Europe Newsletter - December 2014

Volume 1 - December 2014

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This is an IFMSA Publication© 2014 - Only portions of this publication may be reproduced for non political and non profit purposes, provided mentioning the source.

Dear IFMSA people and partners,

The EuroTeam is very proud to present you the very first issue of our European Region newsletter! Here you can find some articles that reflect the work done by the EuroTeam so far, as well as some activities that our European National Member Organizations have been organizing!

We hope that in the future we receive more articles, so this platform help you promote even more your amazing activities.

Finally, if you’re not following the European Server on your e-mail, don’t forget to send an empty e-mail to [email protected].

We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter!

Warm regards,

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A succesful campaign - The outcome of the EPHA PDP

Advocacy and campaigning is something many of us are familiar with and do at various levels. It is a competitive field with lots of other NGOs and industries; being successful therefore necessitates both brain and hard work. Here are a few tips.

Why now? Have an argument ready for why this topic is relevant right now. Is there a negotiation round coming up? Has another stakeholder just given a statement that you (dis)agree with?

Create a movement: Public pressure is very effective and can be created by many people using your twitter hashtag or signing a petition. This shows the politicians that the public is concerned.

Health and economy: The politicians are generally very concerned about the economy. Financial arguments for changing health policies are therefore a good way to get attention.

Partnerships: When many NGOs partner up and represent big groups of the public, they can be very effective. Agreeing with

many other NGOs means that everyone has to compromise.

Use figures and statistics: Politicians love when they can argue there’s a direct link between what they do and the impact it has on society, especially in specific percentages or numbers.

Marie Hauerslev

Joint Action on Health Workforce in Rome

On the 4th and 5th of December, together with Alberto, Elisabeth Holven (NMSA), Miguel Cabral and a delegation from SISM-Italy, I attended the 2nd Meeting of the European Commission’s Joint Action on Health Workforce

in Rome, that focused on the planning of human resources for health, taking into account the European needs and the different countries’ capacities and priorities.The event was divided in

different sessions and topics such as Employment of the Health Workforce, Planning Methodologies and Data and International Recruitment of Health Personnel were addressed during them.

This was a great opportunity to learn something about the structure and the functioning of the European Commission, and also to raise awareness among the participants of the working groups about the perspective of the studentsWe had the chance to meet professors and public health officers from all over Europe and to discuss with them the positions of IFMSA.

A little impact for a better future in European healthcare!

Stefano Guicciardi

European Youth Forum General Assembly

Me and Kornelija, IFMSA’s LOSO, we’re present in this event in November.

This is the biggest youth platform in Europe, with a lot of impact in our region.

They work a lot in Youth Rights, such as working conditions, employability, non-formal education and others.

There, we have advocated for the importance of health for

youth, and we have taken part in a lot of discussions, such as the TTIP and Climate Change, so important for Health. We have also participated in the construction of the work plan, where we assured that Universal Health Coverage was also part of it.

Finally, in this GA the new board was elected and we got the chance to talk with them and express our concerns and expectations for the next term.

Alberto Abreu da Silva

A broken promise

November 20 marks the 25th anniversary of the CRC, “a promise to children” as UNICEF describes it. “The world made a promise to children” they say, “that we would do everything in our power to protect and promote their rights to survive and thrive, to learn and grow, to make their voices heard and to reach their full potential.” And now, after 25 years, we celebrate a broken, destroyed promise.While the CRC is the most

universally accepted (191 countries) human rights instrument in history, it hurts to see that, just because something suit their purpose, people still remain blind to those children who have:• rights to NOT have children

when they are one;• rights to NOT play under

bullets;• rights to NOT die of hunger

and thirst;• rights to NOT get infected

by already controlled

outbreaks;• rights to NOT make

speeches to beg;• rights to NOT live without

loving parents and a warm place called home.

I am not sure if we should call it tragicomic, but it amazes me, after all those years, how this saying still fits our world:“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”, by George Orwell.

Bahar Bas

Key to success, by TaMSA - Tatarstan

The project of Tatarstan Medical Students’ Association “Key to Success” is scaling up and becoming increasingly popular among the students. We invite famous local professors to share their steps to success and to discuss the way they chosen. The aim of the project is to motivate youth to strive for scientific and professional accomplishments as well as to train healthcare leaders. Broadening students’ horizons and sharing experiences are main tasks.

Through the discussion, students can get answers to questions, focus on experiences of older generations and discover the history of our university.TaMSA-Tatarstan team has already organized two meetings. Our first meeting was with the well-known Russian psychiatrist David Mendelevich.

The key to success, as professor Mendelevich mentioned, lies in devoting yourself to profession. Our second guest was the students’ favorite Eduard

Yakupov, professor of the department of neurology, neurosurgery and medical genetics. He thinks several years after graduation are vital for the doctor formation process.

