MMSA MMSA is a non-governmental, non-political student organisation that was established 57 years ago. MMSA has its foundation at the University of Malta where it has been the most active student organisation for the past 10 years. It is a full member of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) and European Medical Students’ Associations (EMSA). As part of IFMSA, it enjoys international status amongst 97 National Member Organisations encompassing over one million medical students globally. MMSA is supported actively by the Health Promotion Department.
Design / Layout: Thelma Xerri
To shift Maltese mentality away from sex being considered taboo
Articles: Keith Pace Aaron Schembri Thelma Xerri Luca Conti Kelly Gatt Ethan Caruana Gabbi Sammut DeMarco Viktor Cassar Nadia Shamala Sarah Ellul Kay Vanhear Tara Giacchino
To emphasise sexual and gender rights, including the rights of all human beings regardless of sexual preference
Proofreading: Alexia Farrugia Stephanie Vella Elizabeth Gialanze Keith Pace
SCORA Aims & Objectives
To prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases through education
Contents: Editorial Editorial
1
1
Thelma Xerri
Thelma Xerri
Message from the NORA Keith Pace
2
Introduction Aaron Schembri Introduction
2
4
Aaron Schembri Antihomophobia Campaign Gabbi Sammut DeMarco
Message from the NORA
5
3
Keith Pace
World AIDS Day Campaign Luca Conti & Kelly Gatt
6
World AIDS Day Campaign
3
In Vitro Fertilisation Campaign Ethan Caruana
8
SCORA-NPET Inside NadiaStory Shamala
9
Valentine’s Day Campaign Viktor Cassar
10
Luca Conti & Kelly Gatt
Inside Story
4
SCORA-SCORP Kay Vanhear
11
SCORA-SCOPH Tara Giacchino
12
Inside Story
SCORA-SCOME Sarah Ellul
5
6
14
NORA Keith Pace
IVF Campaign Coordinator Ethan Caruana
SCORA-NPET LO Nadia Shamala
SCORA-SCOME LO Sarah Ellul
NORA-Assistant Aaron Schembri
WAD Campaign Coordinator Kelly Gatt
WAD Campaign Coordinator Luca Conti
Valentine’s Day Coordinator Viktor Cassar
Antihomophbia Campaign Co-ord. Gabbi Sammut DeMarco
SCORA-Media LO Thelma Xerri
SCORA-SCOPH LO Tara Giacchino
SCORA-SCORP LO Kay Vanhear
EDITORIAL Thelma Xerri
SCORA-MEDIA Liason Officer ‘11-’12
The reason for putting this handbook together is to introduce you to the Malta Medical Students’ Association and one of its subcommittees, SCORA, the Standing Committee on Reproductive Health including AIDS. In Malta, sexual and reproductive health is still taboo, and is an uncomfortable subject for many people to talk about. Sex education is not given enough attention, especially when it comes to adults educating their children about the subject. This is unfortunate. Young people grow up with minimal knowledge regarding sexual health and turn to friends, the media and internet for help. Whether we like it or not, our society and lifestyle are becoming increasingly sexoriented. Thus it is evident that the general public should be educated about this sector of health, as it is as equally important as any other sector. It is our duty and responsibility, as the SCORA team, to improve the public’s education regarding this subject. Unfortunately, Maltese school curricula include a weak sexual education program, if any at all. This is where we come in. SCORA strives to fill in the gaps and inform the general public, by providing vital information, which may seem obvious, but which does indeed go a long way. There is always room for more awareness. As a standing committee, SCORA helps to distribute key information to every age group by organising campaigns, events, seminars, concerts etc, thus acting as the middle man between information and the community.
