What has made my professional life so compelling? What drives my energy and flips me from despair to enthusiastic planning is us - that’s you, me and the MS community in Ireland and Europe. Whoever you are - whether that’s someone who has or is living with MS, or a friend partner or relative of someone with MS - you are part of a wider group of people driving the change. What epitomises this for me is the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP).
EMSP is the leading voice in Europe advocating for people living with MS. There are 42 member organisations from 36 European countries, including MS Ireland. From the individual person to the organisational members, people and organisations contribute substantially to European efforts to highlight MS across the continent.
Making a real difference
The EMSP team works to influence European health, social and employment policies through evidence-based advocacy. From the EU parliament, where MEPs represent the people of Ireland, to interest groups, where health and social issues are discussed, EMSP leads the effort. EMSP is involved with a range of activities, including the development of data-driven research (the MS Barometer), gathering information from people with MS (Impact of Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms- IMSS), being part of innovative research (BEHIND MS, WISDOM) and community building with young people with MS (Young People’s Network). EMSP works to ensure high-quality, equitable treatment, care, and resources.
EMSP is a driving force in the MS research agenda, collating efforts through project leadership and making sure that people with MS are at the centre and included in the development.
Working with members, the EMSP team identify and facilitate programmes that make a real difference to people with MS because qualified people with MS are there at every level. During my work as part of this team, I have met people from every country in Europe. Together we have developed the incredibly special EMSP conferences, built the Young People’s Network into a powerful force of action and representation and, together, we made a massive, positive difference to the community.
Focused on the same goals, I’ve met thousands of others, had millions of fascinating conversations and built warm-hearted friendships that stretch across time and national boundaries.
EMSP conference
In May this year, the EMSP conference is in the beautiful city of Prague, Czechia. Attendees will explore the latest scientific developments in the field of MS, address key policy issues, connect, and collaborate with people from across Europe. It is a unique opportunity to learn, share, and shape the future of MS. In parallel, the role of the people affected by such disorders has also evolved, permitting them to actively take part in those developments and be part of the decision making that will affect their quality of life.
Being part of something bigger outside of ourselves encourages us to strive for better standards for people affected by MS locally. Working with people from different cultures, nations and experiences is a privilege I have been fortunate to have. We share the awesome, invigorating energy that comes from being part of a bigger effort. We learn from people in other walks of life, from activists and academics and people with world views different from our own.
We take courage in one another and take care of one another by supporting the work of our local branch, participating in national actions and being part of a bigger community by being active members of the European MS Platform. When we work together, we improve as individuals and as a collective. We leave things better for the people who will come after us.
There is an Irish proverb, "Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine", which translates as, "We live in each other's shadows", or "We shade each other from the sun". We depend on one another in so many different ways and every day we get to make a difference in the life of another.
Check out EMSP and see how members make a difference to change Europe for a better future for people with MS.
EMSP Projects: https://emsp.org/projects/
The MS Barometer: https://msbarometer.eu/2020
Young People’s Network: https://emsp.org/projects/ypn/
The MS Agency Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-ms-agency-podcast/id1730264353
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