Interview with Thomas Stoch - Senior Manager at the German Red Cross.

ISBA conferences are a great place to meet new people and establish contacts that can bear fruit in the future. One of the participants of the previous editions of the conference was Thomas Stoch - Senior Manager at the German Red Cross. Check out what their veteran thinks about ISBA conferences.

What do you think about ISBA conferences? What one need to know about ISBA conferences?

These bi-annual ISBA conferences are great to share ideas about your own work, to learn how other organizations face the challenges in their countries. The host organization, which is this year from Poland, has always a great opportunity to inform about specific national themes and initiate new networks between national institutions and international guests. ISBA conferences are great to meet other people, discuss and have fun together.

Please say a few words what is your experience with respite care. How important is this topic in your organization?

Unfortunately, respite care is not common in Germany. The support system in our country is still quite exclusive and institutionalized. Of course, the topic `inclusion´ is discussed in Germany today, legal rights are created. But in real life we are far away to live inclusive. Reality is that big organizations run specialized workshops and disabled homes. So, offering respite care is very important for my organization to fill the gap – to give people with disabilities and their families a chance for a break, to make possible an individual support and claim their rights.

ISBA conferences are probably a big injection of knowledge. Is it anything else?

Besides the great amount of knowledge and information you obtain during the conference you also get inspired and encouraged to new ideas to take back to your home country. You connect with exciting people from around the world who work on the same subject – supporting people with disabilities and their families. You bring back home a lot of inspiration and the certainty that its worth to face the challenges in your own organization.

Will we also meet you in Wroclaw? Maybe together we will convince those who are hesitating whether it is worth coming?

Of course, I am excited and looking forward to attend. Wroclaw is a wonderful and vibrant city and I am sure that this conference 2023 will be a blast! If anybody is hesitating to take part in the conference, I can say from my experiences during the many ISBA conferences I have participated in – it is always worthwhile. Meet great people, get inspired and at the end you will be infected by the ISBA virus.