In conclusion, I would like to quote Pele “Success is not a matter of chance. It is hard work, perseverance, education, research, sacrifice and, above all, love for what you do and what you learn to do”.

Adil Utkuzov

Dutch and Belgium SCORAngels: a match made in heaven?

Last easter, somewhere high in the Swiss Alps, an idea blossomed.

SCORA Belgium was present as an observer at the NECSE, so that they could learn to set up peer education programs. So, the idea to organise a training weekend between Belgium and the Netherlands originated.

Half a year later, on the 17th of october, it was there.

On Friday the weekend, held in Maastricht, kicked off.

It started with trainings from the IFMSA-NL training team, to continue on Saturday morning with a sample peer education class, which was improved by BeMSA, to maximally fit their classes.

We practised all day, discussed difficulties in peer education and learned so much from each other. We enjoyed the evening dancing, to finish up the weekend on Sunday early morning with discussing how we would go on from there.

Some IFMSA veterans might know the feeling of having a great idea at an international meeting, and I hope newer members are yet to experience this.

I can honestly say that not letting it be just ideas, has been wonderful. Seeing their endless motivation, dedication, and passion, one can only say: “These SCORAngels are worth their wings”.

Lotte Dijkstra

COP 20 - Lima

COP 20, Lima. A forum to lead sustainable innovation guidelines in the post-2015 agenda. A cornerstone event drawing closer and closer. As the policies involving Climate Change are entering the spotlight we must ask ourselves about the challenges regarding this process.

AECS-Catalonia in collaboration with IFMSA and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) want to promote and

focus the attention of medical students around the globe on this theme, so often underestimated. In order to spread and encourage recognition of this theme we are organising an international event: the Global Health Summer School, held in Barcelona (Spain) from the 12th to the 17th of July 2015 on the theme of Climate Change and Health.Droughts, the spread of vector borne diseases, the greenhouse effect, water and air pollution

are some of the critical consequences of climate change. As medical students and young professionals we should be able to understand the impact environmental policies have on health. It is not an easy task to balance the interests in play behind the advocacy making process. Gaining knowledge on the topics that will affect us is our responsibility.

Olexsandr Yashchenko

Culture Night 2014

“Homeland is life itself. As the blood flows in the arteries, like the heart in the chest beats, as the thought in the brain flows, so the homeland lives in us”.

These words most fully reflect the dedication and pride of English-speaking students of the Medical University of Lublin who, with undisguised joy desire to bring us closer to the culture and traditions of their countries. May 18 English Division IFMSA-Poland Committee in Lublin had the honor to invite all

enthusiasts of multiculturalism to an incredible journey to distant corners of the world: the Culture Night 2014.

During the project our students organized fundraising events and a charity concert to support

Doctors Without Borders. Medical students in addition to a huge passion for their chosen field have hidden talents that are waiting for disclosure. Singing, dancing, martial arts are just a few examples!

This year we presented: Traditional Saudi wedding, Taiwanese Pop Dance, Scottish and Slavic music and much more.

On the day of the concert the exhibition “Multicultural Lublin” saw the light of day, showing students in national costumes (from Taiwan,Thailand, India, Saudi Arabia, Poland) in front of the historical background of Lublin.

Maria Gołębiowska

SCORP-City Trip

The European Union is active with topics of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace.

In our Local Committee at the University of Amsterdam we have numerous projects on migrants and refugees, of which we are very proud.

This past January our NORP at the time, Roos Kistemaker, approached the committee with a beautiful idea that I just had to see come to fruition and so the SCORP - City Trip was born.

In October this year, after months of planning, we departed from Amsterdam Central Station with a group of 20 IFMSAians from multiple Local Committees across the Netherlands with Brussels, Belgium as our destination.

The entire purpose of the trip was to open everyone’s hearts and minds with a 3-day inspirational tour.

To give an insight in the work of organizations such as the Office

of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Doctor’s without Borders and many others. We also visited the European Parliament to hear what the Union is doing for refugees and human rights.

This trip was a beautiful experience, highlighting that

there are good people in the world doing good work every single day.

Breathing new life into my commitment of doing my part.

Shacara Blake

EuRegMe news!

Finally, we are very happy welcoming you to the XII European Regional Meeting (EuRegMe) that will be hosted by our National Member Organization IMCC-Denmark!

It will take place in Aalborg, Denmark, between the 24th and

28th of April. Also, don’t forget about the Pre-EuRegMe workshops that will take place in Aarhus, Denmark, between the 20th and the 24th of April.

For more informations, see below the registration dates and respective prices and check the website www.euregme.com.

Registration Dates

• Early registration: 20.01.15 – 03.02.15;

• Late and Pre-EuRegMe registrations: 05.02.15 - 18.02.15.

Prices

• EuRegMe Early registration 140€;

• EuRegMe Late registration 200€;

• EuRegMe Observers 300€;• PreEuRegMe 160€;• PostEuRegMe 210€.

Marcus Ross Christensen