Belfast, Ireland and Bergen, Norway will be joining their voices to the #MillionsMissing protest this June.
In Belfast, shoes will be displayed at the Chasing Competent Care conference on Monday, June 6 at 6 PM at the Stormont Hotel, 587 Upper Newtownards Road, BT4 3LP Belfast. The shoes will be displayed down the side of the conference hall, with each pair representing one of the millions of patients worldwide unable to participate in life due to ME and/or Fibromyalgia.
The conference itself will feature some incredible speakers, including Mady Hornig and Malcolm Hooper.
The conference begins at 6:30pm with a 6pm registration. Admission is £6 at door, but Hope for ME & Fibro NI, who are sponsoring the protest, hope to raise enough funds to make attending the conference free for protestors. You can find more information on the conference by clicking on this link: Chasing Competent Care Conference.
Shoes are welcomed the day of the protest! Patients unable to attend can send shoes with friends, perhaps also adding a label with the patient’s first name and number of years ill to add impact. Please ensure shoes are tied together in pairs.
Alternatively, protestors can send their details via this form and Hope for ME and Fibro NI will write a label to pair with a donated pair of shoes. Labels and pens will also be available on the day.
Shoes that are not reclaimed will be donated to charity after the event.
Belfast protestors hope that, while many cannot attend in person, their empty shoes can tell their story for them. Please consider attending and helping others send a pair of their shoes to represent them at the protest.
Click here for more information about Belfast’s #MillionsMissing protest.
#MillionsMissingBergen is a virtual demonstration to highlight the thousands of Norwegians sick and missing from society, and millions all over the globe. The demonstration will take place in Gallery 3,14., where there will be an exhibition of shoes from those who are unable to participate in everyday life due to the disease. The sicker an ME patient is, the more invisible he or she becomes. Yet because they are invisible does not mean they do not exist, and their omission from society is a loss for all of us.
If you have ME, you can participate in the demonstration by sending a pair of your shoes, and filling out the form at this link.
If you have family, a neighbor, or a friend with ME, you can help make him or her more visible by sending a greeting on SMS, by mail, or using social media such as Facebook, and by offering to help send his or her shoes to the protest.
The exhibition of shoes and survey responses will be displayed in conjunction with the performance Please Body Follow, a dance performance by Kristine Nilsen Oma, which will take place on Friday, 10 June, and Sunday 12 June at 6pm. Book your tickets by sending an email to [email protected]
The project is funded by the Norwegian Arts Council, Bergen Commune and Bergen Dansesenter-regional Competence Centre for Dance. It is sponsored by Galleri 3,14, Bikram Yoga Fana and Folkeakademiet, and is part of #MillionsMissing.
We hope the #MillionsMissing concept continues long after June 12. In that light, all submitted shoes and forms will be used again in subsequent protests and events. For that reason, please do continue submitting shoes and filling out the form, even if you fear they may not get to this event in time!
Finn denne kunngjøring i Norsk her på Facebook.
Click here to find out more information about Norway’s #MillionsMissing protest.