As a first year, I was involved in all the Standing Committees, helping wherever I could to make a difference. I was immediately drawn to SCORA as it seemed the most challenging. This is what motivated me to apply for the post of SCORA-Media Liaison Officer, which entails promoting and giving SCORA events and campaigns that extra push to make them a success. ‚Be the change you want to see in the world’.‛ This is what MMSA taught me from the very first week of medical school and this is what SCORA does. It breaks barriers, by opening the eyes of the Maltese people to the truth, thus helping to shift the mentality away from sex being considered as the best kept secret. It is for this reason that I am inviting you to take a look at this handbook where our coordinators will introduce you to all the campaigns and events SCORA has going on this year 2011/12. You might also want to visit our website, www.mmsa.org.mt , for further insight into this Standing Committee, as well as MMSA in general. We encourage anyone who has any ideas or suggestions, or who would like to help out and be part of our special team to email us on scora@mmsa.org.mt or on the coordinator’s email address found at the bottom of each page. We are looking forward to working with you.
scora-media.lo@mmsa.org.mt 1
MESSAGE FROM THE NORA Keith Pace
National Officer on Reproductive Health including AIDS ‘11-’12
SCORA – the Standing Committee on Reproductive Health including AIDS – is the newest of the IFMSA standing committees, but it is definitely one of the most active! More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981 and currently over 30 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. Had these people been equipped with the knowledge about the proper use of contraception, the statistics might not have been so worrying. This was what originally sparked the concept for SCORA back in 1992. My first experience of SCORA was when I attended the NPET weekend in 2009. On an international level I first got to know the IFMSA SCORA team during my term as NPET coordinator in 2010 when EuRegMe was organized here in Malta. Since then I attended IPET in Ottawa and SCORA sessions during the Montreal General Assembly, and with every SCORA experience I have come to love this standing committee more and more. For me being part of the fight against HIV/ AIDS and advocating for sexual health and zero discrimination in a country where such issues are still taboo has become part of who I am. I can not say that this is easy work, because it is not, but the satisfaction of seeing that the hard work has translated into actual data,
and the satisfaction of talking to someone who is genuinely interested during an outreach, or seeing the enthusiasm of secondary school students interested during an outreach, or seeing the enthusiasm of secondary school students when delivering a peer education session, more than makes up for the hard work. SCORA has always been a highly innovative standing committee, being the first to use tools such as Peer Education to get its message across. Peer Education remains one of the most important media in educating future generations; but SCORA also organises many outreaches, parties, concerts, campaigns and seminars to empower the general public and to ensure the wellbeing of each and every one of us. SCORA also liaises with many external organisations, both locally and internationally, and contributes to various surveys and studies such as the recently released national Sexual Health Policy paper. SCORA in Malta organises various events which I urge all of you to be a part of. These include World AIDS Day, the Antihomophobia Campaign, the IVF and Embryo Freezing Survey and various informative seminars, but I shall leave it up to the coordinators to tell you more about these events.
2
General Assembly (GA) , Montreal, Canada, 2010 SCORA-Malta also participates in a number of trans-national projects including illuminAIDS a project aimed at zero stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. This project has seen SCORA liaise with SCOME to include the topic in the medical curriculum, an effort which has been successful. The more involved you become in SCORA and its campaigns the more you realise how important the work undertaken by SCORA truly is, and this only motivates you further and further. Moreover SCORA has helped me prepare for what is to come once I finish medical school, as it has given me the opportunity to work with many people from different sectors
scora@mmsa.org.mt 3
INTRODUCTION Aaron Schembri National Officer on Reproductive Health including AIDS—Assistant ’11-’12 Dear friends, Welcome to the Standing Committee on Reproductive Health including AIDS (SCORA). As MMSA in general, we encourage a person to develop healthy attitudes concerning adolescent growth and development, body image, gender roles, sexual orientation, dating, marriage and family. Our work as the SCORA team is to work locally, to increase awareness concerning reproductive health and related issues. The vision of SCORA is a community free of HIV/ AIDS and other STIs, with complete respect for every person’s reproductive rights and choice of sexuality and with universal gender equality. We also work on the reproductive rights and gender inequality issues currently plaguing the Maltese community. This year we will be encouraging the need for breaking down the barriers and taboos associated with sexualityrelated issues (homophobia). It’s an undeniable truth that WE ALL LOVE SEX. However, what we actually do, as the SCORA team, is educate the community about the methods of safe sex and how STDs are transmitted. We also aim towards promoting the prevention of STDs particularly AIDS through education. We believe that knowledge of proper contraception use and removing any misconceptions associated with STDs are a vital tool in decreasing the rate of STD transmission.
