Yesterday, six of Malta's delegates to the 66th IFMSA General Assembly March Meeting completed a three-day workshop in which they learnt several skills that relate to MMSA's work locally.

Miguel (MMSA's Peer Education and Training Officer) attended a workshop on International Training on Disaster Medicine. The workshop focused on  both national and international responses to disasters, along with triage training and associated human rights issues. "Since this workshop is not given locally, I found it very interesting and put a lot of things into perspective, especially the current state of affairs around the globe. It would be beneficial for both the MMSA and our members if this workshop is given in Malta as well, so I am willing to come back to Malta and  find out a way to conduct this workshop locally."

Luke (MMSA's Exchanges Officer for Incomings) attended a workshop called Training National Exchange Trainers (TNET). TNET is a relatively new workshop and equips the participants with the required skills and knowledge to manage the exchanges program locally. "Being my first PreGA, I was slightly anxious since I wasn't sure what to expect from the workshop. However I was lucky to be a part of a great group of people and felt really comfortable working with them. Together with other exchange officers from around the world, we discussed various topics and issues we deal with when working on exchanges such as financial management, cultural difference, time management and much more"

Claire (MMSA's Exchanges Officer for Outgoings) attended a workshop called Project Management: From Ideas to Impact. The workshop focused on the basic principles behind a project: its planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. "I was impressed with the quality of the workshop and I learnt much more than I expected. I cannot wait to start implementing what I have learnt within our Exchanges."

Sara (MMSA's Sexual and Reproductive Health Officer) attended a workshop called H.E.A.T. : HIV education, advocacy and training. The sessions involved brief basic knowledge, treatment and history of HIV. It also focused on advocacy, fundraising, testimonies and campaign formation in relation to HIV. "What struck me most from this workshop was the humanitarian aspect of HIV; we must not regard HIV as an STI, but we must look at the patient holistically and think about what they are going through as human beings. I also learnt important tips on advocacy which will be very useful for local HIV projects."

Yvette (MMSA's Medical Education Officer) attended a workshop called Training Medical Exchange Trainers (TMET). The workshop is aimed at training medical students in essential skills to be an effective activist in their medical education, such as advocacy and interprofessional learning, as well as educational models. "TMET was an eye opener to the many problems with the current medical education curricula. I have obtained IFMSA certification from this workshop and got the required tools and resources to be able to pass on these skills to other students. Bring on MEDIK-T!"

Finally, Jean Claude (MMSA Supervising Council member) attended a workshop called Presidents pre-GA. This workshop tackled several topics that are related to management of an IFMSA NMO (the MMSA is an NMO within IFMSA), including organisational development, motivation and recruitment of members, as well as general leadership skills. "The workshop was particularly useful to learn how to evaluate the MMSA objectively, and it also served as an opportunity to discuss common problems with other NMOs and tackle them together. This will undoubtedly help us make the MMSA better for our students."

Now it is time for the rest of the Maltese delegation to join them and for the General Assembly to begin!