"Mobilizing and Engaging Communities for Global Health" Conference

Saturday, April 26th, 2008
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Room Location: MOOS 2-690

AID believes in a world where the U.S. works with the international community to protect children’s health and to reduce the highly preventable death toll of tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. AID’s strategy is to build awareness across the next generation about the importance of robust U.S. support for global health. At this leadership summit, attendees will receive background on global health issues, such as what the US is doing about global HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB, the link between reproductive rights and maternal and child health, as well as how access to clean water impacts health globally.
The conference will focus of teaching students about the issues mentioned above, and talk about some of the legislation in progress right now, including PEPFAR reauthorization (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and the Growth Act. The conference will also focus on providing attendees with tactics they can use to take action on these issues, how they can help make change locally and globally, and how they can help push these pieces of legislation, including meeting with their congresspeople, and doing phone and email action alerts.  The result will be informed, inspired young people that can work to mobilize their ccommunities to ensure global health issues are given greater attention in the national and international debate.

These summits will give student leaders background and leadership trainings to prepare them to be effective campus organizers and advocates on global health issues.  The summit will likely include a keynote address via webcast with Ashley Judd, a panel, multiple issue workshops, tactic sessions, breakout sessions for planning actions and campus events, and a debriefing.

General Agenda:

SATURDAY APRIL 26
9:00-9:30 Breakfast and registration
9:30-9:45 Welcome
9:45-10:45 Panel- “Addressing the Social Determinants of Health”

• * Expert on Gender and Health – Kim Whipkey - CHANGE
  * Expert on Education and Health – Antigone Barton - Pulitzer Center
  * Expert on Trade and Access to Health –Kaytee Riek - HealthGAP
  * Expert on Racism/Ethnicity and Health –Jacqui Patterson - ActionAID
  

11-11:30 Anti-Oppression Training
11:30-12:30 Panel- “Policies to Promote Access to Healthcare”

• * Expert on Prevention Policy under PEPFAR – Kim Whipkey - CHANGE
  * ExpertS on PEPFAR – Jacqui Patterson - ActionAID and Antigone Barton - Pulitzer Center
  * Expert on PEPFAR Reauthorization –Kaytee Riek - HealthGAP

12:30-1:15 LUNCH and informal discussion with panelists
1:15-2:15 Panel – “Skills for Effective Organizing”

• * Campus Recruitment and Effective Organizing - Stephanie Guttendorf - Global Health Council, UCGH
  * Advocacy Tactics - Kaytee Riek - HealthGAP
  * How to Work with the Media - Antigone Barton - Pulitzer Center
  * Campaign Strategy - Kim Whipkey - CHANGE

2:30-3:00 Planning Actions – Students will break up by school/city to plan their actions 
3:00-3:30 Report back on what groups are planning
3:30-4:00 Connecting Local and Global- Closing Plenary- Jacqui Patterson, ActionAID
4:00-4:15 Debrief, Closing and Next Steps

**On Sunday, April 27th from 4:30-6:30 there will be an optional Film Screening -location TBA**

Through this initiative, we seek to educate young people, and their broader communities, in the role they can play as individuals in fighting global disease, as well as providing training for policy advocacy.  We hope that the conferences will inspire more activism on campuses and communities, as well as nationally and globally.  We also hope that this conference sparks more lasting action among students and young people.

We strive to inspire students and young people to learn more about global health issues and policy solutions.  We hope that as a result of this conference, you develop opinions and work toward shared goals that will create positive change and lead to increased concern for global health issues in the national dialogue on America’s future role in the world.

Click here to regsiter for the summit!

Questions? Email courtney@aidemocracy.org