.In order to do this, SCORA has embarked, together with the National Peer Education Team of MMSA (NPET), on giving talks and presentations to schools on SEX-ED. This is emphasised further during our yearly campaign World AIDS Day which shows our commitment to removing any misconceptions associated with AIDS/HIV transmission. Apart from Sexual Education, the SCORA team also works on removing all forms of stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual people (LGBT). Together with the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace (SCORP), SCORA works towards equality between the two sexes. Apart from that, SCORA focuses on educating the people about the issues related to IVF, as there is currently a considerable lack of information within the Maltese community. All this is done through interactive methods to get people involved and to get them thinking. We focus on group discussion and communication, rather than giving long lectures. I hope this manual finds you well and provides you with the information you were looking for. If there is anything you would like to contribute or anything that you feel should be updated, please let the NORA know so that we can keep this manual as up-to-date as possible!
nora-assistant@mmsa.org.mt 4
Gabbi Sammut DeMarco
Antihomophobia Campaign Coordniator ‘11-’12 Being part of the SCORA team is fun because we get to work on topics that nobody else will discuss. Take the Anti-Homophobia Campaign, for instance - we’re building it from scratch this year and so, the possibilities and opportunities are endless. This campaign is pushing SCORA and MMSA further than ever before. We’re working with MGRM (the Malta Gay Rights Movement) and with WeAre (the LGBT group on campus) as well as other organisations. For the first time ever, members of MMSA were present at the Gay Parade this year; although this was already a big improvement we need to get more people involved next year. I realise that most people are affected by social stigmas, so a measure of how effective this campaign is will be the number of people who attend next year. The first project we’re going to be working on, together with NPET, are the sexual identity lectures. Although some schools do tackle the subject during PSD, I feel that not enough is being done. WeAre are being kind enough to give us their outlook on the subject, but we need trained members of MMSA to deliver these sessions. We also need co-operation from schools, since we often find them reluctant to discuss delicate subjects so openly.
Although International Day against Homophobia is 17th May and events are already being planned, I don’t think we should limit ourselves solely to this one day. I chose this campaign specifically because I get to work on most other SCORA events. This campaign will hijack the Sexual Health Campaign, World AIDS week, the Valentine’s Day campaign and, of course, Sex-Ed. When you plan a successful event or campaign with MMSA, the satisfaction is unbelievable. First year students have a new and fresh outlook and are always full of ideas and enthusiasm. It’s what keeps MMSA alive from one year to the next. So my advice to you is; don’t be afraid to butt in, ask questions and point out things that can be improved. Finally and most importantly - attend the events! There’s a reason MMSA is considered to be the most active organisation on campus - let’s keep it that way!
antihomophobia@mmsa.org.mt 5
Luca Conti and Kelly Gatt
World Aids Day Coordinators ‘11-’12
Greetings fellow medics! December 1st marks the 22nd anniversary of World AIDS Day. A total of 33 million people now live with HIV/AIDS and more than 7000 people are newly infected with HIV every day. Answering a parliamentary question earlier this year, Health Minister Dr. Joseph Cassar stated that in 2010 there were 234 reports of sexually-transmitted diseases in Malta of which, 18 were of HIV and 6 of AIDS. Compared to 2009, the figures showed an increase in 4 cases of AIDS, while cases of HIV had remained static. World AIDS Day this year is about "Getting to Zero." Zero New HIV Infections. Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS Related Deaths. Backed by the United Nations, the "Getting to Zero" campaign runs until 2015 and builds on last year's successful World AIDS Day "Light for Rights" initiative. Medical students today are being trained to become the future caretakers of global health; nothing is more likely to influence medical practice in the next generation than the HIV /AIDS pandemic. It is therefore incumbent upon medical students to become advocates of HIV/AIDS patients during their training, and to develop an understanding of the physical, psychological and social challenges of those living with HIV/AIDS. This is the reason why we, as medical students, feel the need to commemorate this day and help in combating this disease.
