Newsletter 133
Content
Action of the week
- Protest Outside Reed Elsevier's AGM
National News and Events
- Medsin Spring General Assembly 2007
- Motions and elections at the SGA 2007
- Be on the Next Medsin National Committee
- Be a Campaign Coordinator for Medsin
- A Campaigns day? How exciting!
- Coming to the birthday party? Last chance...
- Sexpression Conference, advance warning!
International News and Events
- Be on the UK delegation to the IFMSA August Meeting, 2007 - in the UK!!
- IPPNW Student Conference in Porto
- IFMSA SCORA Exchange in Sweden
- Tobacco Campaign, get involved
- Interested in international development?
Website and News
The website is for YOUR events being held by YOUR branches, projects and campaigns. It is really, really easy to submit events and news, so please do, and let everyone know what wonderful things you are up to!
Action of the Week
Protest Outside Reed Elsevier's AGM
Medsin have been putting pressure on the publishers of The Lancet, Reed Elevier, to put an end to their involvement in the international arms trade. Reed Elsevier are a leading publisher of medical journals and textbooks and their role in organisation of arms fairs directly conflicts with the concept of health as a universally recognised human right.
To read more about Medsin's campaign and read our letter to Reed Elsever published in The Lancet click here.
To read more about Medsin's new Campaign on the Arms Trade click here
Medsin are joining CAAT (Campaign Against the Arms Trade) to protest outside Reed Elsevier's AGM on Tuesday 17th April in London from 10:30am onwards.
If you are interested in coming please email armstrade@medsin.org
We need as many people as possible to join this peaceful protest - things may be about to change in Reed Elsevier, but we should not become complacent. Let's keep up the pressure and urge them to disengage from their involvement in the trade of weapons including cluster bombs and instruments of torture to regimes with questionable human rights records and a bad record of public spending on health, education, water and sanitation for all.
If you have any ideas for a future action, please email Jen
National News and Events
Spring General Assembly - The Power is Yours
Medsin Spring General Assembly
21st-22nd April 2007
Imperial College, London
Medsin is all about its members and the general assembly (GA) is YOUR opportunity to affect the way YOUR Medsin network operates- 'you got the power!'
There's lots happening, here are some of the highlights:
- Proposing bylaws and policy statements for the Medsin Network- see below for more details
- Vote in the New Medsin National Committee- have your say! Or if you want to stand for election - see below for details.
- Hear what Medsin's campaigns, projects and branches have been up to all year.
- Opportunity to network with branches and groups, weighing up how the year has been, and start implementing change/ setting up new groups for the new year
- Opportunity for training - Handover will be one of the hot topics for this year's SGA.
- Mini-meetings will be happening on issues that affect you- email the national committee for your ideas on mini-meetings
And…
Great Social and lots of fun and Medsin malarkey!
SO if you want to come, then email the registration form to sga2007@medsin.org and lets get the ball rolling.
Costs at the moment are approx £10 for the weekend, which includes two lunches and all the resources.
There will be a Saturday night social (which is optional-pay on the day) but a lot of fun! Accommodation can also be arranged so let us know on the form!
For more information about what goes on at a General Assembly of Medsin, please see details of the Autumn General Assembly 2006.
Please put this date in your diary now and start thinking about making sure your branch/project/campaign is represented. We would like at least one person from each branch or activity, but the more the merrier!
Motions and elections at the SGA 2007
Read all the candidates statements of motivation here and all the motions here so that you know what to expect before turning up!
Be On the Next Medsin National Committee
All candidates running for a national committee position MUST hand a signed candidature form (see here ) to Jenny Jones, national secretary before the start of the first voting session on Saturday, otherwise you will not be eligible for the elections.
There are still some national committee positions that are yet to receive candidatures for. The deadline for submitting a statement of motivation and candidature for THE REMAINING POSITIONS ONLY to be given/sent to Jen is now 10am on Saturday 21st April. Please see the list below for positions that are still vacant:
- Vice President for Projects
- Secretary
- Treasurer - there is a candidate for this position, but they may be elected in the category B elections. If you would like to run for this position then submit a statement of motivation and candidature form as described above, however you will only be standing for election is only valid if this candidate is elected as VPB - if they are not, then your candidature will not be eligible.
- Training Director
For more information on these positions, click here
Be a Campaigns Coordinator for Medsin
Campaigns coordinators for all Medsin campaigns that do not have their own general assemblies are elected at the Spring General Aseembly each year.
Campaigns coordinators run their campaign, liaising with local branches running that campaign, sit on Medsin's activities board and represent their campaign as a voting member of Medsin. Campaigns coordinators also work with the coordinators of other campaigns as part of the Campaigns Team, headed by the Campaigns Director on the National Committee.
There is currently noone running to be coordinator of the following campaigns:
- Fair Trade
- Trade Justice
- Who 4 WHO
- Arms Trade - dependent on this campaign being ratified by the GA
- Health Systems - dependent on this campaign being ratified by the GA
If you want to stand for election for one of the remaining campaign coordinator positions, then send/hand your candidature to Jen by 10am on Saturday.
Medsin's First Campaigns Day!
- April 28th in Leeds
- Free!
- 3 top speakers
- Lots of debates
- One day of action packed, campaigning fun.
- Social Saturday night
- Sunday: optional films and chilled chats
- Politics, ideology, inequalities and Health
- Campaigns Training on media, direct action, vision setting and more!
This campaigns day is for those who have never done any campaigning before and also for those who just can't get enough.
