“A weekend that might be the start of something big ", I thought, while I sat on the bus, with too much packaging for 2 days, on her way out to nowhere – or what Scanians call "Veberöd". During a weekend in February would IFMSAs new national board meeting for the first time in a scout hut out in the Skåne countryside. What would become of this?

On Friday night arrived all that was on the move from any IFMSAs local towns; Umeå, Uppsala, Stockholm, Örebro, Linkoping, Gothenburg and Skåne. What a great opportunity to all local towns would have become a part and is represented in the new board! The evening began with the first bag of popcorn popped (and far from the last bag for the weekend ...).

With bright sunshine and chirping birds began in the spring Saturday that the Board had been blessed. With full stomachs began the first meeting, that would be about international meetings, extern representation, budget, contribution and whether the "Small Working Group" pronounced "S-W-G 'or' SWAG '. The answer to the last point, I let remain unsaid ...

To mark the occasion, there was also the birthday child among Board. Someone Board of bravura managed to surprise with cake and singing!

With stomachs full of mud cake continued the day with discussions of how IFMSA can contribute to the training of our members, something that the compound is often known as "capacity-building activities". Something that was a clear theme that permeated all discussions over the weekend was sustainable commitment. Sustainable commitment was also the point that concluded the new board's first meeting, When the Board Secretary General held a workshop on this subject. I could clearly see how keen all the board was that everyone would enjoy and feel good.

On Sunday approached the journey home and a last time for laughter and hugs together. I looked around at these amazing people I saw going to be my sources of inspiration during the year. "This weekend was really the start of something big", I thought, while I sat on my journey back home and reflecting on what a fantastic year together we would have in front of us. Here we go!

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

– Anne Frank

Oskar Pettersson
NORA, IFMSA-Sweden 2019