The SCORA
X-Change
Manual
IFMSA Imprint Standing Committee Director Carlos Acosta - Brazil International Team Carles Pericas Escale - Spain Anthony Kerbage - Lebanon Frederike Booke - Germany Afolabi Oluwatoyosi Tolulope - Nigeria Jenna Webber - Canada Anshruta Raodeo - India Elissa Abou Khalil - Lebanon Pepe Ferrer Arbaizar - Spain Publications Team Firas Yassine - Lebanon
The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization representing associations of medical students worldwide. IFMSA was founded in 1951 and currently maintains 132 National Member Organizations from 124 countries across six continents, representing a network of 1.3 million medical students. IFMSA envisions a world in which medical students unite for global health and are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values to take on health leadership roles locally and globally, so to shape a sustainable and healthy future. IFMSA is recognized as a nongovernmental organization within the United Nations’ system and the World Health Organization; and works in collaboration with the World Medical Association.
Publisher International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA)
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Contents
Message from the SCORA Director Page 3
Message from the SXC Small Working Group Page 3
About IFMSA Page 4
About SCORA Page 5
What is SCORA X-Change? Page 6
Setting up SCORA X-Change in your NMO Page 6
How Does SCORA X-Change Work? Page 8
www.ifmsa.org
Logistics Page 10
Fundraising and Financial Sustainability Page 13
Communication between the OC and SCORA IT Page 3
Advice from Past OCs Page 3
The SCORA X-Change Small Working Group 2016-2017 created this manual to help you organize your first SCORA X-Change and give you hints from past experiences and lots of our fellow SCORAngel friends. Here you can find hints, definitions and guidelines if you need some help. Of course, you also need to put your own signature to your exchange and this part we can’t guide you in because it lies right within you, your country and culture! We just want to give you welcoming arms to this great experience! Please let the future SCORA Directors know when it needs revision or reforms to attend your needs :)
Welcome Messages
Carlos Andrés Acosta Casas
SXC Small Working Group
Director on Sexual & Reproductive Health incl. HIV/ADS 2016-17
Dear SCORAngels,
Dear SCORAngels,
For a long time now we’ve had SCORA X-changes and we’ve seen how these have grown and had a great expansion of capacity building in terms of the reach of our sharing experiences. We do like to travel but the real reason why our exchange is called like this is not because we do an exchange etween countries but rather and exchange of thoughts, of cultures, of mind fields of hearts and this is all that we want to bring with SCORA.
In light of our past experiences as participants and organizers of SCORA X-changes, we realise the importance of centralised regulations and comprehensive guidelines for the whole process of SCORA X-Changes.
The exchanging of ideas has a lot to do with science of course but as well with developing our emotional intelligence to interact with people, get to know how to deliver sessions and get to know the best ways to actually advocate for the people that needs it. [...] (Text missing in the word document).
In addition to regulations, this manual aims to provide more in depth outlook on SCORA X-Changes and help organizers with useful tips and tricks for making SCORA X-Change fruitful experience that enables participants to understand different focus areas in more global perspective, to exchange ideas and to motivate SCORAngels to get even more involved. Once an OC is motivated, this manual will help them provide step by step guide, everything from setting up the exchange in their respective NMO, to logistics, trainings and sessions that can be done during the exchange. We hope you enjoy organizing or attending SCORA X-Change as much as we did working on the regulations and this manual and keep sharing your amazing SCORA spirit. Lot’s of hugs, SCORA X-Change Small Working Group 2016-17
The SCORA X-Change Manual
3
About IFMSA The year was 1951. Medical students from 8 countries (Austria, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland) gathered in Copenhagen to start a non-political organization for medical students. The purpose was to “study and promote the interests of medical students’ cooperation on a purely professional basis, and promote activities in the field of student health and student relief.” So was born the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA). Initially, 3 committees are formed: the Standing Committee on Medical Exchange (SCOME), the Standing Committee on Professional Exchange (SCOPE), and the Standing Committee on Students’ Health (SCOSH). A bureau of information was set up in Geneva to establish contact between all members and international organizations. A year later the first General Assembly (GA) took place in London, where 30 students took part, representing 10 countries. This year, in 2016, IFMSA celebrated its 65th anniversary. The 8 founding member countries have been joined by many more. IFMSA is now the world’s largest studentrun organization, representing medical students from 124 countries worldwide. Over the past 65 years, the structure and functions of IFMSA have been changed several times. The IFMSA principles have been further defined in the present constitution, and state: • The Federation pursues its aims without political, religious, social, racial, national, sexual or any other discrimination, • The Federation promotes humanitarian ideals among medical students and so seeks to contribute to the creation of responsible future physicians, • The Federation respects the autonomy of its members.
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IFMSA Vision A world in which all medical students unite for global health and are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values to take on health leadership roles locally and globally.
