Fonds RBSC-ARC-1770 - Positive Women's Network fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Positive Women's Network fonds

General material designation

  • Multiple media

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Fonds

Reference code

RBSC-ARC-1770

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Physical description

ca. 1.6 m of textual records and other materials.

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1991-2017)

Administrative history

The Positive Women's Network (PWN) was formed in 1991, in Vancouver, British Columbia, as a support group run for and by women living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV positive/AIDS) and/or Hepatitis C (HCV). Their values included responding to the needs of individual women through women-specific services, working together as a community of women infected and affected by HIV and/or hepatitis C, recognizing the impact of colonization on the history and experiences of Indigenous women, applying the principles of Greater Involvement of People with AIDS (GIPA) and Meaningful Involvement of Women with AIDS (MIWA), working together across sectors on shared issues and goals, and being a trans-inclusive space that was also child friendly.

In order to achieve these values, the organization offered free programs and resources to women living with HIV and hepatitis C , women who were vulnerable to those diseases, as well as to health care and service providers throughout British Columbia. These programs supported communities in providing a full spectrum of non-judgmental care to women and their families. The PWN provided support and education in the form of advocacy, retreats, a drop-in centre, food bank, hospital visits, a hot lunch program, information and referrals, one to one support sessions, support groups, telephone counselling, and support for family and care providers.

One year after its foundation in 1991, the PWN received an invitation to join the Pacific AIDS Resource Centre (PARC) partnership on Seymour St. in downtown Vancouver. Originally a volunteer based, small peer support group, by 1993 the PWN had hired its first paid staff members, including an executive director, a part-time office coordinator, and a part-time newsletter coordinator. They started producing a quarterly magazine at this time, "The Positive Side" and would continue publishing and distributing it over the course of the next twenty two years. In 1995 the PWN moved into the "Women's Centre" within PARC and began the Physician Education Project to educate health care providers on women’s specific HIV/AIDS related issues. As the organization continued to grow they began several research projects, partnered with AIDS Vancouver and Mclaren Housing, continued with the Health Provider Education Project, launched a female condom campaign, and created the first “Pocket Guide for Women Living with HIV”, published and distributed nationally. By the year 2000 PWN moved to its own office on Davie St.

In 2001 they created and distributed the “HIV & Women Toolkit” and in 2002-03 they launched the Women and AIDS Virtual Education (WAVE) website. They formed a partnership with Youthco and held their first Aboriginal Women’s retreat. Over the next several years they would hold many other retreats, develop a women’s retreat toolkit, and receive an AccolAID Award for Innovative Programs and Services. In 2008 PWN launched the Provincial Service Provider Training Program, and in 2009 they created the Positive Players project including the You Should Know (YSK) website. In 2010 they began the Leadership, Engagement, Action, and Dialogue (LEAD) Provincial Needs Assessment, and launched a peer support training program. By 2012 over 760 HIV + women were members of PWN, and they had 7 full time employees on staff. At this time they launched the Aboriginal Women’s Support Group, and published and distributed the Pocket Guide on Aging for Women with HIV. In April of 2017 the PWN Board of Directors voted to close the organization due to lack of funding and the changing landscape of HIV/AIDS services in British Columbia.

Custodial history

Scope and content

The fonds consists of records related to the Positive Women’s Network (PWN) various programs and projects, support and educational resources, and operations and administrative activities. The fonds reflects this in the following three series: Operations and Administration, Support and Education, and Programs and Projects.

The Operations and Administration series contains records related to the PWN’s administrative activities and day-to-day operations including the Board of Directors’ policies and procedures, operational budgets and applications for operational funding, correspondence with other organizations, strategic planning for the organization, and organizational budgets.

The Support and Education series consists of records related to the PWN’s various resources for training and supporting PWN members, their friends and family, health care providers, and the larger community as a whole. Record types include retreat materials, toolkits, pocket guides, training kits, educational materials, Positive Side newsletters, magazines, workshop materials, artwork, memorial and guest books, and other materials.

The Programs and Projects series features records related to the several programs and projects that the PWN launched either individually or as partners with other organizations.

Notes area

Physical condition

Materials are in generally very good condition.

Immediate source of acquisition

All records were acquired directly from the Positive Women's Network.

Arrangement

The records in this fonds range from 1991 to 2017. Where present, original order and file titles have been preserved in the current arrangement. Many records are without original order or description, and have therefore been arranged and described to reflect the intellectual order reflected in the above series.

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Script of material

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Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Access restrictions have been placed on some files in order to protect third-party privacy.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Permission to reproduce copyrighted materials must be obtained from the copyright holder(s).

Finding aids

Finding aid available in this database.

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Related materials

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

General note

Video Cassette Identifiers: RBSC-ARC-1770-SPVT-01 to 28.
DVD Identifiers: RBSC-ARC-1770-SPDVD-01 to 02.
CD Identifiers: RBSC-ARC-1770-SPCD-01 to 10.

Physical description

Includes: 28 video cassettes.
10 compact discs.
Two 3.5" floppy disks.
23 posters, 3 banners.
1 glass plaque.
1 glass sculpture.
2 Positive Women's Network pins.

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Fonds arranged and described by Claire Williams in fall of 2017.

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Script of description

Sources

Records in the fonds.
Positive Women's Network Website: http://pwn.bc.ca/
Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange website : http://www.catie.ca/

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