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MOTIVATION LETTER Dear SCORA, PAMSA and IFMSA family, I am very pleased to present my candidature for SCORA Regional Assistant for the term of 2015-2016 of the America´s Region. My name is Carlos Andrés Acosta Casas, a 21 year old medical student of this amazing continent currently studying in Brazil but originally from Colombia. Although one page is quite undersized to express fully my spur, I will try my best to transmit the energy, glee, joy and heart beat raise I get each time I pronounce SCORA in my head. To tell you more about me, I was born in a traditional ´latino´family in the city of Bogotá, full of orthodox values coming from catholic-european cultures as well as muisca-native american ones. The reason why i´m telling this is that neither one of those worlds included Reproductive and Sexual rights in their philosophical discussions in a way that it was open for people to express or fight for their rights intrinsically. Bottom line, I was trapped and I guess my motivation in finding a space in the world to be able to speak up for those rights and be ´me´ during the process originates in that context. One of the teachings given by my elders was that life has always been seen by native cultures as a series of dyes with diferent meanings and celebrations of those who inspired humanity to grow each day. So one day I thought “ love can be a color too” and today I celebrate it studying to become a physician as well as seeing the world with my eyes on utopia and my feet on earth. I entered DENEM in the year of 2013 (my first year as a medical school student) because of revenge. On my second day of school one of my lecturers manifested that “gay doctors are conditioned to be mediocre ones”. I really don´t want to enter in analysis of this phrase due to the fact that I believe it is self explanatory, but the fact is that I decided that if there was something I needed to do during my university years was to proove him wrong. The next day I decided I would go to my Regional Meeting of Medical Students (EREM) in the city of Rio Grande where there would be a space of discussion of diverse topics including medical education, discussing health as a right, human rights and opressions, the LGBT community, etc. I became an enthusiast of the Student Movement in Brazil and became Regional Assistant for the First Southern Division of Medical Students in Brazil acting in SCOME, SCOPH, SCORP and SCORA projects as well as assisting the national Culture Cordenation and Health Education Cordenation throughout the year. I rapidly became invloved in activities in my NMO attending National Assemblies, Executive Organ Meetings, Regional Meetings, National Trainings as participant and facilitator. By this time I forgot about my teacher´s words and alleged that I will prove him wrong in life anyway. I decided to embrace the journey of being a medical student as a whole and join the fight for a better and more humane way of thinking about medicine, life, patients and people. It wasn´t until last year´s Brazilian Medical Student Congress (National Assembly) in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais that I decided to run for the NORA position of more than 100 local comittees and a politically polarized country. The debate was not easy, I was going to be then the first foreigner brazilian student ever to held a national position in Brazil.
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I became confident and remembered that today love is my color and I was ready to face new horizons, far more the ones I ever imagined. I got to know brazilians better, had to get out of my “colombian comfort zone” and see myself part of their medical and social culture as well. So now I´m a NORA, a simple one. I thank my national team, LORAs and the National Executive Direction of Brazilian Medical Students (DENEM) for given me voice as a cultural and social minority in Brazil and be able to carry on many of the activities we believe medical students and the population deserve, seeking each day for a medical context that reverences human rights, benefits social minorirties, seeks for a popular social movement empowerment and a grant of 100% free qualified health acess for everyone in the national territory represented in our National Health System (SUS). This year, my life as a NORA with 124 LCs to attend, has given me all the smiles, hugs, experience, laughs, trainings, fears, handshakes, marchs, campaigns, cups of coffee, emails, sunsets, debates, books, faces, projects I needed to gather the courage and try to step it forrward becoming Regional Assistant for this Standing Committee. Remember my “colombian comfort zone”? Well although I steped out of it to study far more deeply the brazilian context of medicine and social development, it never left. It was during the RM 2015 of the Americas in Cali, Colombia where I started studying the Latin American context as a whole, creating SCORA manuals for Latin America along with other NMOs in various subjects like LGBT rights, Obstetric Care and Gender Based Violence. I used my past knowledge of Latin America to merge new knowledge of the largest country in my continent and in the process seek for other contexts in the region. Although Latin America became my strength and passion in many ways, I couldn´t leave behind the non-hispanic north american countries (USA and Canada) so my recent analysis has been directed to englobe Americas as a whole and comprehend goals and dificulties in each country´s individual milieu. As a result of these scrutinies, life has a new color and that color is America. My aim is to value America´s achievements and try to gather every skill I can to get the Americas involved in the global panorama and stand out in our positive matters as well as correcting our flaws while mantaining productivity and engagement in the top notch. This is just the beginning of a new era for my region and I hope I can paint the hearts of people with the american color not only in the IFMSA but in the population as well. Thank You for this amazing oportunity and time to read this cadidature, Please don´t hesitate to ask any questions
Best Regards
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PLAN OF ACTION I felt the necessity of creating this plan of action taking into account specific needs of each of the three areas of the americas, plans of action of the SCORA Director, LRA and RD for this new term of 2015-2016, and personal experience co-working with the RA 2014-2015, NORAs and LORAs in the region.
