CAPS celebrates 20 years of PositiveFaith with The Power of Peer Support event

Photo by Harli Marten on Unsplash

The charity Catholics for AIDS Prevention and Support (CAPS) celebrates 20 years of their HIV peer support ministry, PositiveFaith. Since 2003, CAPS has been a voice for people living with HIV in the church and a Christian voice in the HIV sector. Over the years, an empowered and inclusive community of people living with and affected by HIV has developed. Across the country, the members of PositiveFaith provide practical, emotional and spiritual support for each other. Of all faiths, sexual orientations, and from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the PositiveFaith members meet in peer support groups, and for residential weekends. PositiveFaith offers a safe space for people to share their experiences, be strengthened in faith and learn from one another.

CAPS trustees and supporters are representative of the diverse backgrounds and theological views of people living with HIV. Beyond mutual support, CAPS empowers the members of PositiveFaith to raise awareness and challenge the stigma still associated with HIV in our faith communities, and therefore help to prevent new HIV infections.

To commemorate this milestone, CAPS will be hosting three public events this year and the first event, The Power of Peer Support, will take place on 15 June. This event will explore how the meaningful involvement of people with HIV offers solutions to the challenges of HIV in society. Following the example set by the early AIDS Activists, we celebrate the ways in which people with HIV overcome stigma together today. This event will be especially relevant for anyone in the HIV sector and people living with HIV.

Our first speaker will be BHIVA's Dr Laura Waters who will talk about the value of peer support from a clinician's perspective. Professor Jim McManus from PHE will then share his thoughts on improving awareness and understanding of HIV in churches and wider society. Abigail Chakanyuka and Tyrone Allee will both share their own experiences of living with HIV and what peer support has meant for them. Dr Vincent Manning will then explore the role that spirituality and faith have to play in supporting people living with HIV.

A small group exercise and Q&A session led by Dr Stuart Flanagan will then take place before a final contribution from Father Timothy Radcliffe who will reflect on the day's discussions and the importance of friendship and support.

Offering a radical welcome, open dialogue and opportunities for reflection and encounter, the PositiveFaith ministry is accepting of any person living with HIV. Uniquely, faith-sensitive support is offered to those who need to understand and navigate their experiences within the context of their Christian faith or religious identity. CAPS remains committed to serving people living with HIV and being bearers of Good News in the church and wider society.

Join CAPS in celebrating this remarkable milestone and experience the power of community and support in the lives of people living with HIV.

For more information or to register for this event, please visit The Power of Peer Support events page: www.eventbrite.com/e/positivefaith-the-power-of-peer-support-tickets-585699652427

CAPS is a UK-based charity founded in 2003 to be a voice for people living with HIV within the church and society. Including people of every faith tradition and those without faith, any sexual orientation, and every ethnicity, CAPS is dedicated to creating an empowered community of people living with or affected by HIV. Through its peer support ministry, PositiveFaith, CAPS provides a supportive environment where people can share their experiences, foster adult faith development, and engage in HIV education and prevention efforts. Committed to raising awareness, educating the public, and reducing the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, CAPS works in partnership with secular HIV agencies to promote understanding and provide access to the resources of Christian faith and community. For more information, visit: www.positivefaith.org.uk