Summer School Health & Migration – Belgium (BeMSA)

Name of the activity: Summer School Health & Migration

Country/NMO: Belgium (BeMSA)

Program: Dignified & Non-Discriminatory Healthcare

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Education

General description:

Worldwide, migration is an important topic within the actual context of globalization. The Summer School ‘Health and Migration’ aims to play a leading role in bringing attention to this subject on an international level, which now is heavily neglected in the current medical education and training.

Our goal is to encourage intercultural discussion concerning these topics, by organising an accessible all-included experience including scientific base courses, discussions and sessions using the ‘blended learning’-principle. Additionally, there is an extensive social program included, creating an informal and comfortable atmosphere for all participants to enjoy.

Focus area:

Vulnerable or marginalized populations | Migrants and refugees

Problem statement:

In today’s world, we get confronted with globalisation and raising levels of migration. Such evolutions have an impact on the health of society, which forms an extra challenge for health care workers. When we first started the Summer School, the attention for this subject on an international level was heavily neglected, and still is, in the current medical education and training. Even though many people, mostly vulnerable people, are immigrants which require unique forms of medical assistance.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

Medical students from the 6 inhabited continents, that have successfully passed 2nd bachelor of their studies. Sufficient knowledge of the English language and special interest in the topic of health and migration is required.

Objectives and indicators of success:

• Encourage the intercultural discussion, exchange of information and
collaboration with respect to each other’s beliefs and grounds.
• Emphasizing the relation between migration and health by clarifying the
influence of both migration on health and vice versa.
• Promotion of a insufficiently covered but highly relevant subject within the
present society.
• Emphasizing the internationally recognized Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.
• Training in multidisciplinary consideration of health.
• Create a social context in which both Belgian and foreign students are offered a chance to discover Belgium and get to know each other in an informal way.

Methodology:

• By offering an accessible all-included experience in which an educational
and social program are included, as well as food and accommodation
• By providing scientific based courses, presented by experts
• Most relevant health concerns in relation to migration are highlighted in a
structure of 5 themes throughout the Summer School based on the SDGs
• Students will participate actively by ‘blended learning’: resolve a case study,
visit to an asylum center, discussion in a world café, prepare and bring a short
presentation concerning a discussed subject, etc
• Create an informal atmosphere by means of a social program in order to boost
interaction between the international company of students

Plans for evaluation:

There will be an evaluation of the participants as well as an evaluation of the Summer School itself.
There is a permanent evaluation, which requires constant active participation during the whole program. At the end of the course the participants are required to give a short presentation of their case studies which will be evaluated by a divers panel and the other participants. there will be a debate between the students about controversy topics. This will be supervised by renowned professors.
There will be an evaluation form that the participants can fill out. They can evaluate every part and give suggestions to improve the Summer School.