The Positive Leadership Development (PLDI™) offers people living with HIV the opportunity to develop skills for leadership and resilience.

The program originated in Canada and Living Positive Victoria brought it to Australia, in response to local demand that was evident in the first Australian Stigma Audit (NAPWHA, 2012).  PLDI™ identifies and builds the personal sense of agency and capacity of people with HIV fostering resilient leadership practices and strengthened community outcomes.

The program was piloted in August and November 2013 with 23 participants from a range of backgrounds around Australia. It was evaluated in terms of process, impact and outcome.

Key findings included:

• Increased resilience in both groups following the workshop and at one and six months follow-up;
• Increased emotional intelligence in one group; decreases observed in the second may reflect loss to follow-up;
• All participants experienced improvement in at least one outcome measure;
• Resilience and emotional intelligence;
• Greater confidence to participate in community activities; and
• Sustained practical skills for resilience and leadership.

In the participants’ own words they discovered:

• 'Increased levels of motivation and willingness to challenge myself’
• 'Newfound level of comfort in flexibility’
• 'Stimulated thinking regarding dimensions and practices of leadership'

Importantly, these translated into outcomes for the community as well:

• 'Reinvigorated passion for participating in the HIV sector’
• 'Timely reminder of my reasons for involvement’
• 'Inspiration to continue in my journey representing Indigenous PLHIV'