Newsletter 164
Contents
Action of the Week
Full details about the bumper edition of "Action of the Week" can be found here in honour of World Aids Day
- E-ACTION: Go here
- Parliament Square Lobbying, Thursday 29th November 2007 10.00 – 15.00 (10am speeches)
- Early Day Motion (EDM) No.183: Get your MP to sign it!
- Action Cards
- Enjoy all your World AIDS Day (or week) events!
National News and Events
- Ghap's Asylum campaign
- Christmas Cards!
- National Conference 2008 Voting
- Defend Primary Healthcare
- Control BAE Speaker Tour
- Awesome Essential Medicines DVD!
Local Events
Anything Else
Of the Month
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! Join in Medsin discussions at http://www.medsin.org/discuss
National News and Events
Ghap's Asylum campaign
On Tuesday 11th December, there will be a meeting in Parliament to provide an opportunity for campaign supporters (i.e. YOU!) to meet with MPs to discuss the future of health care for vulnerable migrants. The meeting will start at 6:00 pm and finish at 8:00.
The DOH/Home review on health care for Migrants is due for publication in December this is a chance to express your concerns on the suggestion that primary care access might be restricted. For more information on the review go to the Medact page, or for more information about how you can get involved through Medsin, click here.
Not just any old Christmas Cards
Every year, many of you Christmas cards to send to family and friends. This year please help Medsin without spending any extra money, and buy your Christmas cards from www.studio51.com. We receive a ground-breaking 51p in every £1 you spend…..
Studio51 have a fabulous collection of high-quality cards at fair prices; starting at £3.99 for 20 and up to £6.50 for 10. The website is very easy to use: just select your cards, select Medsin as your chosen charity, pay online or by cheque and the cards will then be delivered to you by first class post within a few days.
Please, please support us by shopping here, and please pass this on to all your family and friends so they can support Medsin too.
National Conference 2008 Applications
The bids are in and it's voting time. The applications to host the National Conference can be viewed here, and cast your votes by e-mailing VoteNow
Defend Primary Healthcare
Write to your MP this week The countdown to the publication of a government review on access to healthcare for vulnerable migrants has begun. Neil Gerrard MP has tabled an Early Day Motion (a statement of beliefs) in the Houses of Parliament "against any measures that would compel general practitioners, and other primary care staff, to be forced to charge refused asylum seekers or other vulnerable foreign nationals for NHS care." (EDM 220) If we can get 100 MPs to sign this EDM, the findings of the review will stand more chance of being debated. This means we will have more opportunity to push for changes.
So, IF YOU DO ONE POLITCAL THING THIS WEEK, go here, download the template letter to MPs, add your name, adapt it as you see fit and mail it to your MP. You can find out who your MP is by putting in your postcode here. Many thanks!
Control BAE Speaker Tour
- Wed 28th Nov - Edinburgh
- Thurs 29th Nov - Newcastle
The talks are organized by the Campaign against the Arms Trade as part of their "Control BAE" campaign. This campaign is looking to expose some of the business dealings of this arms company and keep up the pressure on the Government to reopen the Serious Fraud Office enquiry into the massive Al-Yamamah arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
The talks will look at the impact of the arms trade and corruption on development and human rights.
Details of times and venues can be found here
If you are interested in getting involved in Medsin's Arms Trade campaign please let us know. Our address is armstrade@medsin.org
Nick and Jen Arms Trade Co-Ordinators
Awesome Essential Medicines DVD!
The pièce de résistance of the Theme Team at the UK IFMSA conference was the DVD they produced (the culmination of over a year's work!), which includes two films and 5 Computer Assisted Learning kits. Find out more and get your copy for almost free (miniscule cost just covers P&P) here now! Limited stock available
Local Events
Bristol
Hi there, Here's an update on what's happening at Bristol this coming week!
AIDS Awareness Week! 26th November - 1st December There are plenty of things going on all week, so get involved with whatever takes your fancy!
Tuesday 27th November: CAKE SALE, as well as T shirt and balloon sale, outside ASS library at 1pm
Wednesday 28th November: FILM NIGHT - HIV: A virus not a moral issue. A short film tackling the fight against HIV/AIDS in the worlds' poorest country. Showing by Christian AID about HIV / AIDS in Sierra Leone, followed by post show discussion with the producer. The film is showing at 5pm, in MR 1 in the union, 1st floor.
Thursday: PRE-WORLD AIDS DAY LOBBY IN PARLIAMENT SQUARE,WESTMINSTER THURSDAY 29 NOVEMBER 10am-3pm HOSTED BY: THE STOP AIDS CAMPAIGN (See Action of the Week!)
Stop AIDS campaigners from around the country will be transforming Parliament Square with a giant AIDS awareness ribbon made of 8000 red carnations - representing the number of people dying of AIDS-related illnesses every day. The Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander will be opening the event at 10am and our MPs from Bristol have been invited.
