Community Connect is a valuable addition and important highlight of The Union World Conference of Lung Health 2024. Representatives of the affected community and civil society come together to share experiences and develop solutions on issues surrounding lung health. Community Connect is an open-access space where the voice of the affected community echoes to the world.
This year, Community Connect comprises of interesting conversations from civil society and affected communities, panel discussions, sessions, booths, campaigns, performances and exhibition area.
Contact Us
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at communityconnect@theunion.org
Programme
This year’s programme will comprise of sessions on the following tracks:
TRACK 1
Community rights, gender and stigma
This track focuses on innovative civil society and community-based/led interventions that address barriers to accessing quality TB services, lung health and tobacco cessation services with respect to human-rights and gender equity.
TRACK 2
Empowering communities: Strengthening systems to end tuberculosis
This track focuses on activities such as capacity building of communities, community mobilization, advocacy, and resource mobilization to address local needs and challenges, regarding TB. It addresses particularly strengthening the capacity of communities to effectively prevent, diagnose, treat, and support individuals with respect to TB.
TRACK 3
Political contexts for community-led advocacy and accountability
This track focuses on strategic policy implementation, advocacy initiatives, financial commitments, TB financing and accountability frameworks required to ensure achieving the goal to end TB by 2030. Communities can share an analysis of national-level policies that have advanced or impeded progress on TB and community-led advocacy programs including post-UNHLM context.
TRACK 4
Driving equitable access to new tools and technologies
This track will focus on scientific advancements and digital innovations, including AI-based technologies aimed at community empowerment and engagement. These technologies/tools can address barriers e.g., social and structural determinants of health, including but not limited to poverty, discrimination, and unequal distribution of healthcare resources, that hinder access to diagnostics and treatment, particularly with respect to TB and lung health
Community Connect Track Lead Guidelines:
The list of tracks is available here.
- The community connect track lead position is open to organisations (non-profit/civil society/ Tuberculosis (TB) champions led/TB champions led research groups) with an experience in TB programming, implementation, community development in organising community-focused TB events or TB projects.
- They should have a strong understanding of TB and lung health issues, and experience working with communities affected by TB.
- The organisations should have a capacity to reach and network with TB communities locally and globally, ensuring wider participation to encourage and mobilise communities for their respective track.
- Excellent communication and organisational skills are essential, as the track Lead will be responsible for coordinating the community connect sessions related to their respective track at The Union World Conference on Lung Health-2024.
The coordinator is the representative of the organisation and will be the point of contact. The co-ordinator will be responsible for using their organisation support and resources to collect session applications for the respective track, review them and select relevant sessions to be featured in the conference broadcast programme.
A short description of the interest and expertise of the organisation applying to lead the chosen track and examples of potential sessions you would like to include (up to 500 words). This could include previous experience in running similar activities at other conferences and examples of events/panels that you’ve organised that are relevant to the theme of the track.
Online submission will be open from 10 March to 6 April.
Community connect track lead applications would be reviewed by experts from the Union Community Advisory Panel (UCAP) and assessed based on the expertise of the organisation.
The Union is committed to promoting people-centred language in all conference abstracts and presentations. When drafting your submissions, please follow the guidelines laid out in the Stop TB Partnership’s publication, Words Matter Language Guide
Please note, proposals using stigmatising language will be penalised in the review process.
If your organisation is selected as track lead, the following roles would be played by them:
- Using your organisation’s network and resources to increase session applications for the respective track.
- Promote active participation among its members and communities to attend Community Connect in-person.
- Reviewing sessions in collaboration with the Union’s Community Advisory Panel (UCAP) to select sessions to be featured in the conference broadcast programme.
- Promoting community connect 2024 through your organisation’s social media channels by sharing The Union’s community connect social media posts on your social media platforms.
- You are also eligible for a booth sponsored by The Union, dedicated to your organisation in an allocated space within the conference.
- Track leads should be present to ensure the speaker engagement onsite by promoting their respective track’s sessions at the conference.
If you wish to contact the Community Connect team, please email us at communityconnect@theunion.org
Guidelines for Community Connect Sessions
Community Connect Session Guidelines
12-16 November 2024
Community Connect will take place during core programme hours; dates and time of presentation are allocated by the Union Community Advisory Panel (UCAP) to accommodate the complexity of the programme and minimise the overlap of tracks.
45/60 Minutes
Community Connect sessions can be either 45 minutes, if your session have a minimum of three to a maximum of five speakers or 60 minutes, if your session have six or more speakers.