In the Americas Region we divide physically in 3:
North America (USA, CANADA, MEXICO): Traditionally known for their advocacy skills. Projects and student engagement will continue to be a great point to work on in SCORA, taking in consideration that it is the greatest research area in the region and where most regional partners are. Increasing national participation and comunication will be beneficial for new NORAs and partners to see the work in our countries. Central America & The Caribbean (El SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, COSTA RICA, PANAMA, HONDURAS, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GRENADA, JAMAICA, HAITI, ST.KITTS & NEVIS): Most of these NMOs are new, which means there are many new NORAs that will need support and follow-up in order to continue activities and engagement from students as well as advocacy skills improvement. Experienced NORAs may help aid those new ones and pass on experiences/trainings/campaign ideas in between others South America (ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, ECUADOR, PARAGUAY, PERU, URUGUAY, VENEZUELA): Although we have traditional NMOs in this area, vasts territories may set apart SCORA work and prejudice ideas exchange. Southern american countries are known for amazing projects and campaigns although generally there is few comunication between countries or transnational projects. Brainstorming our ideas may help develop better projects with local action but global idealization.
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AMERICA´S EMPOWERMENT
1.
SCORA IT & INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT
3.
COMUNICATION STRATEGIES
2.
PLAN OF ACTION
NORA EMANCIPATION & MOBILIZATION
SOCIAL MINORITIES INCLUSION
4. 5.
CAPACITY BUILDING, PROJECT SUPPORT
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1.
SCORA IT & INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT
One of the things I will emphasize on as a Regional Assistant is to build a bridge between the SCORA international networks and have more participation of NORAs in the international panorama. Guidance of NORAs and LORAs through the 5 main focus areas in SCORA, before knowing what we need to improve we need to know what achievements and goals we have reached as a region so above anything I plan to make a preliminary mapping of triumphs by NORAs in the region Active Participation of the SCORA International Team and setting a Regional Agenda is really necessary to have a proper follow-up of the region´s activities as well as getting people acquainted of new activities Ideas Migration and Brainstorming. I believe that by taking an open position about idea exchange with other regions (RAs, LRA, SCORA D, other regional teams) in the world while valuing and maintaining our hard work as a region will give us a benefit to grow as a whole. This is why I will keep close attention for SCORA´s international campaigns and improve our participation in international projects by giving access and support to NORAs with manuals, media, capacitation and information of these activities International Trainings during the RM in URUGAY is a great space for the nourishing of more trainings as well as active participation in SRTs, and NAs are really crucial in our countries do to difficulty in mobility and access to “physical” IFMSA training spaces. The Search for New Partners is definitely a priority in our region, it would help increase the international SCORA network as well as getting along with new ideas for on-line and present trainings, webinars, workshops, etc. Always taking in to account opinion and cooperation of the LRA, SCORA D, and RD Having a close and friendly relationship with the America´s Team will give us a better fighting hand to help each other and integrate our needs, goals. Working together we create a multi-cultural and poly-faceted view of a plan of action.
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AMERICA´s EMPOWERMENT The most important part of the Americas it´s the Americas itself and valuing everything good we have produced in our region during the last couple of years. I want to give value to our knowledge and let us be reference in many SCORAction there is in our NMOs. Identify NORA needs and personal goals for the country by individual surveys and meetings. Organize event timetable to unify the region´s panorama and give continuity and/or aid to projects. Unify our plan of action in the region so national campaigns are able to go along with the international context as well as respecting individualities. NORA Love Project recognition of the best projects in SCORA in each country let us identify our strength and share strategies/information/points of view between the communities. Advocate not only with medical institutions but with society as a whole. In the end, the population is whom we are working for and the people must be heard as well. Contacting NGOs and Social Networks by a NGO Buddy Database is necessary to keep in touch with the people and set their specific needs. For this task I count on active participation and consultation with our LRA, SCORA D and RD. Search for OUR ROOTS. Valuing and creating regional discussions to identify our proper American context is really important for us. Giving the Americas a working space in new specific topics within our region like “Indigenous Health Rights” and “Tropical Sexual Diseases and Climate Change” are topics we have left behind and are critically endemic for our region. Part of our process of emancipation is working along NGOs, OAS office for UNDP and UNAIDS and Social Movements to create new conducts of facing this issue hand to hand with working with other regions our LRA and SCORA D. Increase Participation in regional and national gatherings Argument Debates with regional authorities and students in order to analyze our social determination of the health-disease process and brainwave about social needs faced in the Americas.
