The Positive Speakers Bureau (PSB) is regularly booked by a broad range of audiences in NSW. These include:
- High schools especially the Crossroads programs and other safer sex educational programs,
- Hospitals and universities to complement workforce training around blood bourne viruses (BBV) bringing a human face to the patient experience,
- HIV/AIDS and Related Programs (HARP) units across Local Health Districts (LHDs) as part of their sexual health promotion and harm minimisation training and education,
- Employment Services who book speakers to educate employers about HIV and reduce stigma and discrimination in the workplace,
- Sexual Health Centres offering a lived experience of someone who lives with HIV to reinforce the message of safer sex promotion,
- Pharmaceutical Bodies to complement information about HIV medication and the lived experience of HIV treatments,
- Professional and business groups to share information and raise awareness of the lived experience of people living with HIV,
- Theater and drama groups to learn of the practical experiences of people living with HIV and more…
Content and Timing of Talks
Bookings often include two speakers – both a man and woman living with HIV – to present their story especially in the case of single-sex groups like schools or other educational venues as the experience of a woman with HIV can be quite different to the experience of a HIV positive man.
Usually, a single talk take one hour with no more than 45 participants, and this can be negotiated with the PSB Coordinator in advance of the presentation. Schools and groups usually split the audience into smaller groups and engage more than one speaker. For larger groups, this is beneficial for both the audience and the speaker as a smaller group can mean participants are more comfortable asking questions. Speakers usually allow enough time for questions at the end of their talk.
