Mustafa Huhsyar | Candidate for IFMSA Vice-President for PR & Communication 2021-2022

MUSTAFA HUSHYAR KAMALA

CANDIDATURE

IFMSA VICE-PRESIDENT FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATION 2021-2022 Candidature for VPPRC 2021-2022 | 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Abbreviations

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Motivation Letter

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Plan of Action

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1. Team Leadership

2. Branding & Visibility 3. PR&C Framework

Curriculum Vitae

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS IFMSA NMO VPPRC VPM VPF VPE VPCB EB TO IT GA RM TOM OLM CI PR&C PR OC

International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations National Member Organization Vice-President for Public Relations and Communication Vice-President for Members Vice-President for Finance Vice-President for External Affairs Vice-President for Capacity Building Executive Board Team of Officials International Team General Assembly Regional Meeting Team of Officials Meeting Online Meeting Corporate Identity Public Relations & Communication Public Relations Organizing Committee

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MOTIVATION LETTER “Public Relations and Communication are powerful tools, a well-executed and carefully planned strategy can make a substantial difference” The COVID-19 outbreak is a global public health crisis, but unfortunately, its impact goes beyond the health dimension. A massive info-demic of disinformation and misinformation swirling amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the responsibility of federations like IFMSA to fight against this falsehood.

As the pandemic continues, there has never been a more pressing need for organizations to rethink and reconfigure their strategies for a changing world.

Vice-President for Public Relations & Communication is not a technical position, a higher publications position, nor is it a higher decision-making position; it’s all of this combined, a position of extreme importance within IFMSA. It is about the image that we show, which connects the work done internally to the external, strengthening and giving relevance to every action we put effort into.

Through these eventful periods, Public Relations and Communication become responsible for leading investigations and the implementation of innovative ways that can help sustain the impact of IFMSA worldwide. Becoming a VPPRC requires a strong skill set and the courage to take responsibility. Others might find this position complicated and challenging to manage, but for me taking up this position means I can practice my passion and creativity with empathy, courage, and integrity.

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The Start of My Journey...

I’m Mustafa, a 5th-year Medical student from Kurdistan, Iraq. My journey in Public Relations and Communication started way before joining medical school. My passion for creating digital art and technology was developed through the environment I grew up in. It was during my second year of college that I discovered IFMSA through my friends and directly joined because I found it a unique opportunity to be part of the youth voice that IFMSA was representing.

My Public Relations and designing skills got me known very early on through my LC and later in that year I was chosen to lead all of the publications and promotion of the 8th National Assembly of IFMSAKurdistan. It was a unique experience that brought out the potential in me and the outstanding visibility of the event demonstrated my skills on a national level.

Just after the National Assembly, I was encouraged to apply for the National Publication Support Division Director which was vacant and I was excited to apply. Throughout the term, I managed the publications, social media, visibility, promotion as well as introducing a higher standard of Public Relations to my NMO. When I joined my first GA in Taiwan I got more acquainted with the structure of PR&C internationally and how this field has a broad impact within the federation.

Moreover, shortly after the GA, I decided to apply for the PR & Communication International Team as a content creator and I was the first person in my NMO to make it to the international team.

From there my ambitions grew. While being in the International Team, I applied for another term in my NMO as the national publication director to fully implement the vision I had for the visibility of my NMO and I was able to use my experience in the PR&C IT to achieve that. Throughout my second term in my NMO I brought on many changes such as developing the first Corporate Identity manual, Restructuring the Publication team, and holding an outstanding COVID-19 response online campaign that had a large impact nationally. The success I achieved in improving the public image of my NMO led me to win the award of the Most influential Member of the term in IFMSA-Kurdistan.

Finally, being more passionate than ever I have continued my journey for the second year in the International Team as the General Assistant of PR&C. As a general Assistant, I have further developed my skills, leadership, and knowledge. In addition, I have learned how investing in appropriate communication strategies can help raise awareness of global health issues and better advocate for what IFMSA stands for.