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COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES One of the most difficult challenges that we face as a region is staying in touch. Vast territories keep us apart making it hard to gather up. This is why we face a valorization of internet media and online communication to grasp every inkling we have. Not every NORA beholds a smartphone to constantly see Facebook. Using more conservative strategies like email server communication has been a good strategy to converse with people who don´t have access to internet 24h. RA Availability for meetings, webinars, etc. will be one of my top priorities. NMO Communication is as well important in cases where there is no NORA, or not an active SCORA team. Collaborating with the NMO team like the President or VPE is important to create participation strategies to upgrade the nation´s SCORAction. PAMSA-SCORA Facebook Group and subscribing all NORAs to the mailing list is a great way to keep everyone in touch with the global panorama, calls and activities that SCORA is developing world-wide. NORA Buddy System for new NORAs is a great way to help new member of a SCORA family to learn everything about SCORA. I would pair up an experiences NORA with an unexperienced one for us to communicate and capacitate better SCORA´s freshmen. Webinars/ Online Debates/America´s Heart Beat are superb platforms to gather information. Utilizing them more actively we can surpass many obstacles in terms of communications. Daily Communication via WhatsApp Group for virtual love sharing and emergency questions Contact server update so everyone has our mailing info
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SOCIAL MINORITIES INCLUSION I truly believe that SCORA is a place for all. I wanted to take a specific action in really making SCORA a democratic sharing environment. We can always get better in this topic. Our occidental society has been structured in such a way that generally we don´t take into consideration social minorities’ needs in our projects, activities and even in our SCORA discussions. Key fact is that most of our continent is a buildup of social minorities. A Brazilian motto, “Respeite as mina, os mano, as trava” (Respect the girls the guys and the trans) reflects what a social inclusive action bases itself on. Respect. We, as future doctors and social educators, are able to change our minds and think in a much more inclusive society and that comprises internal policies within our SCORA spaces.
I am enthusiastic to create a representative space for social minorities within the region where women, indigenous, black, and the LGBT communities can dialogue directly with medical students, attending directly to the population’s requests. It is time for social minorities to speak up for their rights within our context. That includes medical students that belong to those social minorities. Ideological Webinars and Debates. Problematizing specifically how society works and how Social/Economic conditions mold realities we find in the region is really important. This can be reflected in our health systems and the way we approach peer education, sex education, and other SCORA programs. Constant communication with social minority NGOs, gathering international advocacy skills to support the population in a general way as well. Continuous discussions with the LRA are really important to guide me on how to make the approach and what type of relationship are we looking forward to as a team. Regional discussion groups to help students think out of the box, feel each time more confident to speak up, learn from strengths and mistakes and enlighten ourselves of new topics and information. For these spaces we will seek for participation of medical students that actually belong to social minorities to lead discussions and activities in interest. For example: SCORA & SCORP open discussion on Rights, Health and Stigma with participation, consultation of SCORP RA, LRA, LHR, SCORA D, SCORP D, and RD Americas SCOPH & SCORA open discussion on Universal Access and Social Inclusion with participation, consultation of SCOPH RA, LRA, LPH, SCORA D, SCOPH D, and RD Americas
Manuals such as the SCORA LGBT for Latin America
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CAPACITY BUILDING, PROJECT SUPPORT One of our strongest points in the America´s are our really creative, colorful and energetic projects! I´ve been most proud to see year after year great ideas and each time bigger, better, larger projects. I identify we can support them by having stronger trainings during the RM and Gas or emancipating NORAs to held trainings at NGAs. I want to dedicate lots of time in this topic. Universities were created by humanity to produce knowledge and capacitated people that could transmit that knowledge and apply it to society in order for the benefit, wellbeing and development of the population. This concept is called: Popular University and I really think it is what our amazing projects are made for. Taking each time a better clutch on what society needs and in which way a project could help it in a short, mid, and long term basis. Capacitation in writing, public speaking, project construction, impact determination, and time management are certainly trainings every local and national officer may use on a daily basis. Keep in touch with our projects support division to clarify inquiries related to project construction and program development. Stimulate Social Minority inclusions on projects by videos, documents and debates Emancipate NORAs and LORAs by granting access to confident information on related topics Aid on project applications for project fairs, MSI, FELSOCEM, ENLAS, as well as other publication spaces having support of our LRA, SCORA D and RD in the process. IPAS, PAHO/UNAIDS are our main partners in the region, seeking for new partnerships and bringing new trainings for the Americas will be a goal. Now having proximities with the White Ribbon Alliance and Latin Women Organization there is definitely a potential of developing new spaces for SCORAngels to explore always having consultation, guidance and participation of the SCORA D , LRA and RD Bringing international SCORA activities and incentivizing creation of SCORA Exchanges, CSEs taking help from experiences in other regions and in articulation with LRA, SCORA D and RD as well as the whole PAMSA team.
