Session Programme

Workshop

Wednesday, 21 April 2010

Session PS08/room 14

Mobilizing Students for Change: The Medsin Campaign

Workshop Chairs:

Mustafa Abbas, Medsin-UK Vice-President for Branches, and Healthy Planet National Coordinator, United Kingdom

This workshop will provide a framework for student involvement and action on climate change and health, based on the functioning model of Medsin's Healthy Planet. The first part of this session will provide an overview of climate change and global health, and of climate change and the health co-benefits of policy. The second part will focus on the general concepts of student involvement and action in global health, using Medsin-UK as a model, reviewing basic training in student involvement, such as how to engage policy makers and politicians. More advanced concepts, such as how to strategy plan a project or campaign will then be explored. The third part of this session offers 'take home' skills. The Healthy Planet model will be presented, using case studies of its success in the UK on national and local levels. This provides a framework and template for session participants, including practical steps for what to do, who to contact, where resources can be found. It includes case studies of students involved in Healthy Planet so as to identify challenges and obstacles commonly encountered, and explain how to overcome them.