International Epilepsy Day has again inspired the Finnish Epilepsy Association to many activities. There will be face to face campaigning around the country from the capital to Lapland, starting on the 13th of February from the biggest shopping mall in Helsinki.
The campaign is connected to the local elections and candidates will be challenged to comment on the following thesis:
1) Epilepsy can lead to disability and even death
2) Appropriate treatment and counseling should be available at the right time
3) Tailored services help in everyday life and is worth investing and
4) Community cares, anybody who is in need for help.
You can see the impressive post card: 4 thesis of epilepsy here. Candidate´s comments will be posted on the social media of the FEA. In addition, all national social and health care officials and Finnish MEPs, also in the European Parliament, will get the 4 thesis. The campaign is also for audience: People are invited to post their photos with the hashtag #epilepsyday on social media.
The Epilepsy Magazine 1/2017, campaign issue, is full of personal stories and campaign info. The magazine will be published also as an e-zine, free to anybody. A talk show will be screened on the evening of the International Epilepsy Day, telling Hanne Auvinen’s story, who is a survivor despite epilepsy. The show will handle epilepsy from its many sides and aims to encourage PWE to move on in life. The show will be hosted by a known Finnish reporter and shared on YouTube.
The FEA will send a press release at national level and prepare one for local epilepsy chapters to modify it for their own purposes, with information on local events and epilepsy stories. More than 500 volunteers with the staff of the FEA will run the road show and carry out all the activities. The campaign will be conducted in collaboration with the Finnish Epilepsy Society. The results will be measured with volunteers afterwards and there will be both quantitative and qualitative methods to determine about the results. We will proudly share our achievements with our sister organizations around the globe.