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This position is relatively new and its sustainability at this stage is very important. For the past few terms, PR&C has been experiencing an ongoing development of visual representation, branding, marketing, and more. Being involved in the PR&C team for two years gives me the great advantage of being aware of these developments and my ability to follow up on them.

My experience in PR&C has not been limited to within the IFMSA only, but working professionally with many local and national companies and organizations has enabled me to broaden my awareness, experience, skillset, and knowledge to a global standard within the field.

This position is adjusting its role with the new pandemic and the necessity to adapt our work to the digital cloud, VPPRC is in the center of all the coordination of the online activities. With my commitment, enthusiasm, work ethic, and having more time to dedicate to IFMSA as a last year medical student, I will devote my time and energy to fulfill my tasks and serve the federation. I will make empathy and fairness the core essence of every decision being made and reflect my compassion throughout the team.

At the present moment, I feel equipped to take on this challenge and hence I’m presenting to you my candidature for the VPPRC position 2021-2022. My passion and understanding of PR&C have never been stronger. If elected, I will implement a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the IFMSA brand as the world’s largest student organization and firmly take the responsibility with determination and dedication.

Yours sincerely,

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PLAN OF ACTION This Plan of Action is based on reviewing tasks of the VPPRC mentioned in the IFMSA Constitution & Bylaws, consultation with current and previous VPPRC, as well as my experience working in the PR&C International Team for two terms.

However, mentioned plans and actions will be further reviewed and discussed with EB-elect and TO-elect to ensure a more detailed and accurate annual working plan.

MY PRIORITIES

1. TEAM LEADERSHIP

2. BRANDING & VISBILITY

3. PR&C FRAMEWORK

ACTION

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TEAM LEADRSHIP BEING AN IFMSA OFFICIAL

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Being an IFMSA official brings with itself a good responsibility for leadership which plays a vital role in enhancing the performance and creating a supportive environment.

As an EB member, I will be responsible as part of the managing body for the work of IFMSA, and I will hold that responsibility with commitment and dedication. I will support the EB and TO through developing communication and effectively contribute to decision making discussions and provide my opinions in apprehensive ways to promote the IFMSA leadership. I will have fewer academic responsibilities and that enables me to fully and actively participate in OLMs, TOMs, GAs, and RMs. I will also work with the EB to realize the 2021-2024 strategic plan and take the lead in priorities related to promotion and visibility. Moreover, I will provide support and coordinate logistics needed to support the EB and IFMSA work in the online space and take on the bureaucracy work whenever needed. As a person that easily adapts to work mindfully under pressure, I will put in all of my efforts when managing crises as well as analyzing unexpected issues and work towards solving them.

As a member of the Team of Officials, it’s my responsibility to support all the TO in terms of PR & Communication and to deliver help towards increasing the visibility and promotion of standing committees and other EB-related areas like External Affairs, Capacity Building, Activities, and Programs. I will provide guidance and capacity building sessions to get the TO members and their assistants more oriented to the Corporate Identity of IFMSA and create clear communication channels with them along with defining well structured PR&C procedures to meet their needs. I will also support the TO in organizing campaigns in their fields and developing all the necessary publications they require.

Having more than 140 NMOs as a part of the federation needs a big amount of attentiveness and that’s why I will be active in the TO-NMO body system. I will also actively introduce PR&C to NMOs and support them through providing all the necessary CI materials and resources in addition to providing guidance about areas of my expertise and help them increase their PR&C capacity building.

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PUBLIC RELATIONS & COMMUNICATION TEAM IFMSA PR & Communication team produces and promotes hundreds of publications annually and this collaborative teamwork requires members with dedication, motivation, and skills. Being part of the PR&C IT will give me advantage and a good grasp on how to recruit members that are qualified for the work. During my elected period, I will analyze the previous teams’ structure and task distribution in terms of its strengths and weaknesses and then discern what should be changed and how to unlock the potential of each position to work effectively. When recruiting members I will be realistic with them about what will be required from them and the standard of work they are expected to follow. I will also clarify their tasks and goals that we have to achieve as a team. The PR&C team will not be limited to only executing others tasks but to be consulted and engaged in various activities.

