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European Medical Students‘ Association
August 2011
Different ChristmasHandbook
2
Message from the Director 3
Organizing Commitee 4
Amount of People 4
Setting up the OC 4
OC Meetings 5
Tasks and division of labour 5
Time Line 6
Sponsoring / Funding 7
Writing a project proposal 7
Sponsors 7
Promotion 8
Local promotion 8
EUROMEDS 8
Participants 8
Evaluation 9
Final Word 9
Appendix 10
Content
3
Dear EMSAi,
Different Christmas is an activity which consists in the distribution of presents to patients who are spending their Christmas Eve in the university hospitals. This project has been around for many years and it is one of the most popular and rewarding projects we have in EMSA.
Our main aim is to engage medical students in volunteer work and strengthen their abilities on establishing a relationship with patients at the same time. We also want to raise awareness about the need of humanity in the hospitals across Europe, especially in occasions when most people get together with relatives and significant others. Spending Christmas Eve at the hospital might not be pleasant, but we intend to make it more supportable, offering not only a present but also human contact.
In what concerns the development of this handbook, I would like to thank two people: Naomi Begemann, my predecessor, who has always helped me along the way, and Diogo Belo, AEFML-Lisbon Twinning Project Coordinator and member of workgroup, who worked together with me in making this handbook a reality.
Europeanly yours,
Sofia RibeiroEuropean Integration Director 2010/2011European Medical Students’ Association
Director‘s Message.
Message from the European Integration Director 2010/2011
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ORGANISING COMMITEE
Amount of People:
Usually it is enough to have an OC of around ten people to organize a Different Christmas. Keep in mind that the OC will also participate in Different Christmas.You will need:- A leader- Three OC members specially assigned for their work capabilities- Six members that drafted according to the number of interested applicants for the OC positions
Setting up the OC:
The call should be made as soon as possible. Please be clear about the tasks and the responsibilities.
Example 1:
Subject: Call for applicantsThis email is to ask for 2 or 3 reliable and fun-loving students who want to organize the EMSA Different Christmas this year. The tasks involve contacting sponsors for gifts, organizing a day for wrapping up the presents and coordinate the distribution of the presents on Christmas’s Eve.Interested? Contact us and tell us your motivations.
Organising Commitee.„Usually the OC is a team of around ten people.“
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OC Meetings:
The OC should ideally meet once every week, or at least be in constant contact through devices such as email, phone, Internet chat etc. In the last weeks before Christmas, make sure everyone is in close contact.
This way it is ensured that all members of the OC know what the others are doing, what has been achieved so far and what still needs to be done. Also, even though tasks can be divided, sometimes it is easier to think of solutions together, or work on things together (e.g. the final planning or the creative aspect of thinking of things to do).It is also much more fun, when you notice that you are not doing all the work yourself, and when your work is seen and recognized by others.
Those meetings do not have to be formal at all, but you should keep your local EMSA group updated regularly on the stage of preparations, as they certainly have a profound interest in this, and also to double check if everything that ought to be done is getting done, as sometimes one or two people forget things. Those who are not directly involved can look at the whole process from the outside and can point these out.
Do not forget to have regular gatherings during which there is not (too much) Different Christmas work involved, to focus on teambuilding and knowing each other. People often tend to forget that involvement on personal level, keeps people involved and motivated to work for a common greater goal.Keep the meetings light and regular (five should be more than enough) and above all keep them motivating! Everybody should be excited to see this project come true after so much time spent working on it!
Tasks and division of labour:
Even though the OC is a team of 10 people working closely together, it is advisable to divide the tasks, as this reduces the amount of work per individual.The main tasks of this project, as stated above are (in chronologic order):- Asking possible sponsors for gifts (both for children and adults)- Setting up a day to wrap the presents up- Gather a team of volunteers to both wrap and distribute presents.
OC-Meetings.„Divide the tasks, as this reduces the
amount of work per individual.“
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TIME LINE
Like in any other project, it is highly advisable to start preparing in advance. Below you can find a suggestion for a time line made by one experienced FMO, AEFML-Lisbon:
Time line.
September: - Call for the OC and first meeting (Do a check-in! Get to know your working partners!)
October: - Contacts with hospitals and sponsorships – second meeting (Checkpoint!)
November: - Second phase of sponsorship contacts (Confirmations!) – third meeting (Checklist: what do you already have and what do you still need)
December (beginning): - promotion towards students and fourth meeting (Final inventory!)
23rd of December: - Final meeting (Get everyone motivated and energized for the following day!)
27th of December: - Organize a final dinner party and share experiences, photos and laughs, you deserve it!
