

It’s not only an opportunity to reflect on the heart and soul that pours into this community, it’s a fundraiser to support programs at BC PWA. – programs that make huge differences in peoples’ lives. Programs that help people to battle the daily stigma of living with HIV and take care of themselves so they may live lives as full as possible.

I have some folks  I’m rooting for to win, but to use the corny phrase, all the nominees are winners. They’ve all been singled out with respect buy their peers for their dedication to this work. Singled out to be remembered for their work, whether it’s advocating with politicians, working one-to-one with the newly diagnosed, or hundreds of other tasks.   I’ll be  lucky enough to be at the event on April 18 (note to self:  find something to wear) and hope you might consider it too. It’s a good time and a great cause. For more information go to BC PWA’s website and click on AccolAIDS.

- Janet

My name is Jessica Wadsworth and I am very pleased to join the team here at Positive Women’s Network. My official title is Casual Resource Coordinator, which means that I’ll be working intermittently at the PWN office, assisting with social media communications, writing for PWN’s quarterly publications and finding ways to get all of the wonderful resources available here out to all of you. I’m really looking forward to getting to know all of you – or your avatars as the case may be.

Since I am brand new here, I must say that I haven’t had a chance to do a whole lot yet. I’ve been encouraged to read (my favourite pastime) and familiarize myself with the various resources on hand here. So far this has been an amazing experience. There’s such an informative resource bookshelf and staff library here that I’m almost overwhelmed with new information about the services and resources that are available to those that walk through our doors. I hope to be able to pass this knowledge on to our growing community: our members, any partnering organizations, our staff and volunteers and anyone who simply wants to enlighten themselves about the challenges and triumphs of women reaching for self-empowerment and healthy lifestyles. I encourage you to pop by during our drop-in hours and check this library out.

On a personal note, I thought I would jot down a few things about myself just to make this post a little less formal. First off, I am a single-mother. Because of this, I have definitely faced challenges in ensuring that I stay emotionally, mentally and physically balanced. I constantly need to remind myself that this is the most important thing in my life and yet it’s just not easy to do when you’re the only one in charge of… everything. I found a great book here called the “Single-Mothers Resource Guide” published by Vancouver Status of Women. It’s like a cheat sheet of resources that single-mothers can access in this city and the information even takes into account recent provincial cutbacks. If this sounds like something for you, please come by and ask for it. I’m absolutely thrilled to have found it. In addition to that, I’m also a very politically-minded person. So I’ve always got my nose in one important social issue or another finding out just what’s wrong with the world and even, from time to time, attempting to change it.

I may use this blog as a place to urge some of you to action where cuts to HIV funding and support services are concerned. I’ll be keeping my eye on the Coalition to Build a Better BC’s actions in the next little while. This organization is calling on the provincial government to stop eliminating community and public services; fulfill their legislative responsibility to provide adequate, fair and consistent funding to support public services and community groups; and consult with groups and individuals to build public and community services that give every individual the opportunity to participate in building a better BC. They are having a free public dialogue session on March 20th. Register here. Finally,  I also like gardening, photography, poetry, writing and taking my daughter with me to cultural events. I’m going to do my best to work some of my hobbies into the job here at PWN, so be on the look out for some fun and free activities in the coming months!

Have a great day everyone!

Sincerely,
Jessica