It’s necessary to create an environment for the PR&C team that enables each of them to thrive and help them explore their untapped potentials. Establishing Internal Operation Guidelines is a great step to create that energizing space for the team. I will conduct Online monthly Meetings to give updates, discuss ideas, and freely share their experience. At the beginning of the term, I will try to ascertain their experience, skills, and availability. it’s crucial to orient the team members with their tasks and the work being done in the PR&C team and for that reason I will provide them with assitance and training. Through competency models, I will help them to develop their skills and also become trainers in the PR&C field. Acknowledging the mental health impact and the workload is of the utmost priority and I will encourage having team-building sessions often.

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BRANDING & VISIBILITY

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In a world where trends are constantly changing, it can be hard to maintain a modern image. Rebranding is an option to keep the look and feel of your brand fresh and current. The initiative that has been started to re-brand IFMSA since the past term serves a lot to move this vision forward and being part of both terms has given me more insight into the rebranding process.

The Corporate Identity manual is a great asset to keep the integrity of the IFMSA image. To be able to promote and implement the CI I propose to: ●● Increase awareness regarding the Corporate Identity among all the potential users including officials, IT/PC, and NMOs to keep the Corporate Identity from being disregarded. The awareness will be more emphasized in the case of the new CI getting approved. ●● I will work together with the VPCB at the beginning of the term to create webinars to engage and acquaint the IFMSA Officials and their relevant assistants with the corporate identity and how they can use the CI to reflect it upon their internal publications as well. ●● I will monitor all the publications being published throughout our external and internal platforms and insist on implementing our CI consistently to create a brand that is instantly recognizable and remembered by our audience. I will also ensure that a consistent look and feel is experienced at all communication touchpoints. ●● If the new rebranding proposal gets approved, I will evaluate the new branding in terms of its implementation and practicality during my elected period and keep track of the changes and make sure it is used properly over all of our platforms. In any case, I will work on detecting the defects and needs for improving them. ●● I will follow up on our marketing strategy and develop a promotion plan to introduce IFMSA as a strong brand to our external partners, stakeholders, as well as internally. I will also consider the idea of creating a professional video to introduce IFMSA and its achievements, activities, and structure that can extend our vision and mission beyond our current audience.

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SOCIAL MEDIA IFMSA’s Publications are spread through completely different kinds of Social Media, covering all the target audiences and being in contact with different kinds of Stakeholders. Therefore its management is highly important. ●● I will follow up on the social media strategy, evaluate and explore new ways to increase the quality and quantity of our audience and engagement. ●● Maintain consistency of design, tone, and language throughout our social media platforms and internal facebook groups through monitoring and defining clear guidelines. In case the new CI gets approved, I will insist on its application throughout our social media appearance. ●● Brief the Team of Officials about clear procedures for the use of our social media platforms and introduce them to the social media and campaigns tracking calendar to organize publications more efficiently. ●● I will follow-up on our current campaigning framework and collaborate more with the other officials to create powerful campaigns and further involve PR&C to maintain consistency and impact. ●● Create and develop a resources folder and organize our Canva account to help the TOs and ITs to create designs for internal groups that are in line with our CI.

PUBLICATIONS Publications developed and published by IFMSA are a key component of our federation and it is an important way in which we reach our members, partners, and stakeholders. With the value they hold, it is very important to emphasize the quality and aligning of our publications.

Medical Students International (MSI) represents the voice of medical students worldwide. Being one of the most important and most shared publications of IFMSA, it’s important to maintain the high quality it has achieved in the past terms, and due to my involvement in developing this term’s MSI, I will gain more insight to further improve it towards global recognition. ●● I will Promote the MSI to all the regions and work on receiving a balanced ratio of submissions from all 5 regions to keep the magazine more diverse. ●● Recruit members for the MSI that are experienced with a possibility to be part of both editions in the year. ●● Keep the design of the MSI modern and align it with the IFMSA Corporate Identity.

