by and for women living with hiv
Viva
Viva is a community of women living with HIV in BC, who communicate with other HIV-positive women directly, primarily online.
Viva provides peer support, reduces isolation, offers a notice board for its members to post events and information related to HIV/AIDS, and a space to connect people who want to take action on the issues that are important to them.
Join VIva
Who can join Viva?
To join Viva, you must:
- agree to contribute to a welcoming and respectful space and uphold our participation agreement,
- live in British Columbia,
- be a woman (this includes trans women and cisgender women, whether or not a person was assigned female at birth) and/or Two-Spirit, gender diverse, nonbinary, and gender creative people who choose to participate in a women-centred space
- be living with HIV as confirmed by a health record or health practitioner.
- be a teenager or older – typically, the Viva community is open to people who are 13 and up. Ribbon Community will consider age-specific needs for participants under the age of 18.
We recognize gender is not about body parts.
Trans women are women. We recognize that gender is not about body parts.
We welcome Two-Spirit, gender diverse, nonbinary, and gender creative people who choose to participate in a women-centred space. We recognize Two-Spirit, gender diverse, and nonbinary voices have distinct, unique experiences that we honour and respect.
our beginnings
Established in 2007, the group started as a listserv (a confidential group email list) to facilitate easy communication. Today, Viva provides peer support, reduces isolation, offers a notice board for its members to post events and information related to HIV/AIDS, and a space to connect people who want to take action on the issues that are important to them.
In 2023, existing Viva members approached Ribbon Community (formerly known as AIDS Vancouver) with ideas about future options for Viva, including collaboration with Ribbon. Since then, Ribbon Community has worked with existing Viva members to create a new online space for women living with HIV that will be hosted at Ribbon Community.
the viva participation agreement
Welcoming & Respectful Space
Ribbon Community works to provide a welcoming and respectful space for everyone. With leadership of the Viva Committee, Ribbon has developed a participant agreement for everyone who joins Slack to ensure we uphold confidentiality, respect, thoughtfulness, kindness, openness, and hold concerns and complaints with care.
By joining Viva, participants agree to:
- Confidentiality: We will not share information, identifying stories, or experiences about anyone who is in this space.
- Respect: We are a diverse community. This means accepting that people are unique and have different cultural backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Participants agree to respect each person’s gender, including cisgender and transgender women, and gender diverse people who choose to participate in a women’s-centered space.
- Thoughtful Communication: No swearing or use of verbally abusive and/or bullying language.
- Kindness: All forms of discrimination, hate speech, intimidation and personal attacks will not be tolerated.
- Participate with an open mind and heart: We all have something to learn from each other. While you are welcome to share what has worked for you, be mindful of offering advice to someone who may not want it. Be aware of what you share and how it might affect your sisters.
- Resolve concerns, complaints, or frustrations directly on a one-to-one basis and/or with support of a Ribbon Community team member. Do not use group channels or group messages to address concerns or complaints.
We will work with participants to ensure that all community guidelines are upheld. Ribbon Community team members will follow up with those who do not respect the agreements. Ribbon team members will address any concerns with participants and work towards a way forward that allows everyone to participate while maintaining safety and respect. People who are unable to participate in the group in a way that creates a supportive environment for everyone will be directed to work with a Ribbon team member to resolve concerns.
Let’s make this a beautiful, fun, positive, inspiring, supportive, informative community space for all!