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CURRICULUM VITAE Carlos Andrés Acosta Casas Nationality: Colombian Date of Birth: April 5, 1994 Address: Praça Conde de Porto Alegre, 15, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Phone: +55 51 98554123 E-mail Address: charlieaacosta@gmail.com Skype ID: thecharliestyle EDUCATION
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
POSITIONS HELD
2005-2007
2014-
National Officer on Sexual and Reproductive Rights Including HIV & AIDS (NORA)
2015-
First Southern Division Coordinator of Brazilian Medical Students
2014-2015
Local Comittee President
2014
Head of the OC for the XXII First Southern Division Regional Meeting of Brazilian Medical Students (EREM Sul-1)
2014
Logistics Support Division for the XXXXIV Cientific Meeting of Brazilian Medical Students (ECEM)
2013
Local Exchange Officer (LEO)
2013
Local Officer on on Sexual and Reproductive Rights Including HIV & AIDS (LORA)
2014
Local Officer on on Sexual and Reproductive Rights Including HIV & AIDS (LORA)
2013
Support Division on Health Education (RA COES- DENEM)
Colegio Nueva Granada
MIDDLE SCHOOL:
2007-2009
Colegio Nueva Granada
HIGH SCHOOL:
2009-2012
Colegio San Carlos de Bogotá
MEDICINE DEGREE:
2013-
Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre
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LANGUAGES
SPANISH: Mother Language ENGLISH: Advanced reading, writing, and comprehending skills. C2 IELTS & SAT certificates (2012)
RELEVANT TRAININGS AND SESSIONS FACILITATED
2015-
PORTUGUESE: Advanced reading, writing, and comprehending skills. C2 CELPE-Bras Certificate (2012) FRENCH: Intermediate reading, writing, and comprehending skills. B2 DELF certificate (2010) GERMAN: Beginner reading, writing, and comprehending skills. A2 Göehte Institut Zertifikat (2014) OTHER RELEVANT POSITIONS
2014-
President at: Gender Sexuality and Health Studies Nucleus (EGSSUFCSPA) Member of Sexuality and Gender Research Nucleus (NUPSEX- UFRGS) Directive member of the Academic League of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at UFRGS
2015-
Student Representative of LGBT Health issues for the State of Rio Grande do Sul´s Commission on Human Rights Member of the First Southern division of the Brazilian Medical Education Association Collegiate
2014-
SCORA sessions, Small Working Group on Obstetric Violences and Humanised Birth (AM Macedonia)
RELEVANT MEETINGS AND TRAININGS ATTENDED
August 2015-
IFMSA General Assembly: August Meeting (Macedonia) National Training Forum, Rio de Janeiro (RJ, BR)
NPET Trainings Forum, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
April 2015-
SCORA Sessions DENEM National Assembly Florianopolis
DENEM National Assembly Florianópolis
January 2015-
PAMSA RM Cali, Colombia
October 2014-
XXII First Southern Division Regional Meeting of Brazilian Medical Students (EREM Sul-1)
July 2014-
XXXXIV ECEM National Assembly, Brasilia
SCORA Sessions for the XXII First Southern Division Regional Meeting of Brazilian Medical Students (EREM Sul1) NPET Training XXXXIV ECEM National Assembly, Brasilia
September 2014- Brasilian Medical Education Congress
Indigenous Health Training in the V College Extension Meeting, São Paulo, SP
September 2013- XXII First Southern Division Regional Meeting of Brazilian Medical Students (EREM Sul-1)
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