THE FAMSA YOUTH AGENDA

The FAMSA Youth Agenda is an initiative created to sustain a continental unit of effect consisting of Medical Students Associations determined to carry out responsible youth action to effectively contribute to African healthcare by marshaling concerted youth action in the belief of a manifest destiny for the people of the continent. These medical students associations will be empowered with information, skills, contacts network and resource base to function effectively in respective localities.
 
The FAMSA Youth Agenda takes cognizance of the non-medical factors that influence health and healthcare and affect the spread of disease and seeks: to develop the attitudes, knowledge and skill that the African medical student needs to be an effective player in the future of African healthcare; to partner with existing initiatives and to undertake youth led, youth motivated and youth executed basic health projects in different African localities with a bias in reproductive health.
 
The Youth Agenda integrates all public health activities of member MSAs under a common umbrella and with a common focus. Emphasis will be on the following activities:
              *Medical Student Associations capacity building.
              *HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness activities.
              *Village Concept Projects, VCPs.
                        1) Identification of small underserved populations where MSAs
                            can make an input
                        2) Establishment of a MSA Health Post
                        3) Provision of basic care and referral to higher centers
                        4) Local health promotion activities
                        5) Local reproductive health activities.
 
THE FAMSA YOUTH AGENDA, HOW?
        1) Empower medical students with skills needed to take effective action:
                        a) project design, management and evaluation.
                        b) advocacy
                        c) networking and fundraising
                        d) media partnership
        2) Provide in-depth training, e.g on HIV/AIDS prevention methods
        3) Provide handbooks, toolkits and training manuals, e.g. on HIV/AIDS
             prevention methods
        4) Form medical student association HIV/AIDS units.
        5) Execute village concept projects.
 
The FAMSA Youth Agenda will be executed in three phases:

PHASE ONE

1. Launch of the FAMSA Youth Agenda at the FAMSA Youth Summit on the theme: “Possessing the Future; Africa, Health and the Youth”, and the strategic training sessions at The Permanent Headquarters, University College Hospital, Ibadan Nigeria.

2. 1) Regional workshops, training of trainers in five African sub regions i.e. North Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa and Central Africa.
   2) Production of training handbook on HIV/AIDS prevention methods and programs.
   3) Training workshops and manual on Village Concept Projects.

PHASE TWO

1. Local Medical Student Association training activities.

2. Assessment of localities for the Village Concept Projects.

3. Formation of MSA HIV/AIDS unit

4. Execution of prevention activities

5. Initiation of the Village Concept Projects

PHASE THREE

1. Evaluation of the program at the annual General Assembly of FAMSA.

The FAMSA Youth Agenda will be FAMSA’s primary effort in the coming years. It will last Four years in the first instance, and will undergo review and modification as it progresses.
 
Funding Requirements
The projects of the FAMSA Youth Agenda will require an estimated $1,500,000.00, (One and a half million US Dollars), over three years.

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© 2004,  Federation of African Medical Students Association