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WRITING A PROJECT PROPOSAL
The project proposal is a very important part of the project. Maybe some people at your faculty have already organised a Best Buddy Project. In this case, you could perhaps use their project proposal as a guideline.The project proposal helps you to get a better view of what your project will actually look like. It can include a general description about EMSA and the Best Buddy Project, a description of the partner institutions, a more specific description of Best Buddy, the program and your time scheme. You should also explain the aims of the project and in which ways the students will be able to benefit from it.Depending on the rules of your faculty you may first have to present the project proposal to your local committee or national committee to vote on it before you can proceed. You can also send your project proposal to potential sponsors. Remember that a good project proposal will give them trust in your project.
Budget: 1. Make a budget (have an unexpected expenses section) 2. Make deals with companies/museum/restaurant 3. Sponsors (theme related week)
It is always hard to get money for your project. Unfortunately you will need it to cover your expenses. Therefore you can contact two main financiers - funds and sponsors.
SPONSORS
The big difference between sponsors and funds is that sponsors want something in return for giving you money. This could be for example putting their logo in your program booklet, on promotional posters, on your website, on t-shirts for the OC or all participants, or maybe in a promotional presentation etc. You can also promote your sponsors in the monthly newsletter of EMSA – EUROMEDS – in which case, please contact the EUROMEDS editor first at [email protected] to ask permission. Some sponsors don’t want to give money, but they give you presents-and that’s exactly what we want!It’s also wise to make a list of potential sponsors (Think big!) with their contact information. In this way you can use it for a next project as well. It’s wise to make a phone call first to see if a sponsor is interested. If so, you can send them your project proposal together with a letter in which you describe why you think this sponsor should sponsor your particular project. After 1-2 weeks you can call them again to ask if they have received your letter and if they want to consider sponsoring your project. After the project don’t forget to send the final budget to all of your sponsors and funds and thank them for the support-that is called “friend raising”! Writing a detailed report and evaluation of the project is highly advisable, and you can also send it as well to your sponsors.
Sponsoring / Funding.
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Promotion.
PROMOTION
Local Promotion
To get participants (see next chapter), you need to promote the project on your FMO. Make sure that you explain to them what they can gain from participating in this project!
EUROMEDS
You can also give your Different Christmas more publicity by writing an article for EMSA’s monthly newsletter: EUROMEDS by writing to: [email protected]. You can for example write an article afterwards about how everything went. This is also nice to show your sponsors, as you can include their logo in the article, which will give them even more publicity, but you can also write an article or short note while you are still organizing the event.
Participants
If you think that it will be hard to find participants, start very early with promotion and make it a responsibility of everybody in the OC, but appoint one promotion coordinator. If you think that it will be very easy to find students then let only 1 person work on promotion. It is important that he/she will report all his/her actions to the rest of the OC. You can use the following means of promotion: - Poster (that should be fun but also serious, and include the most important information. Include the EMSA logo if possible, and remember it is a great opportunity for putting the logo of your sponsors.) - Leaflets (generally expensive, but effective)
“Receive more publicity by writing an article for EUROMEDS.”
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EVALUATION
At the end of the meeting you can ask the participants to evaluate the project, especially if you or your faculty is planning to organize another Different Christmas next year. The quickest way to do this is by letting people fill in an evaluation form or ask them to write a short report. You can also ask them to give some comments on the different aspects of Different Christmas as well (most of the time these are a lot of fun to read). All in all, it is just to give you an impression what went really well and what could be improved next time.It is wise to also evaluate the project with the Organizing Committee. How did the project go? How was the co-operation within the other OC? What can be improved next time? Write down everything, so other OCs can learn from your project. Write an article about your Different Christmas for EUROMEDS (why not a joint one?), so people all over Europe can read about and learn from your event!
Certificates You should give certificates to all the students that participated on Different Christmas. It is a nice idea, and it will be even more unforgettable! Let both OC’s sign them, the Local coordinator or president of the FMO.
OTHER
Don’t forget to thank your sponsors. You can send them a letter or an email about how everything went and with, for example, the results of the evaluation (if they are positive - if not, write down something else!). Also always ask if you can contact them again next time.
TIP: make a portfolio in which you keep all information you gained about the project. Include the list of sponsors you contacted for your project with their contact details. It will make things a lot easier for the next OC who would like to organize a Different Christmas at your FMO. Mark the sponsors who sponsored you during your project, so you don’t forget to contact them again next time. Also include all the contacts you’ve used.
FINAL WORD
We hope you all enjoyed reading this handbook. If you have any additions or comments, you can always contact us at: [email protected]. Last of all we would like to wish you good luck and a lot of fun with the organization of your Different Christmas!
Evaluation.“How did the project go? How was the co-operation?
What can be Improved next time?”
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Appendix.
©2011European Medical Students’ Associationc/o CPME Standing Committee of European DoctorsRue Guimard 15,1040 BrusselsBelgium
compilation:Sofia RibeiroEuropean Integration Director [email protected]
layout:Ingmar RinasEMSA Public Relations Officer [email protected]
EMSA Different Christmas
11
European Medical Students‘ Association
European Medical Students’ Associationc/o CPME Standing Committee of European DoctorsRue Guimard 15,1040 BrusselsBelgium
