International Carnival of Pozitivities

An e-mail from Ron Hudson just popped up in my mailbox:

Dear Friends of the International Carnival of Pozitivities (ICP):

The 13th consecutive and first edition of Year Two of the ICP will be hosted at ScribeSpirit eZine. We, myself and the hosts Jody and Jolen, are now seeking submissions for this first edition of the new year.

Please visit our last edition and the ICP Homepage to read the details of this project. All twelve existing editions are available via links from the homepage.

If you are living with, working to treat or cure, or concerned about HIV/AIDS and its potential effects on your loved ones, yourself or others, then consider adding your voice to the conversations about this disease. At the very least, please talk about HIV/AIDS among your peers and help us eliminate the stigma that so many of us in this community experience. Want to do more? Write up the story of your life with HIV/AIDS, tell about a loved one or friend who is your hero, or simply write how you feel about this topic. You can contribute anonymously, although our aim is to put a face on this illness and to live without shame and guilt for carrying a virus in our bodies. The more open, honest and genuine you can be, the more powerful your message.

We accept written testimonials, video, music, poetry, original artwork or anything else that might shed light on life with HIV/AIDS and its treatment. All of the work for the ICP is based on the idea of volunteerism. It is, in fact, a social experiment of sorts to show that through compassion and generosity, we can all gain more than what we put into life. If we care, we can make things happen on an international grassroots level without need for financial gain. If we simply take that first step of sharing, how powerful can we be? I hope that you will consider conquering fear. I hope that you can help us face our lives as the opportunities to promote compassion that they are rather than succumbing to our multi-culture of fear and stigma. We all need inspiration. Will you be inspiring?

As always, I must ask as well if you would like to host the blog carnival on your own website or blog. The ICP homepage has the schedule for future editions and a link to email me to volunteer. Any mention or permanent links added to your blogs and sites to promote the ICP will be appreciated. Feel free to forward this email to your friends as an invitation to join our community.