Program for the Virtual International Day of the Midwife up and running

We had another Virtual International Day of the Midwife committee meeting yesterday, and the program is starting to come together.

1. Program so far

• Seven speakers have been officially confirmed
• Eleven people have indicated their interest but have yet to send in their abstracts

We will be shoulder tapping, but would love to hear from anyone who'd like to be involved. The session doesn't have to be a formal presentation, it can be a chat or discussion about your practise or anything that interests you about midwifery or childbirth.

I have started to put the VIDM 2011 wiki together, and I think it is looking smarter than last year. Do feel free to have a look and pass on any feedback.

2. Beginning and end
We agreed that we need a "big name" to start the day and Mary Sidebotham will organise that. Bridget Lynch, the president of the ICM, has agreed to provide a welcoming statement. I will also contact the New Zealand College of Midwives to see if they want some involvement, as they did last year. And I have also organised a Maori welcome to the day.

To end the day, Mary will facilitate a discussion aimed at student midwives about how they can facilitate normal birth in their roles as students. I think it is really fitting that we end the day talking to student midwives as they are the future of the midwifery profession.

3. Facilitators
I think we need four master facilitators who will keep an eye on things for six hour slots. They do not need to be tied to their computers, but they do need to be confident with working Elluminate, and be available to support session facilitators and speakers. We'll also need facilitators of each session. If you're interested in being a facilitator, please let me know. I especially need people who will be up and about when New Zealand and Australia is in bed on May 5th.

4. Information for speakers and facilitators
I have started to put information pages together for speakers and facilitators on the wiki. If there is any information there that you feel is misleading, in adequate or missing, please let me know.