SCORA gives YOU the opportunity to contribute in helping make this year’s World AIDS Day a success, by participating in our series of events which will kick off on Saturday 26th November with the renowned Red Party in which all proceeds will go for charity. During this week of events there will be various outreaches both on campus and externally, such as at The Point Shopping Mall. Annually, MMSA also organises a candle vigil to commemorate World AIDS Day. The International AIDS Candlelight memorial is one of the world's oldest and largest grassroots mobilisation campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world and it serves to honour the lives lost and raise social consciousness about HIV. The Candlelight continues to serve as an important intervention for global solidarity, breaking down barriers and giving hope to new generations. This week of events will end with a bang on the 8th of December as we are reintroducing the World AIDS Day Concert — Exposed! which will feature top Maltese bands such as Funk Initiative and Red Electrick, whilst not forgetting great prices at the bar.
6
Candle Vigil, Valletta, 2009
We had the opportunity to attend this year’s European Regional Meeting (EuRegMe), where medical students from all over Europe gather together in one place to contribute their unique knowledge and experiences. All SCORAngels share the same passion for raising awareness with regards to people living with HIV/AIDS and its prevention. We would like to evoke this same passion in Maltese society and have this year’s World AIDS Day celebration of the same calibre as it is overseas.
As this year’s World AIDS Day coordinators, we shall handle the organisation of the event. Such an event requires all hands on deck! We believe that given the right effort, this year’s World AIDS Day will be one to remember. :)
EuRegMe, Catalonya Spain, 2011
wad@mmsa.org.mt 7
Ethan Caruana
IVF Coordinator ‘11-’12
Dear friends, This year I will be fulfilling the role of IVF coordinator in SCORA. The IVF campaign is fairly new, just 1 year old, and this year it will consist of setting up a questionnaire in liaison with S-cubed, the Science Students’ Society, in order to gather statistical information on the awareness of IVF in the Maltese community, followed by an outreach on campus in March. IVF is an assistive reproductive technology which allows certain infertile couples to still have their own children, at a merely expensive cost. I find this campaign intriguing because IVF is still one of the taboos in Malta regarding sexual health (as are most of the other SCORA campaigns). It is also further looked down on, due to the fact that this process is associated with embryo freezing, which brings up the debates on whether the fertilized eggs are to be considered as humans or not. Additionally, people are usually reluctant to undergo IVF because doing so means admitting their infertility and this may give rise to feelings of failure.
IVF campaign on campus, 2011
Because of this, the topic of IVF is rarely mentioned in public. This results in a general lack of information regarding the IVF procedure, such as: what the process involves in terms of surgical and non-surgical approaches, who is eligible for IVF, the state’s position regarding IVF, the associated risks, success rates and other important facts. All in all, this will be my first year working directly within MMSA, and from what I have seen in the past years, this will be a rewarding task since I would be working on a project which is of interest to me, medically related, and will also allow me to get to know more people and their thoughts in regard to this subject. Furthermore, coordinating this campaign also enables me to work with the SCORA team, and hence gives me the opportunity to help and get involved in other controversial campaigns. What makes our campaigns controversial? It is the fact that subjects related to gender and reproductive health are still a nono in everyday conversation and are somewhat disregarded in Malta, leaving the general population blind to these circumstances locally. If you would like to embark on such campaigns, don’t hesitate to join in!
ivf@mmsa.org.mt 8
Nadia Shamala
SCORA-NPET Liason Officer ‘11-’12
My role within MMSA this year will be that of SCORA-NPET liaison officer. In short, this involves peer education regarding reproductive health and AIDS. These peer education sessions are held in senior schools, where the students’ ages range from 13 – 15. This means that the subject matter must be handled delicately and one has to be careful as to what is said to the students. The topics involved are the importance of safe sex, the use of contraceptives, demonstration of putting on a condom, STDs, AIDS, sexual orientation and some information about IVF is also included. Nowadays, anyone can search the internet and find out all the necessary information. However, these peer education sessions are still of great importance to the students, since they can give their own feedback and ask questions. Moreover, the information garnered from popular media is often incorrect, these sessions ensure that students can clear up any misconceptions and receive the right information. Last May we held sessions in two different schools, not to show them how much we know but rather to pass on the right message.
