International Volunteer Program (IVP)
ISAPA 2017 was held in Deagu, South Korea, on June 12-16th, 2017 which was exactly a “chance not to miss” as it was announced at the “Call for Volunteers”.
When I saw the call for volunteers for ISAPA 2017, I just remembered ISAPA 2013- İstanbul, where I was coordinator for the “International Volunteer Program” and had the chance to work with 25 volunteers from South Korea, Ireland, Taiwan, The USA, Canada, England, Spain and Turkey. I can say that it was not just volunteering but of course it was professional interaction and sharing the soul of APA.
The International Volunteer Program has been launched since ISAPA, 2009 in Sweden, to give the chance to students to experience the symposium environment and to network with APA academics. Yet, there were 50 student volunteers working at the symposium from different universities from Korea. Beside, there were 3 volunteers who made it to Korea, 2 from Japan (Miku NISHIDA and Hachimitsu FUKUNISHI) and 1 from Turkey (Ayşegül “Rosa” AKSOY).
Just like it is being announced for each congress, the theme for ISAPA 2017 was also an inspiring one to motivate you to be more productive in the field and go for more. Its theme was; “Create a new paradigm and go beyond APA”. By that theme and of course by the inspiraitonal support of Prof. Sok-Rok SONG and IVP Coordinator Haera SEO, the IVP reached its aim.
Written by: Ayşegül AKSOY “Rosa” – IFAPA Student Representative
Student Representatives of IFAPA
As after each ISAPA the general assembly of IFAPA Board was also held in Daegu, South Korea. For each two years period, a representative student is elected for the board. At the general assembly in Daegu, four candidates were nominated, and all were accepted as representative students, to coordinate the activities and events related to students of IFAPA. We, the people who are eager to study/work in APA field are increasing in the numbers every year.
Therefore, IFAPA students representatives are (left to right) Ayşegül AKSOY “Rosa” (Turkey), Kyla COLLINS (USA), Heidi SKANTZ (Finland) and T. Nicole KIRK (USA).
ISAPA Conference 2017
This year we were fortunate enough to hold the ISAPA conference in beautiful Daegu, South Korea. The conference theme of “Create a new paradigm and go beyond” was on full display as esteemed adapted physical activity professionals from across the world collaborated and shared their experiences and research. The organisers put on an exceptional conference, and on behalf of all the attendees, we extend our gratitude to each and every one of them for their hard work. Throughout the conference, we were given the opportunity to hear from an abundance of well-regarded experts in adapted physical activity (APA), participate in Special Olympics workshops, and engage in discussion during poster sessions. A highlight from the 21st ISAPA was a tour of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games venues. We were fortunate enough to be given an once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the Olympic and Paralympic city, as well as listen and learn from experts as the Republic of Korea is gearing up for the games. As students, ISAPA allowed us to network and interact with APA professionals from across the world, providing us with unique learning experiences. On behalf of the IFAPA student representatives, thank you to Dr. Block, Professor Park, Professor Song, and the entire organizing committee for hosting the 21st International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity. We hope to see you at ISAPA in Summer 2019!
Written by Kyla Collins – IFAPA Student Representative