The program has four key ingredients that contribute to its success and effectiveness:
- Residential — creating an exceptional space for honest discussions that are removed from the distractions of everyday life;
- Selective — individual participants are people who have shown emerging potential for leadership, while the make-up of workshop groups reflect the diversity of positive community;
- Intensive — the program of activities includes social, emotional and physical aspects and active participation is expected;
- Containment — the program is only open to people living with HIV and strong group bonds are formed during the program.
Workshops are facilitated by a team of PLHIV who have all graduated themselves from PLDI™ with demonstrated capacity to lead and train others.
At the end of each workshop, participants who have shown potential are invited to apply for training to become members of the facilitation team. This is part of the long-term sustainability of the program and ensures the sharing of knowledge about emerging issues, needs and experiences within the facilitation team, and among participating programs and the wider HIV response in Australia.