Peer Education Session, , Gozo, 2010
Unfortunately, not many heads of schools like the idea of having the ‘’sex talk’’, however, I can honestly say that it has been a great success and the students loved every second of it. They asked questions and were attentive throughout, despite the constant giggles. It is not a hard task at all and anyone of you can do it, with some training from the NPET team. It is fun and also boosts the peer educator’s confidence. It is important to be yourself and down-to-earth while giving these talks because after all, we do not go there to show them how much we know but rather to pass on the right message. I would like to encourage anyone who is interested to take part in the peer education sessions, as we will be helping in shaping a more open-minded society, where people will have the right knowledge about sex and sexual health, rather than taking these serious issues for granted or considering them taboo. I really hope that many of you will join in the peer education sessions because first of all, it is good to be part of a students’ organisation such as MMSA, where you are able to meet different people and make new friends. Secondly, apart from being instructive, the sessions are very rewarding and satisfying.
scora-npet.lo@mmsa.org.mt 9
Viktor Cassar
Valentine’s Day Campaign Coordinator ‘11-’12
This Valentine’s Day give your partner something he /she would truly appreciate..... .and NOT an STI.
Valentine’s Day. A feast of love, beauty, romance, passion. A celebration of hearts, roses and budding relationships. A day, where love is in the air and emotions run wild. This fourteenth of February SCORA will dedicate a day towards raising awareness on sexual health. SCORA, as a standing committee aims to promote sexual health and instil in the general public the notions of safer sexual practices. Although a lot has improved over the past few years, regrettably sex and sex-related issues still remain taboo in our country. It is this mentality, which is slowing any progress that can be made in this area. It is through education that we can truly become comfortable with our sexuality, shift this frame of mind and ultimately shatter this taboo from our society. Once this taboo is defeated and as a nation we start feeling comfortable discussing sex-related issues, we can effectively start tackling issues such as teenage pregnancies, the spread of sexually transmitted infections and promote sexual and gender rights regardless of sexual orientation.
We will be providing information on the risks of sexually transmitted infections, the current help available and the proper use of contraception. We will also be promoting the ABCDs of safe sex, encouraging people to get tested for STIs and tackling any myths related to sexual health. There is a difference between just knowing something and putting that knowledge into practice. We do not want this campaign to be simply about dreary facts. We want our message to become engrained in the people we reach; we want to evoke a lifestyle change. However, in order to achieve this we must present our information in an appealing way. It has to be relevant; in such a way that people can relate to it. We need to learn what is keeping people from choosing the ‚Safer Sex‛ option and rather than just inundating them with do’s and don’ts, we shall present them with reasonable solutions. This is the spirit that has to go into this campaign and ultimately this is what Valentine’s Day Campaign is all about.
This Valentine’s Day, SCORA will be organising its first ever Valentine’s Day Campaign. This campaign will be centred around raising awareness on sexual health issues.
valentinesday@mmsa.org.mt 10
Sarah Ellul
SCORA-SCOME Liason Officer ‘11-’12
Note-books and pens are flying off the shelves, with stationeries being once again flooded with customers. What better indication that summer is over and we’re back to our daily university routine? For most of us this change is not a welcome one, however here’s a reminder that life on campus is not all that boring. Soon enough you’ll be bombarded with upcoming MMSA activities. One of MMSA’s subcommittees is SCORA (Sub-committee of reproductive health and AIDS) and here you will find more information about its activities. As Winston Churchill said; ‚To improve is to change and to be perfect is to change often.‛ Therefore, apart from the more traditional events and activities, SCORA has made it a point to add new campaigns and seminars to its calendar. We consider it our duty to educate and remove any misconceptions from medical students about safe sex and stigmas concerning people living with HIV/AIDS. In order to do so in a more efficient way, a SCORA-SCOME LO has been appointed this year. More work with other sub-committees such as SCOME will be carried out in order to teach medical students how to deal with patients infected with HIV (or who have developed AIDS). One may think that there is a very small number of such patients.
