From the 3rd to the 14th of July, the Belgian Medical Students' Association (BeMSA) organised the Summer School on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Ghent. Spread over two weeks, the course brought together students from 13 different countries to immerse themselves in a number of exciting subjects and to enjoy what the magical city of Ghent has to offer! ANSER intern Jeanne Bédé wrote a short piece to gives some insides on how she experienced the training.

Looking back on the Summer School on SRHR

With a program divided into the educational curriculum and the social activities, the participants were not left bored and were given the opportunity to meet and learn about each other's cultures, for example during the International Tapas Evening.

Various fascinating topics have been taught to the audience coming from different backgrounds such as medical sciences, public health, political sciences, law studies or humanities. This wide range of perspectives gave rise to enriching debates with the teachers and among the participants, namely during

 the Panel Discussions moderated by Prof. Olivier Degomme, Director of the International Centre for Reproductive Health and associate Professor at Ghent University.

International teachers as well as Dutch professors provided their theoretical expertise which was combined with guided tours of venues that welcomed the students for the occasion like the Ghent University Hospital, the LUNA abortion center or the GUM Museum for an unusual and conscious exhibition entitled “Phallus : Norm & Form”. All in all, a broad range of interesting and contemporary topics has been offered such as family planning, gender, abortion, LGBT, STDs, sexual violence and many more…

After almost two weeks of comprehensive learning, the participants attended a graduation ceremony with Prof. Degomme and Prof. Piet Hoebeke, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Let’s have fun!

On most days, a social activity is planned to get to know everybody. That is how the flag dance initiation or the city game in Ghent have been a great medium to create new friendships to discover the city and in a safe and funny environment.

Last but not least, the trip to Bruges, a warm and friendly city classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been a perfect opportunity to create memories with like-minded people from all over the world.

Want to hear from the participants ?

“I participated in the SRHR summer school because it's a very relevant yet underestimated topic and I have a huge personal interest and passion regarding SRHR topics”
Stella (Germany), Law student

“I participated because I have a great interest in helping women and young girls that don’t have the access to health care because of poor funding and accessibility.”
Odia (South Africa), student in Applied Psychology

“From a theoretical standpoint, the Summer School introduced me to a wide range of issues, such as the topic of surrogacy, the legal challenges of sex work, or the importance of promoting inclusive school environments for LGBTQI youth. I also appreciated the different types of expertise brought by the speakers who participated in the programme; hearing the perspective of medical doctors, lawyers, epidemiologists, and sociologists allowed us to grasp the diverse nature of SRHR.”
Emma (France, Sweden), student in Public Health sciences

“I would really recommend the program because the different backgrounds of the participants will give the chance to learn how different are the realities on other places, the reasons for that and to understand better SRH as a human rights issue”
Paula (Ecuador, Brazil), sociologist focusing on Reproductive health

Follow the Summer School’s upcoming activities on :
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/summerschoolghent/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/summerschoolghent/