You can find more info for this event on facebook: http://bristol.facebook.com/event.php?eid=5664292837
For more information please email Sofia.
Thursday 29th November (evening): CINEMA TRIP: The Witnesses - a film showing at the Watershed Cinema. A heartfelt and intelligent adult drama which explores the onset of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Showing at 17:40 and 20:20 More info
Friday 30th November: WORLD AIDS SPEAKER NIGHT, organised by Christian Aid. Speakers: Jane Machira (Christian Aid HIV coordinator in East Africa, Jennipher Sakala Uwishaka (Christian Aid Country manager for Zambia, who specialises in HIV work.) 6:30pm - 7:30pm, MR 1 1st floor in the union.
Saturday 1st December: WORLD AIDS DAY!! BALLOON RELEASE at 1.30pm in Broadmead, the Podium
The Mayor, 4 of Bristol's MPs, guest speaker from Treatment Action Campaign and a magnificent sight of 999 red balloons! A great chance to lobby your MP. Be there!
SINGING FOR SEX: 7pm Avon Gorge room, The Union.
- SINGING FOR SEX -
This live talent show takes place on WORLD AIDS Day, Saturday December 1st.
9 top acts have made it through the auditions, now perform on 1st December and a winner is determined by an audience vote. It always proves to be a very popular event on the student calendar, last year drawing in more than 250 of you. The standard of performance is always very high.
So come along, you'll have a great night and be supporting a great cause. All proceeds go to: SPW (student partnership worldwide) an international NGO that recruits volunteers to lead programs that address urgent health and environmental issues (such as HIV & AIDS) in Africa and Asia... Click for more info
DETAILS: Time: Doors open at 7:00, 1st act at 7:30pm Venue: Avon Gorge, Union Tickets: These will be in the form of red t-shirts, which you have to wear on the night, and will cost you £6.00. They will be on sale outside the refectory every lunch time.
- 9 top singing acts
- House Band to open the evening, so come early!
- Epi priced drinks
- Dance show featuring the FUZE dancers
- Raffle with a lot of good prizes to be won
- You get your very own beautiful red t-shirt
- AFTERPARTY in Syndicate- VIP access, £1 off entry, queue jump... (make sure you're still wearing your t-shirt)
Don't hesitate - come along to the refectory to buy your t-shirt ticket between 1pm and 2pm everyday!
Anything Else?
The following aren't officially affilliated with Medsin, but we thought you might be interested.
IPPR talk on trade and globalisation
Bad Samaritans: Rich nations, poor nations and the threat to the developing world http://www.ippr.org/events/exchange/?id=2913 07 December 2007 1-2pm, ippr (Institute of Public Policy Research) offices, London
At this Friday Exchange event, Ha-Joon Chang, an Economist at University of Cambridge and leading critic of globalisation, will discuss his book: Bad Samaritans: Rich Nations, Poor Policies and the threat to the Developing World. In his book, Ha-Joon argues that the world's wealthiest countries and institutions like the IMF, World Bank and WTO want to see all nations developing into modern industrial societies. In practice, though, those at the top are 'kicking away' the ladder to wealth that they themselves climbed.
Cambridge International Development Course
Interested in international development? Want to advance your knowledge and understanding with help from top academics and professionals? The IDC is for you!
Welcoming participants from all disciplines and levels of experience, this single-day programme provides an introduction to issues in international development.
The programme includes lectures about the state of development with reference to the past, present and future of development thinking and practice. These lectures are complemented by a choice of interactive workshops, tackling specific issues such as the environment, poverty and inequality, humanitarian relief work, and global citizenship.
The December International Development Course promises to be both inspiring and challenging, while focusing on introducing the main areas that international development addresses. This is also the chance to interact and learn from development professionals whose daily work puts theory into practice. Not a day to miss!
Cambridge International Development Course Saturday 1st December 9.00am- 4.30pm, Law Faculty Booking is obligatory £8 (includes buffet lunch and refreshments)
For more information, and to book your place, go here
This event always SELLS OUT, to avoid disappointment book early.
Child Family Health International (www.cfhi.org)
Socially responsible, financially just, global health programs for Medical & other students of the health sciences in Bolivia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Nicaragua and South Africa.
- Choose from 17 program sites around the world.
- Programs are 4 to 8 weeks long & run every month of the year.
- Clinical rotations with local preceptors in a variety of settings
- Housing with local home-stay families (guest houses where home-stays are not available)
- Spanish language instruction (including Medical Spanish) in all Spanish-speaking programs
- Fundraising resources (including scholarships) available
- Academic credit arranged upon request
Of the Month
Campaign Focus: Stop AIDS
The first half of 2007 was a great time for the Stop AIDS Campaign. To keep it brief, the two main things that happened were:
- At the training day in Birmingham back in February, we set up a nationwide steering committee made up of regional representatives, so that local groups could contribute more easily to the national campaign.