I will also evaluate and review the publishing guidelines of the MSI. ●● Explore the possibility of finishing the MSI before the General Assemblies and coordinate with the VPF to find ways to collect funds and sponsors for publishing physical copies during the GAs and promote the publication to ensure a larger outreach and greater impact.

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IFMSA newsletter has a lot of untapped potentials that can increase our visibility to our audience and members. I will redefine and restructure our Newsletter framework in order to have an effective and continuous way of promoting our achievements as a federation and also various events and activities.

IFMSA WEBSITE

IFMSA’s website still remains one of the main official platforms for our members and interested externals. As the process of updating the website is taking place right now, it will open lots of opportunities for us to promote IFMSA to a larger audience.

●● I will update the website as much as possible and review our current content so we have all the up-to-date information on our website.

●● In coordination with the VPE and liaison officers, I will develop a good framework and regulation on the press release system. ●● Focus on the blogpost section of our website to enhance our web traffic and search engine optimization.

●● Establish a good link with the relevant IT company to ensure optimal functioning of our website and databases. ●● I will work closely with the SCOPE and SCORE directors to address and monitor technical problems in the exchange database. I will also collaborate with the VPM to supervise the NMOs’ accounts on the website.

MEDIA AND SPONSORSHIP

As a VPPRC I will be responsible for ensuring that IFMSA remains relevant in the areas we are working on. To achieve more visibility, I will work on creating lasting media partnerships and maintain a mass media contact list to approach when it comes to promoting our work, activities, events, and press releases. Living in an increasingly digital environment, I will value conventional media and work as a contact person to help IFMSA Officials make more media appearances on topics relevant to their field of work and the federation. I will collaborate with the OCs of GAs and RMs to reach out to local media on covering the events.

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IFMSA holds an impressive network over different platforms like social media and website which gives us ample potential to approach sponsors and collaborators in exchange for promotion. I will analyze our current sponsorships and work with the VPF to develop sponsorship strategies to explore and search for more sponsors while considering the ethical fundraising framework of IFMSA sponsorship.

MERCHANDISING

Merchandise materials are a valuable tool that can give our members a feeling of being connected to the federation. To keep up the production of high-quality materials I will use my knowledge and experience in the printing field to discover more unique and creative merchandising, printing, and promotional items. In case of a new CI getting approved, it is also necessary to update our promotional materials and provide assistance to OCs of GAs and RMs in creating merchandise to promote the events. I will also look into further discussing and analyzing the idea of opening an online store for selling IFMSA merchandise worldwide with the EB.

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PR&C FRAMEWORK

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Following up on the current PR&C framework is an essential step to support the PR&C structure and work dynamic. Defining clear communication and support systems is necessary to get the work more organized and efficient. ●● I will analyze and monitor the current PR&C framework and procedures guideline and work towards making it more efficient and applicable.

●● Explain the PR&C procedures to the Team of Officials and guiding them on the proper ways to follow the procedures when in need of a request. ●● Help the PR&C division within the NMOs and develop manuals and toolkits to guide them towards better visibility and show them the steps to establish their own CI. ●● Increase awareness about the PR&C works and updates through sharing monthly or bi-monthly reports.

GDPR As a VPPRC it will be my task to monitor the compliance and increase awareness of the Privacy and Data Protection Policies. ●● I will take a diligent approach to ensure the data protection is assured and clarify the GDPR protocols to the Team of Officials so that they are aware of our Privacy Policies and CoC when collecting and dealing with data. ●● Facilitate collaboration and consultation with DLA Piper firm on compliance with GDPR and any related procedures. ●● Develop and update manuals and toolkits on GDPR protocols to share with NMOs to evaluate their current status and reinforce their compliance with the regulations.

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CAPACITY BUILDING Capacity building remains one of the core important values in our Federation.

