Left to right: Julie Dropinski, Paul Holmes, Chris Wood, Larisa Bogle. Author: Larisa BogleThis year’s WCCS AGM took place on the sunny shores of Malaga, Spain actually Fuengirola Beach! Convened by Guillermo Busto of Barcelona Chiropractic College (BCC) and Madrid Chiropractic College (MCC) WCCS Chapters the 36th Annual General Meeting (AGM) saw 25 schools attending from every continent. The purpose of the World Congress of Chiropractic Students is to advance and unite the global chiropractic profession through inspiration, integrity and leadership and there is no other place to see this in all its magnificent than at the AGM where students from around the world come together to explore, share and advance the profession. Four delegates from the McTimoney College of Chiropractic were lucky enough to head out this year and contribute our unique perspective to this incredible international event - Larisa Bogle, Head Delegate, Julie Dropinski, Paul Holmes and Chris Wood. Proposals for Congress ranged from organising a worldwide project in which relevant chiropractic organisations are invited to come and present at each university, to introducing an online database for chiropractic students' research and an annual collective focus to take back to each Chapter. The necessary by-laws of WCCS were also considered, discussed, drafted and amended to maximise our efficiency and impact and there was a proposal for the development of WCCS Consensus statements on worldwide issues. We were lucky this year to have a tremendous amount of talent in our delegation, utilising expertise in law, marketing, business, and social media. As a practicing lawyer I was asked on several occasions to assist the Board with issues concerning by-laws and indeed was called upon during congress to explain legal issues and consequences of the same to all the delegates. I also presented the Chiropractic Humanitarian Assistance Program Committee (CHAP) of which I became Chair and recruited 17 new committee members! Whilst at congress I also joined the Committee Support Team, which oversees the productivity of each committee and reports to the Board, and finally I was nominated for and accepted a place on the Consensus Statement Committee. Chris Wood joined and is now the Chair for the Website Committee. He also joined the Marketing Committee. Both of these committees are very important for promoting the purpose and message of WCCS both internally and externally. Paul Holmes was integral in finalising the WCCS Wikipedia page during congress joining the WCCS Wikipedia Committee. Julie Dropinski joined the International Media Committee who are responsible for organising, collating and facilitating a WCCS global World Spine Day. Individuals including our delegates worked tirelessly sometimes from 6am till 2am the following morning to ensure the business of congress ran smoothly and that McTimoney were represented at every turn. The days were long, dynamic and intense with the business of congress taking up most of the days but we were also spoilt with some incredible speakers. We had the President of the European Chiropractors Union, Dr Øystein Ogre, speak about the integration of chiropractic with traditional medicine. Dr Iben Axen talked about her research to find out how the typical patients with low back pain (LBP) react in the chiropractic office. Dr Steve Williams, a world expert on chiropractic paediatrics and craniopathy, gave a talk on how vital paediatric chiropractic is for laying the foundations of future well-being in adulthood. An orthodontist, Silvia del Cid and Chiropractor Amaya Alonso DC who specialising in temporomandibular joint dysfunction and its effect on overall health showed us how anomalies in bite alignment completely changed global spinal posture and the amazing transformation that occurs once corrected.
following which the whole WCCS crew were invited up on stage afterwards to do an impromptu rendition of the Macarena in front of the audience...when in Spain do as the Spanish! Philosophy night allowed us to delve deep into our own belief systems under the guidance of four major chiropractic gurus Val Pennacchio DC, Aaron Morris DC, Jaime Pinillos DC and Amaya Alonso DC . And finally a leadership development evening conducted by the irrepressibly inspirational Lou Corleto whose energy, compassion and insight swept us away until two o'clock in the morning with every person involved leaving transformed. Despite the full pack days and nights we did manage a much needed day off to visit the local sites, to partake of traditional Spanish tapas and sangria and a visit to the Alhambra Palace a stunning piece of Spanish history nestled in the hills of Granada.
Being able to attend WCCS AGM and represent McTimoney is an incredible and valuable opportunity and I could not be more proud of our delegation for the massive impact that we had on everyone at the AGM. We were all instrumental in securing McTimoney's voice in the development of our profession and inspiring genuine interest from students who wanted to learn more about our fantastic approach to chiropractic and learning. We were so proud to be able to educate people on what we do and why in an environment where differences are celebrated and admired.
BCC and MCC did a magnificent job of organising such a tremendous event this year and have now passed the baton onto Life University in Atlanta, Georgia for WCCS 2015. We at McTimoney WCCS have an exciting year of planning, fundraising and friendship to look forward to make sure that our voice is sure to be heard for years to come. We are always thankful for the support of BPP Student Association, McTimoney Chiropractic Association (MCA), McTimoney College of Chiropractic and McTimoney Trust which help to fund our presence at these events, we have big plans for the future and look forward to continued support for attendance at other events and for up and coming McTimoney WCCS Chapter initiatives. |