IFMSA Mission IFMSA unites medical students worldwide to lead initiatives that impact positively the communities we serve. IFMSA represents the opinions and ideas of future health professionals in the field of global health and works in collaboration with external partners. IFMSA builds capacity through trainings, projects and exchange opportunities, while embracing cultural diversity so as to shape a sustainable and healthy future.
www.ifmsa.org
About SCORA The Standing Committee on Sexual and Reproductive Health including HIV/AIDS WAS formed in 1992, driven by a strong will to take an active part in interventions concerning HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and to support people living with HIV/AIDS through working to decrease stigma and discrimination. It constitutes one out of the Six Standing Committees of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association which serve as the Body of all Medical Students worldwide. SCORA with a large number of members-SCORAngels as they are called, have grown wide in its work, centered around five focus areas strongly related to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. In 2014, the name of SCORA changed to Standing Committee on Sexual and Reproductive Health including HIV/AIDS as it is more adequate in terms of topics and problems that SCORA is targeting in its actions.
“ In SCOR A we don’t judge, we embrace! ”
— Joe Cherabie, SCORA-Director 2012-13
Mission: To provide our members with the tools necessary to advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights within their respective communities in a culturally respected fashion, this has been accomplished through building the skills and the knowledge about providing trainings on Comprehensive Sexuality Education, other respective reproductive health issues, exchanging ideas and projects, as well as drafting policies and working with our external partners in order to create change in local, regional and international level.
Vision A world in which every individual is empowered to exercise their sexual and reproductive health rights equally, free from stigma and discrimination .
Objectives: • To raise awareness on topics related to HIV/AIDS, and sexual and reproductive health. • To decrease the stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. • To raise awareness and increase knowledge about facts, scientific research, global agreements and documents concerning sexual and reproductive health. • Promote positive sexuality and healthy sexual life. • Advocating for policies concerning sexual and reproductive health and represent medical student worldwide. • Collaborate and facilitate joint actions concerning medical education, public health and human rights. • Provide tools for capacity building for future healthcare professionals in terms of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
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5
What is SCORA X-Change? SCORA X-Change is a unilateral exchange program for IFMSA Members focused on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights including HIV and AIDS, sexuality, gender identity, reproductive and maternal health, and other related issues. The goal of this program is to provide participants with information about the social and healthcare situations of the host country, as well as encouraging intercultural education and collaboration. There are two application periods every year, one in January and and another in June. The first one is for NMOs interested in hosting the exchange from June to November and second one from December to May. It can be held during three or four weeks with activities that may include general sessions, clerkship and trainings. The content of this activities needs include at least three of the SCORA focus areas. In order to promote a better integration of the participants there will be also social programs at least four days a week.
Setting up SCORA X-Change in your NMO Understanding the Regulations Thinking of setting up a SCORA X-Change of your own? First step is to read the Exchange Regulations. This document has all the information you need to know about what to do and what not to do as your organize your exchange. It will help you to know what is expected of any exchange regarding the application process, selecting participants, planning your sessions, the logistics of the program and social events. It will tell you about what your responsibilities as the Organizing Committee are, and what the rights and duties of your participants are. The Regulations give clear directions about every aspect of planning and executing your Program. They
unexpected turn. If you see that the regulations aren’t comprehensive or you would like to add something, the time to do so are the IFMSA SCORA Sessions during the general assemblies. In this space all SCORAngels vote on amendments to the regulations by country! Make sure to read them and also to have voting rights! The Regulations are like the textbook for SCORA X-Change. You must ensure that you abide by them as you set up your program, so that it can be of maximum benefit to your participants and to your NMO. But don't worry, they're not too hard to grasp. And should you have any questions about them, you can ask your RA for help.
also help you know what to do should things take an 6
www.ifmsa.org
Setting up SCORA X-Change in your NMO Selecting the Focus Areas
Ask your RA!
Having trouble selecting a focus area for your exchange? Here are some tips to help you out:
Regional Assistants are the best! And they are always on point with the hot topics going on in the region! Ask for help! There is always a good conversation to start with these amazing people.
As we know, SCORA has primarily 5 focus areas: i. HIV/AIDS and other STIs; ii. Sexuality and Gender Identity; iii. Maternal Health and Access to safe abortion; iv. Comprehensive Sexuality Education; v. Gender Based Violence. A minimum of 3 focus areas should be covered in detail: The focus areas can be selected on the basis of their prevalence in the respective country/region, the available resources for the same: speakers (internal and external), corresponding trainings and clerkships and the range of topics that can be covered in the focus area. For example: In the Americas there are many projects related to HIV… therefore we can choose HIV/AIDS and Other STIs as one of the focus areas if I am a host NMO from the Americas Region. A brief overview including the basics of the other two focus areas should be delivered: As an enlightened SCORAngel, it is our responsibility to expose all the lovely participants to all the aspects of SCORA which would not only enable them to embody the SCORA spirit by being more informed but also to identify a particular focus area/topic they feel passionate to work towards in the future.