Nevertheless, allow us to remind you that the life of every patient is of course paramount and also that such a patient may put your life at risk if particular precautions are not taken! Even if we may not manage to teach you anything, we guarantee that we shall at least challenge your brain to think! We urge you to bear in mind that being a medical student is not just about memorising every single detail on your anatomy textbook, but also about acquiring the skills enabling proper interaction with other people. MMSA will provide you with the opportunity to learn through experience and physical interaction – something that your voluminous Guyton won’t do. So no, MMSA is NOT a waste of time! I therefore encourage you to make it a point to attend the different activities organised by the association, give a helping hand as often as you can and always feel free to ask questions and give suggestions!
scora-scome.lo@mmsa.org.mt 11
Tara Giacchino
SCORA-SCOPH Liason Officer ‘11-’12
Welcome to the exciting world of MMSA and most importantly welcome to SCORA! Last year I got my very first experience with SCORA during Healthfest. During this event organized at Valletta SCOPH together with the other standing comities worked together to reach out and educate the public. After the great success of this event, I realized how much more effective our work can be when different comities contribute and work together- therefore, here I am as the SCORASCOPH liaison officer! This summer I spent 6 weeks in Africa. I was lucky enough to work in clinics and experience the slums of Nairobi were I was continuously faced with the alarming reality of HIV/ AIDS: Such realities include: 33 million people in the world suffering from HIV and 22 million of which live in Africa alone. 67% of the people with HIV live in Africa however the continent is home to just 10% of the world’s population. .
This disease is the leading cause of death in sub -Saharan Africa with approximately 3,600 people dying every day from AIDS Such statistics made me realise that the best way to fight this disease is through education and raising awareness. Unfortunately, in a place like Africa, money seems to be the biggest issue because a lack of finances results in people not getting the proper education and medical attention they deserve which results in a lot of people being left to suffer. In Europe however, it isn’t the lack of finances which create such a problem but rather the stigma or taboo against AIDS that seems to be a huge obstacle and hindrance in SEX education.
HealthFest on Campus, University, 2011
12
Nairobi Clinic Africa, 2011
My main aim as SCORA-SCOPH liaison officer is to try eradicate this stigma against sex education. I am confident that such hurdles can be overcome. My attention is particularly focused on secondary schools and sixth forms were I plan to promote Health Campaigns, a successful project which I co-ordinated last year and plan to continue with. My experience both in MMSA and Africa this summer has convinced me that with the right education and awareness amongst students alike, such tools are the solution to combat the problems related to reproductive health and AIDS. Education is the way forward. Such realisation, awareness and passing on of informative knowledge are the key to a better AIDS and STI free world.
scora-scoph.lo@mmsa.org.mt 13
Kay Vanhear
SCORA-SCORP Liason Officer ‘11-’12
Hi, I am Kay Vanhear and I just started my third year. Looking back on these past two preclinical years I am happy to say that in some way or another I managed to balance my studies with my extracurricular activities within the MMSA. For the year 2010/2011 I took the role as the National Officer of Human Rights and Peace. Being part of such an amazing and flourishing organisation has surely improved many personal skills that I definitely would not have acquired from all the time spent in the lecture rooms! I had the opportunity to:
Work with other non-medical students to achieve the same goal enhancing leadership, communication and team-building skills which are crucial in the medical profession to work within a multidisciplinary team Establish contacts with local organisations that help put MMSA forward to reach the public Organise campaigns that will affect in some way student’s views on certain themes such as human rights, sexuality and health Take care of the campaign’s media coverage Write intriguing articles to attract the public towards our campaigns
Above all, being actively involved in MMSA has led me to explore many issues that are affecting health worldwide, and which unfortunately are ignored in our own healthcare system! This is what engaged me to take up the role as a SCORA/SCORP Liaison Officer
(SCORA/SCORP
LO). My focus for this year will be on gender equality, women and health. Nowadays, sexuality is becoming the most hyped about topic and before we take a stand it is very important to understand what it actually means. According to the Human Rights Declaration, Human Right #1 stated that ‚we are all born free and equal‛, so why is gender inequality still a an upsetting issue? Did you know that there yet some cultures which prefer boys over girls? Did you know that at present there are over 100 million girls and women suffering the consequences of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)? (WHO, 2011)
International Women’s Day, 2011
Knowing such issues will help us to adopt a more empathising and understanding approach towards patients who are having sexuality problems. The SCORA team is here to improve the standard of health through educating both adolescents and adults on sexual health. Are you ready to join our campaigns and help us achieve this goal?
scora-scorp.lo@mmsa.org.mt 11
SCORA Be Part of our Team!
We encourage you to send any comments or suggestions to any of our respective emails or on scora@mmsa.org.mt
Join us on facebook: MMSA-SCORA