PR&C has shown its usefulness in the past terms on how it can increase our impact therefore it is also necessary to continue its development and establish workshops for NMOs and our members regarding PR&C. ●● I will follow up on the initiatives taken this term to standardize the PR&C workshop and promote it to be part of the Pre-GAs, Pre-RMs, and hosted

by SRTs. ●● In coordination with the VPCB, I will work to develop and promote more online PR&C workshops for NMOs and expand the PR&C enthusiast network within IFMSA. ●● Contribute to the Competency Model sessions to build the capacity of the TO and IT/PC about PR&C related works such as content creation, social media management, Corporate Identity, and more. ●● Contribute to the NMO management sessions in the GAs and RMs and propose PR&C training sessions that are relevant.

THE ONLINE SPACE The COVID-19 pandemic has now persisted for more than a year and has canceled thousands of events, the need to adapt has forced many of them to go online and that includes the most important events of IFMSA such as the GAs and RMs. As this transition is happening, PR&C has been at the center of the coordination of these online events. ●● I will study and analyze the outcomes of the previous online events and work on developing toolkits and strategies on how to effectively hold these events virtually with a high quality that meets our standards. ●● Coordinate and draft a detailed plan for the preparation of online events in the case of GAs, RMs, and other meetings shift to online. I will also explore the possibility of holding hybrid events in the future. ●● Support the NMOs with guidance if they need to organize their own online events. ●● Keep our online facilities up-to-date and explore new platforms and tools to increase engagement and impact as well as decrease online fatigue during virtual events and activities.

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CURRICULUM VITAE Mustafa Hushyar Kamala 5th year Medical Student Kurdistan, Iraq.

2 2 3

Terms in PR&C International Team

IFMSA General Assemblies

National General Assemblies

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CURRICULUM VITAE MUSTAFA HUSHYAR MOHAMMED AMEEN KAMALA

CONTACT

EDUCATION 2016-Present College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University

P. +964 750 190 6557 E. mstafahm98@gmail.com A. Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq

LANGUAGES Kurdish

IFMSA EXPERIENCE IFMSA PR&Communication International Team 2020-Present General Assistant to VPPRC

English Arabic Turkish

SKILLS Adobe Illustrator Adope Photoshop Adobe InDesign Microsoft Office Wordpress site Video Creation

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IFMSA PR&Communication International Team 2019-2020 Publication & Content Creation Assistant IFMSA Online General Assembly Aug 2020 NMO Management Sessions Attendee IFMSA COVID-19 Response SWG 2020 PR&C Support Person IFMSA August Meeting - Taiwan Aug 2019 NMO Management Sessions Attendee

IFMSA-KURDISTAN

OTHER EXPERIENCES

IFMSA-Kurdistan Team of Officials 2018-2020 Publication Support Division Director

Pre-Kurdistan Health Submmit Jan 2021 Organizing Committee Member

IFMSA-Kurdistan Strategy 2021-24 2021 Taskforce Member

AVI Health Organization Jan 2020-July 2020 Head of Publications and Design

Online National Assembly Aug 2020 Head of Promotion and Publications

Kurdistan Health Summit May 2019 Organizing Committee Member

Pre-Online National Assembly Aug 2020 “Publication” Workshop Organizer

Tenus Printing Company 2019-2020 Marketing Officer

IFMSA-Kurdistan COVID-19 Response 2020 Head of the SWG

Stripes Creative Agency 2018-2019 Co-Founder & Head of PR

Kurdistan Medical Students Magazine 2019, 2020 Board Member and Supervisor

Novella Medical Group 2016-2019 Part-time Graphics Designer

8th & 9th National Assembly 2018, 2019 Organizing Committee member

TEDxHawlerMedicalUniversity 2018 Head of IT & Webmaster

PR&C WORKSHOPS AND SESSIONS IFMSA Online General Assembly 2020 NMO Management: Co-Facilitator of “Sticky! Brand your NMO and Connect with Audiences” session

IFMSA Online EuRegMe 2020 Facilitator of “Campaigning & Social Media” Session

IFMSA-Kurdistan Pre-ONA 2020 Trainer of “Publications” Workshop

IFMSA Competency Model 2020 Facilitator of “Content Creation” Session

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THANK YOU! If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments don’t hesitate to contact me

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