Recommendations for OC Structure Introduction: An OC number generally will depend in the number of participants and the number of cities you will be hosting the SCORA X-Change. As such, there must be a responsible person for each of the cities, an OC coordinator (NORA or other) and one person responsible for registration and promotion. These are some suggested members you can base yourself on. Head of the OC: This buddy is the captain of the ship! The head of OC should be responsible for the whole composition of the program as well as responding for all the liability items to be discussed. The tasks of the head of OC (according to us) could be the following: • Coordinating the Proposal; • Communication and coordination of the other tasks of the OC members; • Actively cooperate in all tasks; • (if applicable) coordinate transportation within cities; • Fundraising and financial liability (this could also be coordinated by a separate finances coordinator); • Communication with the SCORA International Team
Agenda Coordinator: This person is in charge of: • Creating the Agenda;
Check the SCORA Strategic Plan! In here, there is a section about the Regional Priorities which correspond to the topics that the region will be working on for the following year! Probably this can get along with your plan and investing in the priorities my come handy for SCORA development all over the world. The SCORA X-Change Manual
• Contacting the facilitators; • Contact the participants for topics related to the agenda (e.g sessions they should prepare)
City Coordinator: This individual is responsible for setting all of the logistics within a specific city or territory (the activities mentioned would be only the city they are responsible for): 7
Setting up SCORA X-Change in your NMO • Lodging and boarding; • Transportation between lodging and sessions venue;
fee (Remember to keep in mind the timeline set in the regulations!):
• Social program;
•
• Support to the head of OC in the search for facilitators and contacts from that city.
Control the applications and the submission deadline for applications;
•
National and International Promotion of the exchange;
•
Organize socials program outside the host city (if applicable);
•
Support to the Head of OC when required.
Registration and Promotion Coordinator: This person is responsible for the treatment of participants. It is really a bridge between the organization and the participants expectations. In many cases he/she/ they can act as the treasurer receiving the application
How Does SCORA X-Change Work? Timeline of Application
Setting up the Agenda
NMOs can apply to host a SCORA X-Change during two different periods of the year. The first is in January, in order to host the program from June to November; and second one is June to host it between December and May. Below, you can see a simplified version of the Timeline of Application. In the Regulations, you can see the complete version for each period.
There are some things you need to know when you are planning the agenda for your SCORA X-Change, we also give you some hints in further sections to help you build an agenda:
• During the month of January/June, there will be the call for NMOs interested in hosting an X-Change;
• There is minimum of 52 working hours for an exchange of three weeks and a minimum of 72 working hours for an exchange of four weeks;
• The proposals will be evaluated for two weeks and the selected NMOs will be announced in midFebruary/July; • Twelve weeks before the first X-Change of the period, the call for participants applications opens for three weeks; • The applications will be evaluated for one week and selected participants will be announced; • Six weeks before the first X-Change of the period, is the deadline for payment.
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• You need to cover at least three focus areas in detail along with a basic understanding of the remaining two;
• At least 10% of those working hours must be dedicated to SCORA general and introductory sessions; The activities may include: General sessions: talk about each focus area, present your NMO, call an expert to host a session; Trainings: such as Maternal Health and Access to Safe Abortion or Peer Education Training; Clerkships: clinical/surgical or other kind of internship in www.ifmsa.org
How Does SCORA X-Change Work? areas related to sexual and reproductive health;
are going to visit.
Social program needs to be held at least four days per week, with the cost being a responsibility of the participants.
• Upload the necessary documents and correctly fill in the application form by the deadline set by the NMO holding the X-Change;
To start up! The best way to imagine your agenda is knowing first what are the strengths of your country and your NMO.
• Pay the necessary fee(s) before the deadline in order to take part in the event;
Participant’s Rights and Duties If you are planning to go to an exchange or if you are hosting you must be knowledgeable of the commitments made when you go for a SCORA X-Change. Yes, participants also have a say in the organization and responsibilities that need to be fulfilled in order to get the best of the exchange and have their certification done.
• Respect the time period of the X-Change (If the student has any problem with the date of the X-Change, it must be communicated to the OC prior to his/her arrival); • Respect the dress code set by the hospital and any other health facility he/she may attend, and respect the country’s culture; • Be responsible for any financial loss caused by a breach in his/her contract.
Rights: when taking part in the SCORA X-Change you have rights to make sure you have the best experience during this event.
• Be responsible for any damage that he or she may cause to the living quarters and other materials lent for his/her use during the duration of the X-Change;
• Receive a complete reimbursement and be informed as early as possible in case the X-Change has to be cancelled;
• Notify the OC at least 6 weeks before the start of the event in order to cancel his/her participation in the event (Details for refund can be seen in the Regulations);
• Be informed in advance of any modifications in the venue and agenda; • Receive indications regarding transport to relevant addresses within the city that he or she is going to be for the X-Change; • Ask for specific dieting elements according to their necessities; • Leave the X-change reimbursement;
at
any
point
without
• Receive his/her certificate after completing the X-Change if he or she completes the requirements stated in the regulations. Duties: the following are your responsibilities in order to have a good relation with the OC and the country you The SCORA X-Change Manual
• Attend at least 80% of the working hours of the X-Change in order to receive the certificate.
