[Viva] Calling for Feedback from Members

Sun Jun 12 20:10:03 PDT 2011

well said Kath :)

________________________________
From: Kath Webster <kathwebster at shaw.ca>
To: viva at lists.resist.ca
Sent: Sun, June 12, 2011 2:14:54 PM
Subject: Re: [Viva] Calling for Feedback from Members

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 vivawomen at gmail.com or if you 
prefer call Margarite toll free 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
vivawomen at gmail.com

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