Please select the most appropriate track. Note this is to assist with programme planning. Track choice has no impact on the selection process. The list of tracks is available here.
Community Connect sessions should have one to two individuals serving as chair/co-chairs. Chair/co-chairs play the role of communicating with speakers, submitting the session online, liaising with the Community Connect team and moderating the session.
The co-ordinator will be the point of contact and is responsible for providing the necessary information as requested to the Community Connect team. Chairs of the sessions can act as coordinators.
Minimum of three and maximum of seven speakers.
Brief outline of your session topic (maximum 500 words).
A biography of no more than 100 words must be submitted for each proposed speaker and chair. The biography will be considered for publication in the online programme.
Online submission is open from 15 April 2024 – 31 May 2024. Sessions are editable until then. No further changes are accepted after that deadline.
The Union is committed to promoting people-centred language in all conference abstracts and presentations. During submission preparation, the guidelines laid out in the Stop TB Partnership’s publication, Words Matter – Suggested language and usage for tuberculosis communications (Second Edition – 2022), should be followed.
Proposals using stigmatising language will be penalised in the review process.
Below is the list of stigmatising words that will be highlighted for reviewers’ consideration:
- TB Contact (prefer ‘contact person’)
- Defaulter (prefer ‘person lost to follow-up’)
- Illegal/alien worker (prefer ‘noncitizen resident or unauthorized resident/worker’)
- He-his or she-her (prefer ‘they-them’)
- Suspect (prefer ‘person with presumed TB’)
- TB control (prefer ‘TB prevention and care or ending TB’)
- AIDS patient (prefer ‘person living with HIV/AIDS PLWHA/PLHIV’)
Please make sure you enter the active email address of the chairs and speakers as all communication will be made to these corresponding email addresses.
IMPORTANT: Each chair and speaker must use one single email address for identification purpose in our submission, registration and conference digital devices and apps. Otherwise, the system will not recognise the user.
Notification about the status of the submission will be emailed to the session chairs and submitter by the end of July.
The Union World Conference for Lung Health 2024 is pleased to offer open access for the Community Connect programme. However, please note, that to attend the Main Scientific Sessions of the Conference you will need to be registered as a Conference Delegate which requires a fee to be paid.
Full details regarding Conference registrations fees will be available, by the end of April, on the Conference website.
If selected, the session chairs, speakers and sponsors agree to the attached information relating to the release, recording and publication of their presentation and session.
If you wish to contact the Community Connect team, please email us at communityconnect@theunion.org
Review of Community Connect Sessions
Community Connect sessions are peer reviewed by experts from the UCAP team and the Track Leads based on the following review criteria.
SR. NO. | TOPIC TO BE SCORED | EXPECTED | SCORING |
1 | Purpose and objective of the session | Purpose and objective of the session are clear and adequately described | 0 = not described 1 = very poor 2 = poor 3 = average 4 = Good 5 = excellent (weight = 1) |
2 | Session structure and coherence | Titles and content alignment should be coherent and consistent to the description along with the objectives of the session. Session structure is clearly described with adequate scientific rigour and community representation. | 0 = not described 1 = very poor 2 = poor 3 = average 4 = Good 5 = excellent (weight = 1) |
3 | Outcomes and impact
| Outcomes and impact are aligned with objectives of the session description | 0 = not described 1 = very poor 2 = poor 3 = average 4 = Good 5 = excellent (weight = 1) |
4 | Advances/Innovations in the field | Sessions are on topics of current interest as well as new evidence/information approaches and updates on practice related to the subject. | 0 = not described 1 = very poor 2 = poor 3 = average 4 = Good 5 = excellent
(weight = 1) |
5 | Stigmatizing language | Please follow the guidelines laid out in the Stop TB Partnership’s publication, Words matter language guide. Key stigmatising words/phrases will be highlighted by the system for reviewers to consider. | -1 = yes (weight = 1) |
Maximum score: 20
Mentorship
Community members and organisations who wish to submit a session for Community Connect but are new to writing and submission, are welcome to apply for mentorship where there will be assistance available to guide them through this process. For assistance with writing reach out to us at communityconnect@theunion.org before 15 May 2024.
Community Connect Engagement Activities
Community Connect will have a limited number of booth packages available for local Indonesian organisations, and community-based organisations from low and low-middle income countries, with an annual operational budget of less than €1 million. Please contact communityconnect@theunion.org for further details.