How to deal with problematic participants? There are always one or two participants that won’t go to the sessions and are only for traveling purposes. The best way to protect yourselves “legally” is to document assistance and include these cases in your final report. Remember, as an OC you have the responsibility to follow-up and accomplish your exchange by the regulations. • Always be in contact with your RA in when this type of 9
How Does SCORA X-Change Work? participant appears! This way the SCORA IT can know about it and also carry on with tools in order to help you control the situation • Have a penalty system to follow the exchange’s ground rules and also remind the participants about the participant conditions stated in the regulations. • Report the occurred in your final report.
Logistics Always look for the Three elephants: Good, Pretty and Cheap, but then always try to prioritize the cheapest option so everything is able to be covered by the fee.
Lodging and boarding Lodging - contact must be held as soon as possible to be able to find lower prices as well: • Students’ dorm - It's not always possible, however generally it is the cheapest option and also logistically favorable. It is vantageous as well because generally they are located close by the university campus and students are able to enjoy the actual life-hood the the university students. Transportation will also be easier and faster with this option;
these organizations could also help; You can always approach a restaurant and set a price for a specific menu with the owner for x days; You can also manage within the OC to have a boarding commission of people who can help you buy and make meals. To avoid cooking you can brainstorm over different kinds of cold meals or meals that require just a microwave such as sandwiches and healthy salads.
Transportation details
• Hostels;
Between cities:
• Other - students’ houses.
If you opt for public transportation try to buy multiple tickets in group! Sometimes there might be a discount. This generally represents the cheapest option;
Boarding - It’s important not to forget food restrictions for each student: It can occur within the restaurant facilities that the venue has to offer as long as it counts with the diverse menus according to restrictions. If not available these would need to be acquired other way; Public support and municipal programs also can offer sometimes food for studentile purposes so contacting 10
• Renting a car or van may also be an option especially when public transport is not available; • OCs own cars can also com in handy and split up gas among participants; • In some countries commuting car sharing generally www.ifmsa.org
Logistics is available (meaning people that voluntarily accept passengers for a low price) either in smartphone apps or in social media groups. Depending on the number of participants it can also be an option. Between facilitation spaces: • Try walking; • Public transportation generally is the most indicated option but that will also depend on the city and spaces of facilitation; • Free bike rental also occurs in some cities! Finding out about this super eco friendly choice can also be a good one! (please remember to check if all your participants know how to ride a bike).
Social programs the OC responsibility is to give the option for participants to attend or have a social program, however these don't need to be covered by the fee mandatorily because the participants are not mandated to participate of them and as well you never get to control the amount of goods you need to buy per person. You need to do a previous plan of all the expenses these will have despite not covering them participants at least should have info of how much expense they might expect. Cultural: • Museums; • Gardens; • Monuments; • City sightseeing; • Paper Chase Game; • Tradicional Dinner. Leisure: • Go to the beach, river or pool; • National Foods and Drinks Party; The SCORA X-Change Manual
• Night out party. • Teambuilding: • Welcome dinner; • SCORA Movie Night; • Farewell Party.
Recommended Activities for the SCORA Working Hours Want to know what all could be included in the agenda to make the exchange super fun interesting yet informative? Here’s what we recommend: Sessions A. Introduction: A brief introduction of each focus area should be given in the beginning. It would help the new members of the SCORA family to get a general idea about each focus area and the others to brush up on their basics. B. Situation of the hosting NMO should be explained by the OC and situations of the NMOs of the participants should be explained by them important focus areas/ topics (The OC should inform the participants in advance to read up on specific topics like surrogacy, obstetric violence, etc). The participants could present it orally or as a presentation. They could also explain the efforts taken by the government and the NMO to tackle the issue which would facilitate exchange of ideas. C. Sessions by experts (the session could be conducted online using Skype, Hangouts, etc): 1. Our very own IFMSA SCORAngel Experts (Eg: UNAIDS-HIV) 2. People who work in organizations and deal with these issues and the community!!!!!! (Its cheaper as well because they don’t need to travel) 3. Doctors (Psych, ObGyn,etc) - Generally your teachers are the closest and cheaper options! Make 11
Logistics sure they can give a good session! You can judge by the way they give their lessons at congresses and school. 4. Any NGO covering similar focus areas. They are super friendly and if they cannot help by delivering sessions probably you can ask them for help in building the program. D. Testimonies; let people tell their stories! We need an open mic case in order to fully understand social determination in SRHR. E. Sessions by participants: Also, you could get the participants more involved right from the beginning by asking them to present a specific SCORA topic in general. It could be any topic of their choice! You can always join in and discuss the topic as a group! F. Additional topics (except basics and situation) that may or may not be covered: • HIV/AIDS and other STIs - PrEP, Prevention in workplace, mother to child transmission, peer education, stigma(how to tackle or reduce it), how to communicate the bad news(could be delivered as a session by an expert or conducted as an activity); • Sexuality and Gender Identity: Explanation of each term, health needs, myths, sexual dysfunction, paraphilias; • Maternal Health and Access to safe abortion: Surrogacy, Breastfeeding, Contraception, Family Planning, Fertility, Cancers; • Comprehensive Sexuality Education: How to address sexuality in medical consultation, how to use a condom, etc;
Trainings/Activities It is important to keep the method of information transfer and exchange interesting. Using different activities/ methods to discuss the same topic are logistically effective and are an excellent way to reflect on what the participants learn after a brief introduction. A. Soft and hard skills (a minimum of 2) - By certified IFMSA trainers only; B. Debates: • Verbal-Normal/Opposing your own belief(Try to have one on PrEP); • Non-verbal(charts); C. Symposium/Presentations. D. The SCORA Hunger Games, Taboo; Divide the members into teams representing different countries or their own countries. Different resources/privileges like PrEP, legalized abortion, etc and each country will have to justify one privilege that they have a dire need of; E. Charts/Pictorial Representations (Dos and Don’ts, group activities, etc); F. Scavenger Hunt, Relay; G. Any one campaign (General population/schools); H. Ideas cafe; I. 3 recommended trainings: • How to communicate bad news; • How to address sexuality in medical consultation; • How to deal with a victim of GBV J. SCORA Movie Night (At least 1) as a part of the Social Program.