Is this just a Global Health conference? No, its entirly focused on campaigning and how to do it. Though if you enjoyed the GH confernce you're bound to love this.
Is this a first? Yes! Never before have all the campaigns that are part of medsin worked together to bring such an intertesting, useful day.
More information Book your place now
Birthday Party - your last chance
This is your last reminder about the Medsin 10th Birthday Party which is only a month away now! We have to pay the hotel and confirm numbers so if you would like to be there for the best night of your life you need to send your cheques now! I am making the official deadline for me to receive your money 25th April. If not enough of you send your money in then the event will have to be cancelled as we won't be able to pay the hotel so get your money in now!
A reminder of the details:
Accommodation - the hotel is only £31 each including breakfast (and a free 3 course dinner if you stay 2 nights) for 4 people sharing a room. There are various hostels around but they are filling up fast.
If anyone is veggie or would prefer tomato soup and mousaka to prawn cocktail and roast beef please let me know either by email or with your cheque.
The details:
- Medsin 10th Birthday Party
- 12th May 2007
- 7pm-1am
- Royal National Hotel, Russell Square, London, WC1H
- £45 (£30 for current students)
- Dress: Black tie
We are also putting together a global health day before hand which Abi will send you more details of soon.
For those of you who would like to pay online please go to http://payment.medsin.org where it's £50 for doctors and £30 for current students. Please send any cheques made payable to Medsin-UK to: 89 Cardigan Terrace, Heaton, Newcastle, NE6 5NX
National Sexpression Conference - Sheffield - October 2007
This year's Sexpression National Conference, 'SEX IN THE STEEL CITY' is being hosted by Sheffield MedSex over the weekend of 12th-14th October 2007.
If you or your branch would like to receive information on how to register, suggest topics you would like covered or apply to hold your own workshop at the conference, please contact the organising committee by visiting:
www.sexpression.co.uk/conference/
or emailing us at sexpressionuk.conference@gmail.com.
Watch this space for more details, coming soon...
International News and Events
ukAM2007 - Be on the UK Delegation
Do you want to be part of the UK delegation to the IFMSA August Meeting? The deadline for applications is 22nd April.
As you have probably heard by now, the UK is hosting the IFMSA August Meeting in Canterbury. So you don't need to jet off to Australia or Chile to find out about the IFMSA - it's coming home to the UK!
If you'd like to be part of the delegation to the conference now's your chance.
The experience you have will be fantastic, you'll get to learn about Access to Essential Medicines, work with 1000 students from around the world and develop skills. To find out more see the application page.
IPPNW European Student Conference
Porto, PORTUGUAL. 27th-30th April
HURRY get your place! REPRESENT the UK and come to an AMAZING Conference discussing:
- Conflict in India- Pakistan, Middle East conflict and Landmines in Egypt,
- Humanitarian and Volunteer Projects,
- Koyoto Protocol
- Make Trade Fair
- Nuclear energy and Weapons including conflict in N. Korea and Iran, Thyroid Cancer due to chernobyl, Russian and French nuclear Tests
- Humanitarian and Volunteer Projects including the Refugee Camp Project and the UN Millenium development goals.
Email:ippnw.porto07@gmail.com Also - let Kiran know if you're going
Website: http://ippnwporto07.com.sapo.pt
IFMSA SCORA Exchange 2007, Sweden
The IFMSA Standing Committee on Reproductive Health and AIDS is running an exchange with Sweden.
In September 2007, 8th-30th, SCORA-Sweden arranges the 8th Exchange on HIV and AIDS in Sweden. The exchange, which is an international training programme on HIV and AIDS for medical students, is organized by IFMSA-Sweden and national SCORA groups, this year in Lund/Malmö, Gothenburg, Uppsala and Umeå.
The aim of the exchange is to raise awareness and increase the knowledge about HIV/AIDS as a global issue among medical students. This is done by offering medical students from different parts of the world an opportunity to obtain new knowledge and exchange ideas and experiences in this specific field.
Go to this page for more information.
The deadline for applications is May 1st, 2007.
Tobacco Campaign
Do you want to run a tobacco campagn with a big budget?
From November 2005 to May 2006, the European Youth Forum ran the project "Young People: For a Life without Tobacco?" involving 14 student organisations in 14 different countires.
It culminated in two large conferences, out of which was born the Youth Manifesto on Tobacco.
The project was funded through the European Commission and carried out with the assistance of PR-agencies in all Member States. To follow-up of the project, the European Commission has offered a larger focus and more funding for activities of youth organisations during 2007.
If you are interested in helping to organise continued work on this project, or in being part of a Contact Group facilitating, please contact Sarah
International Development Course (IDC) - Book now!
*Interested in international development? *Want to advance your knowledge and understanding with help from top academics and professionals from around the world?
The IDC is for you! - http://cambridge.theidc.org
Welcoming participants from all disciplines and levels of experience, this single day programme provides an opportunity to investigate international development from a range of perspectives:
With five themed strands of seminars there's something for everyone – whether you're interested in the environment, development economics, trade, health issues, shelter and sanitation, education or a bit of everything!
The May International Development Course promises to be both inspiring and challenging- with the chance to interact and learn from twenty-two development professionals, this is not a day to miss!
- Cambridge International Development Course
- Saturday 12th May
- 9.00am- 4.30pm, Law Faculty
- Booking is obligatory
For more information, and to book your place, go to http://cambridge.theidc.org
This event SELLS OUT, to avoid disappointment book NOW!
Last updated on Monday 16 April 2007 at 23:24.
