Active Life and Epilepsy

The 11th ECES will take place from Wednesday, 15 October to Friday, 17 October 2008. The theme of the Conference is “Active Life and Epilepsy” and each day will focus on different aspects of achieving goals in life and a better Quality of Life. In addition to prominent medical experts in the field of epilepsy, speakers will be drawn from those working in epilepsy support and people with experience of epilepsy. The workshops and sessions will give delegates the opportunity to discuss and interact with each other in an open and amicable atmosphere.

Some of the members of the Organising Committee, from left:
Peter Dahlqvist, Seppo Sarkkula, Jacqueline Beaussart,
Andreas Habberstad and Thanos Covanis

Message from Peter Dahlqvist, Chair of the European Regional Executive Committee

Dear Friends,

It is with great pleasure that I invite you to the 11th European Conference on Epilepsy and Society in Marseille, 15th-17th October 2008. The theme of the 2008 Conference is Active Life and Epilepsy. The Organising Committee has worked hard to put together an interesting programme. As at previous Epilepsy and Society Conferences, the programme will encompass various Quality of Life issues. There will be a special focus on the possibilities for achieving goals in life, both for the individual and for organisations. The programme will also concentrate on how to interpret and use information and how to communicate to get our messages through, as well as how to work with media. During the sessions and the workshops there will of course be time for questions and discussions about Active Life and Epilepsy.

Marseille is one of the oldest cities in Europe and is today a busy Mediterranean metropolis. Sunshine is one of the strong assets of its pleasant lifestyle, and the Mistral wind gives Marseille that special light that inspired many renowned painters such as Cézanne, Braque, Marquet and others.

We hope to inspire you with an interesting Epilepsy and Society programme with important Quality of Life issues, great speakers and a warm and friendly atmosphere in the welcoming city of Marseille.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Dahlqvist
Chair
IBE European Regional Executive Committee

Welcome Note from Susanne Lund, IBE President

Dear Friends,

I am delighted that the oldest city of France, Marseille, has been chosen as the venue for the 11th Epilepsy & Society Conference, 2008. With a history dating back to 600BC, the city has enjoyed periods of great prosperity but Marseille also has faced some very difficult times and has survived revolution and plague to become a modern metropolis without forgetting its past.

A little like life itself; we all experience good and bad times, happy and difficult days and for those with a chronic medical condition, such as epilepsy, there are often problems to be faced. We also learn from life experiences and it is good to be able to come together to share those experiences.

The Epilepsy & Society Conferences, focused specifically on social issues relating to epilepsy, are important meetings both for those of us who work in lay epilepsy organizations and for people with epilepsy, their families and carers, providing the platform both for learning and for discourse.

The European Regional Executive Committee, which is organizing the meeting in Marseille, has prepared a fantastic conference programme covering a wide range of topics from Epilepsy in the Family and Achieving Goals, to the lighter side of things in the topic Epilepsy and Humour. As usual at these meetings there will be plenty of time to network with friends old and new.

It promises to be a great conference in a terrific location. And you will see what I mean when you come to Marseille, a wonderful city with a beautiful old port basking under warm Mediterranean skies.

IBE is grateful to the many people who are working hard to ensure that this conference will be a big success and I am confident that when we arrive at the start of the conference we will be able to borrow from La Marseillaise, the stirring French national anthem whose title comes from the soldiers of Marseille, and say that “Le jour de gloire est arrivé!” (the day of glory has arrived!).

See you in Marseille!

Best wishes,

Susanne Lund
President of the International Bureau for Epilepsy

Marseille’s Harbour and Marina

Peter Dahlqvists brings us the Latest News Update

The Organising Committee for the 11th European Conference on Epilepsy & Society 2008 held a planning meeting in Marseille the 29th March 2008. During the meeting the Committee finalised details of the programme, together with the plans for the Opening Ceremony and the Social Evening. The IBE European Regional Executive Committee had a very busy and successful meeting together with Jacqueline Beaussart-Defaye, President of AISPACE, the French IBE member as well as the local host organisation.

The first Announcement has already been sent out and the website is live; you will find a link to the website at the bottom of this page. We have tried to put together a very interesting programme with excellent speakers. Already we can announce the names of most of the speakers, with just a few topics and speakers remaining to be finalized. These will be announced shortly. Please visit the website for more information on the programme. The website will be updated regularly as arrangements are put in place.

In Copenhagen 2006 we received requests to include activities to attract young persons with epilepsy to the next conference. There were also requests for translation or interpreters. So we are very happy to inform you that we will have a special youth workshop on the important issue of How to Increase Youth Involvement in European Epilepsy Associations.

There will also be a special Youth Karaoke Evening (I am sure adults can participate as well – if they dare) arranged by the EPIC Youth Organisation. In addition there are travel bursaries aimed specifically at young persons aged between 18 and 30 years. There are also travel bursaries for persons over 30 years of age.

Furthermore we have planned Francophone workshops, parallel to the workshops in English; an opportunity to see the Finnish movie “The Year of the Wolf” – subtitled in English; posters from IBE members with interesting news and presentations of national activities; exhibition areas; and much, much more. The city of Marseille on the Mediterranean coast also has many interesting and scenic places to visit pre– or post-congress.

Grab this opportunity to join us in Marseille in October. Meet old friends, make new friends, learn from interesting speakers and important presentations, share your experiences and information with others. Register now and book your travel today!

Welcome and bienvenue!

Click here to visit the congress website for further details on the congress programme, bursaries, committees and lots of other congress information………..!

Click here to download the Congress Programme at a Glance