• Gender Based Violence: Obstetric violence and Humanized Labour, Prostitution/sex workers, human trafficking, how to deal with a victim of Gender Based Violence(session/training).
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www.ifmsa.org
Logistics Contacting Externals A. Be packed and prepped. Once the exchange is approved, create a document containing information on your NMO, IFMSA, the exchange and the topic or activity you are requesting them to talk about or attend. B. Convince them so well that they just can’t say no!Tell them a little about the implications as participants from different countries would receive more information to work further and make a difference in their respective NMOs. C. Create the document in your own language as it would be a lot more convenient for the externals as well D. From the SCORA IT, we can also give you a support letter in order to help you get more funding more opportunities! E. Contact our LRA to solve questions and diverse strategies regarding your contacts! Remember you can’t address any external as IFMSA since our constitution and
bylaws only allow the IFMSA TO and EB to represent the federation! In this case you need to first approach it as your NMO and in a latter stage contact our LRA for further contact instructions. Clerkships A. Clinical and/or Surgical Areas such as Gynecology, Infectious Diseases, Mental Health, Urology, Forensic Medicine can be covered. B. Other internships can be proposed such as: • Intern/Assistant in NGOs, public and SRHR related (Eg: WHO internship) • For this you need an open channel of communication with a hospital. It doesn’t need to be mandatorily linked to a University. The link to the NMO is enough. Please me sure the service speaks good english and is knowledgeable of the attendance of international students.
Fundraising and Financial Sustainability Having savings at the end of the exchange is achievable
for people to have a transport mean than other things.
by making three organizational moves.
This is important to know when you get short in funds this
Move #1 - The best way to start to have financial sustainability is to go public! Generally using public spaces to deliver sessions, have a social program and
will guide you what is more important to invest in and since it’s an agreement of the team it might be important to save some fights.
transport participants is the best way to start planning
We know that in order for you to invest money you need
economy.
to collect the participant’s fees as soon as possible!!!! But
Move #2 - Have a Margin! Don’t calculate everything exactly. Count some 20-50 euros more in order to cover possible over expenditures
as you might figure out, making international transactions is not an easy game. Some of the barriers participants have include: not knowing the system, not being aware of the amount they have to pay and legal system barriers.
Move #3 - Have a clear prioritization of materials or
In order to address these.. There are some things that we
elements in your exchange. Sometime it’s more important
can have in mind:
The SCORA X-Change Manual
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Fundraising and Financial Sustainability • Make sure you know the IBAN and SWIFT codes that are necessary for people to make the transfer. IBAN code is the one proper to your account, it is a 34 code number that assigns your personal account to an international database. The SWIFT is the indicator of your bank. Depending on your bank, these informations can be found online. If not make sure to go to your bank office • Also in your bank: ask if there are any legal barriers to receive money from a specific country! (e.g. Argentina can only transfer 1000 USD to Colombia per person) This also will help participants know if there are any things to take in mind and it helps you make a plan B • Search for other methods of payment using platforms
to transfer to specific places. Payment on spot is also permitted by regulations but not recommended as if anything happens with the participant, you might lose this value as an OC. As a final gear, you can also ally with the SCOPE and SCORE IFMSAians that may have a bit more experience in this area. Collaborations have helped past OCs to: Have the same or shared social programs making the fee cheaper Know better strategies for hosting that is cheaper Find diverse activities nearby to venues/hosting facilities. Talk with already existing contacts for fundraising opportunities
like Western Union and MoneyGram that allow you
Communication between OC and SCORA IT From the participants to the OC As the OC, you should appoint a contact person who will be in communication with the applicants/participants of the exchange program before it begins. Generally this person is the one also in charge of the registration process therefore it can be more centralized. This person would be in charge of: • Acknowledging the applications received; • Communicating to the successful applicants after they have been selected by the OC; • Providing necessary information to the participants regarding deadlines for payment and handing in the necessary documents required by the regulations; • Sending reminders to the participants about any special requirements the OC may have; 14
• Psyching up participants for your exchange! The recommended mode of communication is e-mail, however you may choose to have additional modes of communication e.g. WhatsApp messaging especially as it gets closer to the beginning of the program. The participants should communicate only with the OC and not with the NMO’s leadership or the SCORA IT. Therefore it is important to remind them to channel all their questions or feedback directly to you and not to the NMO.
