IVSA Global...
... is the umbrella organisation of all IVSA chapters worldwide. It is a non-profit non-governmental organisation run by volunteer veterinary students from around the world. The goal of IVSA is to improve the standard of veterinary education internationally through the exchange of ideas, knowledge and culture.
Where is IVSA Global?
IVSA has its headquarters in Belgium. The Executive Committee (ExCo) meets several times a year. More important to the "average" IVSA member is the General Assembly. It consists of delegates from the different member organisations. It meets twice a year; for a symposium in winter or a congress in summer, somewhere in the world. There the delegates agree to change the bylaws, accept newly written Policy Papers and elect the new ExCo. These official acts are often part of a cultural and social program where one gets to meet loads of interesting and nice people.
Who is part of IVSA Global?
Apart from the different member organisations (like IVSA Bern), IVSA Global has an Executive Committee and various Standing Committees.
The Executive Committee consists of:
- President
- Secretary General
- Member Organisation Director, External Relations Officer, Development Aid Director, Public Relations Officer, Treasurer and the Committee Coordinator
- Eight Secretaries who aid the Executive Committee
The Committees / Working Groups are:
- SCoVE - Standing Committee on Veterinary Education: Spreads veterinary education throughout the world (e.g. VetTalks), provides free knowledge and helps improving school curriculums.
- SCAW - Standing Committee on Animal Welfare: Increases the levels of awareness and education about animal welfare among veterinary students.
- SCOH - Standing Committee on One Health: Promotes the importance of One Health and the interdisciplinary collaboration between vets and public health related scientists.
- SCOW - Standing Committee on Wellness: Improves wellness and wellbeing of veterinary students.
- Working Group on Alumni: Brings IVSA Alumni closer to IVSA
- Working Group on Policies: Investigates topics that are important for IVSA to express opinions about and reflects the policies in Policy Papers or Position Statements.
You can find more information about the committees here.
Who can get involved in IVSA Global?
In order to be part of IVSA Global, you need to be a member of a local IVSA organisation. Basically everyone can become part of the ExCo - it helps of course to have attended a few IVSA events before you apply, for example join a congress as a delegate.
Another way of getting involved is to join the Working Groups and help the chairs with their work, for example writing new Policy Papers.
For more information, check out the official website or contact us!