[Viva] Calling for Feedback from Members

Sun Jun 12 14:14:54 PDT 2011

Hi there working group, 

I appreciate that your letter is honest and that you are expressing some
openness to communication with PWN.  I also appreciate how tricky it is for
the working group to navigate these issues.  

I was glad to see that you are speaking as  the working group and that you
have signed it as such.  Since ViVa is an informal group (which is what
makes Viva so great!) and the working group are not 'elected', it is an
important to clarify who you are speaking for which you have done. i.e you
are not attempting to speak for all Viva members.   Also, it's great to put
a call out for  our feedback too as long as it's understood that lack of
feedback doesn't necessarily mean it is endorsed by all members.   That
said, it's  great that you provide the opportunity for voices to be heard.

My sense is that out of the 40 plus members of Viva it is a minority of us
who are attached one way or another to the PWN "issue".  For most there is
likely no 'issue' and they are neutral.   That is just my sense... and
that's why we mostly hear from the same people on this issue, including me!

I would urge the working group to ponder this question:  'what specifically
do you need to move forward with these issues or do you even want to move
forward with these issues?"  (not asking for the actual answers ...just a
question to ponder).   

No group/organization/company is perfect and that's because groups etc are
made up of human beings and we are all far from perfect!  Individuals and
groups are "WORKS IN PROGRESS" .    Of course it is necessary to give
feedback and ask for change when things aren't working the way you would
like.  The more specific and concrete you can be in asking for changes , the
better and more effective it will be.  If we as people and as organizations
are not growing and changing , we are stagnating.  Three cheers for growth
and change; individually and collectively.

Thanks for the contributions of all to the Viva e list.

Wishing a relaxing Sunday to all,

Kath

From: viva-bounces at lists.resist.ca [mailto:viva-bounces at lists.resist.ca] On
Behalf Of VIVA Working Group
Sent: June-10-11 8:01 PM
To: ViVA
Subject: [Viva] Calling for Feedback from Members

Hi gals,

After consultation with the ViVA membership, the ViVA Working Group has put
together this draft letter to send to Marcie Summers at PWN.
We would like the response to reflect the opinion of of ViVA women,
therefore please let us know if this draft is acceptable. You can do this by
clicking REPLY to this email, sending a separate email to
<mailto:vivawomen at gmail.com> vivawomen at gmail.com or if you prefer call
Margarite toll free  <tel:1%20866%20482%203445> 1 866 482 3445
Please reply by Sunday evening.
Thank you 

Dear Marcie Summers,

ViVA would like to thank you and acknowledge the receipt of your invitation
for 1 or 2 members to attend a PWN staff meeting for "information sharing".
We welcome the potential of future communications.

Many women in Viva have informed us of their concerns regarding working with
PWN, so it is important for us to gather more information about such a
meeting before agreeing to it. Therefore we would like to see an agenda and
know what "information sharing" looks like to you.  ViVA has made efforts in
the past to create a reciprocal relationship with PWN and we felt this
involvement was discouraged. Given the nature of past experiences, we would
like to know what, if anything, would be new and to our mutual benefit.

Viva is a unique group of women who have an understanding and appreciation
of what it is to live with HIV. We have been in existence 4 years and our
membership is growing steadily. This is due, in part, to the large numbers
of women living with HIV who have felt devalued, alienated and/or have not
had the kind of support they were looking for through their experiences with
PWN.  It is important to bring this up, since over the years many women
living with HIV have experienced marginalization, and we see it as a
recurring pattern.

The ViVA working group agrees that in order for talks to begin between PWN
and ViVA it would first be necessary to acknowledge our shared history and
take steps towards reconciliation. This email is being copied to the above
addresses because we believe it is time for transparency.

We appreciate you contacting us and sincerely hope that you will embrace
this opportunity to begin honest discussions. We look forward to your reply.

Thank you,

Funke Ilumoka

Alexandria Keating

Margarite Sanchez

Tami Starlight

VIVA Working Group

 <mailto:vivawomen at gmail.com> vivawomen at gmail.com

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