From the OC to the SCORA IT It’s Easy as ABC like in MJ’s song: As the OC you should communicate to the SCORA IT through your respective SCORA RAs. Proposals should be consulted with the RA, and any questions or feedback www.ifmsa.org
Communication between OC and SCORA IT you may have should be channeled through the RA. The RA will be responsible for providing you with all the necessary documents(as stated in the regulations) you will provide the participants with. So ask them to the RAs. The RA will also communicate any important information from the SCORA IT to you.
Following the C.I. and Promotion Strategies As stated in the regulations, all publications made by the OC regarding the exchange that will be shared through official IFMSA channels must follow IFMSA corporate image guidelines. This is very important due to the fact that according to bylaws all IFMSA activities should
follow SCORA C.I. guidelines and if not followed the exchange program could be up to cancellation. Feel free to approach your RA for help to ensure that this is done or follow this Guideline. To promote your exchange program, you will have an opportunity to share your proposals, through the official SCORA channels as regulated by the SCORA IT. This means that there is an agreement reached between all the applicant O.Cs in order to share their exchanges on the SCORA Facebook page and email server. You are however free to promote your program through your own communication channels (from your NMO, your personal ones, etc).
Advice from Previous OCs In this section we gathered the knowledge of a lot of exchanges that occurred all around the world because we think it's nice to hear how was the thing going for the angels that organized it before and also have some point of reference to know who you can ask for help if needed! Here are what our friends told us:
AECS-Catalonia If we look back just a year ago, we can only rejoice infinitely the moment when we decided to join this adventure. At that time, we were filled with doubts and fears, but above all, a great desire and enthusiasm to pull ahead this wonderful project. Seeing the great impact that the other X-Changes had had, we could only try to do our best to carry out a great SCORA X-Change. We got to work and we spent hours, days and months working to bring to reality a complete agenda of sessions and campaigns. And after a lot of stress, tense moments and last minute The SCORA X-Change Manual
tasks, we finally welcomed the wonderful 9 international participants in our home! We created a small family in those days, working tirelessly and achieving great things. So what can we recommend you if you are organizing a SCORA X-Change? 1. Enjoy a lot during the preparation of the event, but be prepared for many unexpected last minute tasks! They will all pay off when you see your participants enjoying. 2. Sessions: • The most important part of the X-Change is to have a complete agenda in which participants learn and enjoy. Try to have the definitive agenda and confirmed externals 15
Advice from Previous OCs / facilitators / rotations as soon as your X-Change is approved. After this, everything will come smoothly. • Have prepared some dynamics or group sessions beforehand in case one of the externals / facilitators cancel in the last minute! It could come in handy and if the dynamics are fun you can always still do them sometime after sessions if the participants are willing for more. • Try to involve the participants before and during X-Change. A good idea is to ask them beforehand to prepare one or more sessions on a specific SCORA topic. They can explain how is the situation in their home countries and they can even facilitate general sessions. This will release some burden from the OC and get the participants involved. 3. Lodging: Try to find a cozy place where participants stay together and have privacy and interaction moments. One of the best things of the X-Change is building a family with the participants! If someone from the OC can stay with them, it will be even better! Take into account that some people want to separate rooms for boys/girls, don't forget to ask your selected participants :) 4. Social Program: Organizing a full social program can be tiring for both OC and participants. Therefore, we recommend that you organise relaxed visits or fun events, but don't make the X-Change all about visiting! Remember the participants and yourselves will be tired after the working days. Having a whole weekend abroad can be a good idea too, it helps them disconnect and start the next week more strongly. 5. Finances: This will probably depend on every country, but we had a lot of struggle finding grants and being able to cover all the expenses. Try to find national or local grants that help you with the economic burden as soon as your X-Change gets elected! Also remember to have a detailed budget from the first moment and keep track of it during the whole preparation and X-Change. 16
Now, months later, we still miss the great moments we spent, but everything we learned and what we experienced, will make the memories will remain forever in our hearts. Enjoy this awesome experience and join the participants!
Bea and Pepe
IFMSA Spain From my experience I'd totally recommend you to pick really motivated people, because it's gonna be all about SCOR(S)A and those who are more focused on the holidays or sightseeing are gonna look boring during the sessions. One of the main points is to select them trying to be as representative as possible (different regions!) and watch out the deadline because you need time for visas. Last year in the IFMSA Spain SXC I was the only OC (although I got one week of help because a motivated LORA and good friend). It's almost impossible to deal with it because you have to prepare a lot of sessions/ workshops, organizing the social program, the welcome kit, problems with the dorm, health problems and so on... at least 3 really motivated persons because it takes more time than planned. Our SXC lasted one month but I think three weeks is better. I'd tell them again to prepare a session because we learnt a lot from the participants and it's important to collect the material later. It's been one of the most wonderful experiences Tons of love,
Marina
www.ifmsa.org
Advice from Previous OCs AssociaMed Tunisia
once every two weeks to keep the motivation of the members of the OC.