- On March 20th, almost 100 students descended on Parliament (red t-shirts, infamous pill costumes and all) to lobby their MPs and the Secretary of State on the issue of access to treatment, specifically for Thailand who were trying (against much opposition from big pharma and elsewhere) to provide their citizens with more affordable treatment. The lobbying event was a huge success since the UK government subsequently spoke out in support of the Thai government, ultimately leading to the provision of medicines for 8000 more people in the country.
More recently, October saw the hugely successful ‘Unite to Fight AIDS’ Speaker Tour visiting 18 different universities in the UK. About 1500 students attended local events to listen to inspirational and moving talks on HIV/AIDS and activism from Ntenje Katota (19, Zambian), Shahada Kinyaga (24, Tanzanian), Will Horwitz (22, British), and Katy Athersuch (24, British). We also took the tour to Parliament, where we were welcomed by the All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS. Here, the speakers were told by one MP (who had been working on HIV/AIDS for 20 years) that it was ‘the best presentation on AIDS’ he had ever seen. Unfortunately, despite the positive feedback only 3 MPs were present, and the Department for International Development (DFID) did not send a single representative. This signaled a worrying change in attitude from Brown’s new team, and presents a great challenge to campaigners for the coming year, especially in terms of lobbying MPs.
World AIDS Day, the biggest event on the Stop AIDS calendar, is coming up on December 1st. As always, it should be a fantastic day for raising awareness, having loads of fun, and getting our message across. If you’re stuck, we will soon be sending out packs with info and films etc that you can use if you want. In the meantime, please bear the following things in mind while planning your WAD events:
- Stay informed: the briefing pack is a great resource to use, available at www.medsin.org/campaigns/stopaids.
- Book your MP to come to your event, or go to their surgery so you can tell them what they can do to change things.
- Collaborate as much as possible with as many different groups and societies at your university.
- MOST IMPORTANTLY, don’t stop there! Use WAD as a platform for activities and campaigning throughout the rest of the year.
Medsin has already had a big influence on the Stop AIDS Campaign this year, for example by ensuring that demands for health systems (as well as for financing and drug pricing) are prominent at all levels of the campaign. Over the next year, the government are putting together their new 3-year plan for AIDS. There’s so much more to do. Let’s make sure we influence them too!
For more information, contact me at Stopaids@medsin.org. You can sign up to the monthly newsletter by emailing katy.athersuch@spw.org, and check out our website at http://www.stopaidssocieties.org.uk/.
Take care, and have a happy November!
Rafi
(National Coordinator)
Sexpression
Sexpression National Conference was held in Sheffield 2 weeks ago. Sex in the Steel City was a brilliant and fascinating weekend. The weekend kicked off, after a Friday night in the pub, with Danish pastries and games and just got better from there on in! Steve Slack (Centre for HIV and Sexual Health in Sheffield) opened the weekend with a thought provoking talk on barriers to sexual health. He highlighted our culture of negativity towards sex and lack of open and honest communication. It left us puzzling over the lack of positive messages about sex especially given its good for you and fun (if safe and consensual of course)!! Dr Petra Boynton continued by talking about the messages that pornography gives out and how this influences and informs our sex lives. We also had an open discussion on the massive impact that the media has on society’s perceptions of sex. There were many brilliant workshops throughout the weekend on a variety of topics from HPV vaccine, teen pregnancy and sexual disorders and stigma to stop AIDS campaigning and training on new Sexpression projects. We had a fab Moulin rouge social on Saturday night which left us all feeling slightly worse for wear during Sunday morning’s talks on sexual abuse and child protection. The weekend finished with the election of the new National Committee 2008 – congratulations to them! Sexpression also launched their campaign over the weekend. We would like to see changes in the SRE (sex and relationships education) delivered within schools. We ask for a number of key changes;
- SRE is made compulsory
- The emotions surrounding sex and relationships are more fully discussed
- The importance of a stable family unit (not just marriage) is included
- Young people have a firm understanding of contraceptives and STIs and where and how to access these services. If you’d be interested in know more or getting involved let us know.
Sexpression also has another big event coming up soon too. It is on the 24th of November in Birmingham and it is Sexpression's Sexball! The evening of Sexpression fun is preceded by an afternoon of really interesting talks on sexual and maternal health globally including FGM, HIV and unsafe abortion. Then of course off we go in our black tie with a splash of red to the Sexball. Tickets are £35 including champagne reception, 3 course dinner and entertainment as well as the afternoons events and accommodation. To book at ticket email sexball@sexpression.co.uk Hope to see you there.
Last updated on Monday 26 November 2007 at 23:31.
