Back to Student Network Organisation (SNO)

History of SNO When was the SNO established? Definition, objectives and expectations of SNO, August 1993, Sherbrooke, Canada Development and activities of SNO until January 1995 Student Network Organisation Meeting, September 1999 When was the SNO established? SNO was set up in 1993 by students from all over the world. It all happened during a conference in Malaysia, organised by the Network of Community-Oriented Education Institutions for the Health Sciences. Some definitions were adopted during the first general meeting of SNO, in August 1993, Sherbrooke Canada: Criteria for membership Every faculty affiliated with the Network and all students who are interested Institutions whose students participate at Network activities, but who are non-Network members Organisational structure Six voting members, representing the 6 continents, elected every 2 years The chairman, chosen by a general election, has only a tie-breaking vote The secretary, coming from the same country as where the Network secretariat is settled The continent-representatives are chosen by their respective regional committee. The regional committees are composed of 1 representative of every SNO-member in that region. Every SNO-member must organize na appropriate local SNO-committee to assure continuity. Nature of relationship between SNO and the Network The SNO is an student organization which operates as a part of the Network and its constitution The SNO functions independently to elect officers, regional representatives and identify priority activities SNO-activities The SNO became active through the arrangement of student-housing for the symposium in India and for the general meeting in the Philippines. The SNO participatee in a survey on the aspects of Women's Health Care in medical curricula. It organised a student workshop during the symposium in 1995 in India, and has been active in Network conferences each year. Definition, Objectives and expactations of SNO, August 1993, Sherbrooke, Canada Definition The SNO is the student chapter of the Network which will strive to promote interaction among students of member institutions and facilitate their active participation in Network activities. Objectives To communicate, facilitate and support foreign elective students who visit or intend to visit member institutions To gather common problems afflicting students and exchange possible solutions and experiences in member institutions To organize workshops either international or regional on specific themes of benefit to students To facilitate student exchange between member institutions by assisting them in whatever means possible To act as the voice of all students within The Network Expectations for the next 12 months To facilitate active student participation in the next Network symposium by communicating with either the regional SNO or the local student body to help provide whatever assistance possible (e.g. student-housing) To organize a student workshop during the next symposium in India, the theme of which will be decided by the SNO-executive committee To produce and to distribute a SNO-Newsletter at least twice a year Development and Activities of SNO until January 1995 Initiating SNO During the International Symposium on Student Assessment, which was held in Penang (Malaysia) in January 1993, it was stated that student participation within the Network organization should be stimulated. Furthermore it was established that students, as users of the education system, can play a very important role in the development and evaluation of the education methods used at their universities. The participating students perceived it as very useful to communicate with each other about educational issues. As a result o these findings the participating students initiated the Student Network Organisation (SNO). First general meeting of SNO During the Network conference in Sherbrooke (Canada) in August 1993, on Student Centered Education, the 1st general meeting of the SNO was held. During this meeting participating SNO-members defined the criteria for membership and the organizational structure of SNO, the Executive Committee of SNO was elected and the nature of relationship between SNO and the Network was described. The second general meeting of SNO will take place in the Phillipines. Activities of local SNO-committees One of the great efforts of SNO is the fact that new local SNO-committees have been very active in their own regions. Several local SNO-committees have been busy organising interesting activities and have initiated new localSNO-committees. A short summary of the main activities will follow. SNO-Canada In Sherbrooke SNO-Canada has organised a symposium on Community-oriented Medical practice. Furthermore SNO-Canada is organising a student workshop on Community-oriented Medical Education April 1995 in Ottawa. SNO-Egypt SNO-Egypt has made a file of the basic components of the educational process, the points of strenght and weakness in each school from the students point of view. SNO-India SNO-India has arranged accomodation for students during the Network conference in India in 1995 and a social students'program. SNO-The Netherlands SNO-The Netherlands has organised an international workshop on the future of medical education in Europe and worldwide , in cooperation with IFMSA and EMSA. SNO-Sudan One of the major targets of SNO-Sudan is the 'Student Exchange Programme' (SEP) for SNO students worldwide. SNO-Sudan has developed a questionnaire to analyse the needs and wants of SNO-members concerning this exchange programmes. This questionnaire will be spread among all -SNO-members. SNO-Uganda SNO-Uganda has organised a one day conference on the 'Role of Students in Health Research for Development'. Furthermore they have organised a workshop on Students Networking for the promoting of Health. Communication Until now, the secretariat and chairman of SNO have communicated with their members via letters. For the future e-mail is being a serious new and quicker alternative. This SNO information-booklet can be seen as the fist SNO-Newsletter. From now on SNO aims at making two SNO-Newsletters a year. Membership In January 1993 SNO started with about eight members. The number of members has increased enormously. Until now SNO has about thirty members. Student Network Organisation Meeting - September 1999 Jesper Sterne was the moderator of the meeting. Some interesting ideas were developed during this meeting. What is the purpose of SNO and what is special about SNO compared to other international student organizations? Some students shared their problem with exchange programs, saying that it was so dependent on the teacher, if it was not valuable for the teacher they don't let the students go. One conclusion was made; it is harder for Health Sciences students than for Medicine students to go abroad in an EP. Someone else shared their experience about starting a new student organization saying that you are so dependent on your faculty and your dean in the beginning but still you have to be independent to have a strong student organization. This can be a tough job balancing. The meeting did a brainstorm about the goals for the SNO and the result was: Renewing education Make education student centered Carry out new ideas Assess and assure student influence Exchange ideas, students and information Make connections with other international student organizations such as IFMSA Promote student activities within the Network, for example, at the conference Make membership exchange of information for example in a Newsletter Facilitate EP and interdisciplinary exchange A link between students and professionals Interconnect the local student Network organisations Make more students go to the Network meetings/conferences Establishing common funding to make more students be able to go to the meetings Increase the awareness of SCE within the Network Bibliographic References Call for Abstracts-Annual Network Conference 2002 Moi University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Eldoret, Kenya Student Network Organisation Booklet - printed in January, 1995 By-laws da Student Network Organisation (SNO) E-mail sent by Jesper Stern, ex-chairman of SNO, to the attendants of Sweden Conference