It's a pleasure for me as a member of the SXC SWG and the national coordinator of the fourth edition of SXC Tunisia 2016 to provide the SWG with something of my experience.
The incomings:
So, Academic program: • Each region has its own specificities, similarly for hospitals, each hospital is pioneering in a specific specialty, and it was one of the criteria that allowed me to make the dispatching of the themes: example best maternity service in Tunisia is in Sousse so we put at Sousse Maternal Health and access to safe abortion. • The externals: Tunisia is a French speaking country, English is our third language, our studies are in French. So it is very difficult to find some externals which have mastered English. In SCORA-X-Change Tunisia we had during one month more than 40 externals (doctors, lawyer, psychologist, representatives and presidents of associations,...) of these 40 people we had a little problem with English with only 4 people. The solution was that they spoke and that I was the translator. A trick I found was to use the resources of Associamed. Associamed is older than 28 years now so few of our externals (doctors) were Associamed’s Alumni, we had even an ex IFMSA liaison officer (Dr. Janet Lamia). • The academic program was varied between trainings, clerkships, meeting with associations, meeting with lawyers, meeting with organisms, the internship was very interesting, and participants had an opportunity to practice some surgical procedures (we participate on an abortion, delivering a child, taking sexual history at the service of infectious diseases , anamneses at the forensics service for women victims of violence,...). Motivation of the OC: • I advise to do physical meetings or by skype at least The SCORA X-Change Manual
• I advise to have an pair number, and an equal distribution between boys and girls, like that it will facilitate the rooming • Try to have a good distribution of the incomings: try to diversify the regions and countries. Example: have several people who speak the same language and one or two who didn't speak it, they will feel very bad. • Try to get daily feedback of the incomings to address a potential problem if there is. Social program: You really try to show all sides of your country cultures and traditions as well as modernism and contemporary places. Leave some free time to the incomings to do what they want. Lot’s of SCORA Love and Hugs,
Bahzed Welyeddine Fitouhi
MEDSAR Rwanda When Sam(Chairperson of Xchange OC) first called me and told me to be part of the OC that was organizing this great event, I was scared and doubtful because I didn't have much experience in being an OC member. As days went and as we kept working, that is when we realized how big it was and how important it was. It started to become hard and stressful as we started looking for funds, and some people started to even drop out. Few remained and kept working, at some point we had no hope that we will get money or if we will get people to even come. This freaked us out but for some reason we never gave up! Long story short, days went by and the 8th August 2016 arrived, a date I will never forget! We were still not ready but I think someone can never be fully ready anyways plus we had no choice. 17
Advice from Previous OCs THE SCORA XCHANGE RWANDA STARTED! I met the most wonderful people in my life and this itself made me forget all the stress or unfinished work I had, my problems became all of ours, in a very short time we became our own little family. The trend in Xchange was work all day, have fun all night. During the day we could learn a lot from trainings and exchange experiences from various countries and at night there were social programs to keep the night fun. All I can say is it won't be a smooth slope, you will be challenged a lot to be your very best, you will meet many road blocks but the end will be worth it. I always say if I had to re-leave the moments I had in the Xchange, I would do it a 1000 times! I'm looking forward to future Xchange programs!!! Love from Rwanda,
Rusa U. Divine
TurkMSIC Turkey (Ankara) Dear Friends, I’m Ege Seferoglu from NMO TurkMSIC, Başkent University LC in Turkey. I volunteered for SCORA about 2 years ago as a LORA Assistant and the road now led me to be the LORA of my LC. One of the very things I love about the standing committee I belong to is, SCORA XChange because when it comes to SCORA XChange, it always gets superb. Besides the great hours spent in clinic, the most amazing times pass when you come together with all other SCORA volunteers around the world to find more about the sexual issues they face in their countries and how they try to cope with them, and argue with each other to find out how our perspective differs by the variable education we get on these topics. The most astonishing thing that enamours me is that we do these talks while my friends and I are introducing our country to incoming XChangers. Last summer, we hosted 3 people as Başkent University in Ankara: Zack, Yerlan and Lucille. We showed them most amazing 18
places in Ankara and wandered all across the city. For example, we went to eat kebap (our traditional food) in Aspava which is one of the many famous restaurants in Ankara. We also visited Anitkabir, where our nation’s great leader rests, Eymir Lake, which has a lovely cycling path surrounding it, visited some ancient mosques, threw splendid parties and did so many other things. When I asked Yerlan to tell me about her experience in Ankara, her message made me smile: “First two weeks was in Ankara. It was my best days of summer. Our LORA and other Başkent were outstanding. We always had parties, social programs and NFDP, it was really nice. I am sad that we had only two weeks of exchange program. I believe I will come back soon to Ankara.” I spent most of my time with those 3 people to widen my knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and they all aided me to get more well-informed about SCORA and develop myself. I contributed them perfectly with my knowledge too. In conclusion, being a CP for the beloved SCORA XChangers was one of the greatest experiences in my life. I had never imagined that I could get full of fun with people I just met and full of knowledge concerning SCORA just in two weeks. I cordially want to thank Zack, Yerlan and Lucille for just coming to Başkent University and shared unique memories with us. It’s always rejoicing for me to know that I have 3 other homes in different countries and excellent friendships to pursue. Thank you for creating such an awesome exchange.
Ege Seferoglu
www.ifmsa.org
Congo (MSA-DRC)
Kenya (MSAKE)
Denmark (IMCC)
Korea (KMSA)
Algeria (Le Souk)
Dominican Republic (ODEM)
Kosovo (KOMS)
Tatarstan (TaMSA)
Antigua and Barbuda (AFMS)
Ecuador (AEMPPI)
Kuwait (KuMSA)
Rwanda (MEDSAR)
Argentina (IFMSA-Argentina)
Egypt (IFMSA-Egypt)
Latvia (LaMSA)
Saint Lucia (IFMSA-Saint Lucia)
Armenia (AMSP)
Lebanon (LeMSIC)
Serbia (IFMSA-Serbia)
Australia (AMSA)
El Salvador (IFMSA-El Salvador)
Lesotho (LEMSA)
Sierra Leone (SLEMSA)
Austria (AMSA)
Estonia (EstMSA)
Libya (LMSA)
Singapore (AMSA-Singapore)
Azerbaijan (AzerMDS)
Ethiopia (EMSA)
Lithuania (LiMSA)
Slovakia (SloMSA)
Bangladesh (BMSS)
Fiji (FJMSA)
Luxembourg (ALEM)
Slovenia (SloMSIC)
Belgium (BeMSA)
Finland (FiMSIC)
Malawi (UMMSA)
South Africa (SAMSA)
Benin (AEMB)
France (ANEMF)
Mali (APS)
Spain (IFMSA-Spain)
Bolivia (IFMSA-Bolivia)
Gambia (UniGaMSA)
Malta (MMSA)
Sudan (MedSIN)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BoHeMSA)
Georgia (GMSA)
Mexico (IFMSA-Mexico)
Sweden (IFMSA-Sweden)
Moldova (ASRM)
Switzerland (swimsa)
Bosnia and Herzegovina Republic of Srpska (SaMSIC)
Germany (bvmd) Ghana (FGMSA)
Mongolia (MMLA)
Syrian Arab Republic (SMSA)
Greece (HelMSIC)
Montenegro (MoMSIC)
Taiwan (FMS)
Grenada (IFMSA-Grenada)
Morocco (IFMSA-Morocco)
Thailand (IFMSA-Thailand)
Guatemala (IFMSA-Guatemala)
Namibia (MESANA)
Guinea (AEM)
Nepal (NMSS)
The Former Yougoslav Republic of Macedonia (MMSA)
Guyana (GuMSA)
The Netherlands (IFMSA NL)
Haiti (AHEM)
Nicaragua (IFMSA-Nicaragua)
Honduras (IFMSA-Honduras)
Nigeria (NiMSA)
Hungary (HuMSIRC)
Norway (NMSA)
Iceland (IMSIC)
Oman (MedSCO)
Catalonia (AECS)
India (MSAI)
Pakistan (IFMSA-Pakistan)
Chile (IFMSA-Chile)
Indonesia (CIMSA-ISMKI)
Palestine (IFMSA-Palestine)
China (IFMSA-China)
Iraq (IFMSA-Iraq)
Panama (IFMSA-Panama)
China - Hong Kong (AMSAHK)
Paraguay (IFMSA-Paraguay)
Colombia (ASCEMCOL)
Iraq - Kurdistan (IFMSA-Kurdistan)
Peru (IFMSA-Peru)
United States of America (AMSA)
Costa Rica (ACEM)
Ireland (AMSI)
Peru (APEMH)
Uruguay (IFMSA-URU)
Croatia (CroMSIC)
Israel (FIMS)
Philippines (AMSA-Philippines)
Uzbekistan (Phenomenon)
Cyprus (CyMSA)
Italy (SISM)
Poland (IFMSA-Poland)
Venezuela (FEVESOCEM)
Czech Republic (IFMSA CZ)
Jamaica (JAMSA)
Portugal (ANEM)
Zambia (ZaMSA)
Democratic Republic of the
Japan (IFMSA-Japan)
Romania (FASMR)
Zimbabwe (ZimSA)
Jordan (IFMSA-Jo)
Russian Federation (HCCM)
Kazakhstan (KazMSA)
Russian Federation - Republic of
Brazil (DENEM) Brazil (IFMSA-Brazil) Bulgaria (AMSB) Burkina Faso (AEM) Burundi (ABEM) Cameroon (CAMSA) Canada (CFMS) Canada - Québec (IFMSA-Québec)
www.ifmsa.org
medical students worldwide
Tanzania (TaMSA) Togo (AEMP) Tunisia (Associa-Med) Turkey (TurkMSIC) Uganda (FUMSA) Ukraine (UMSA) United Arab Emirates (EMSS) United Kindgom of Great Britan and Northern Ireland (Medsin)