On the first day at IDF started we learned that the aim of the IDF Europe Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) is to nurture a new generation of youth advocates in diabetes. Furthermore, they create a European network of young leaders in diabetes.
Participants from Europe
Thanks to this camp, we became advocates. Hence, we learned how to raise awareness of this condition. Moreover, our goal was to urge stakeholders and the general public to take action on diabetes. We were 24 participants from Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Germany, Italy, Iceland.
How did the first go at IDF Europe Leadership Camp?
The day started with an introduction and team building activities. Next, we shared our expectations from the camp. Further, we had a series of presentations about “Health care in Europe” and “Trends in Diabetes”. After lunch, Cajsa Lindberg from Sweden had her “Inspirational lecture”. Last, but not least, was the presentation about “Living with Diabetes”.
For the purpose of the lectures, we briefly introduced ourselves and we gave an overview of the incidence of diabetes in our countries. We explained the resources available for treatment, describe the activities of our diabetes association. Last, but not least, we explained our involvement and further plans as diabetes advocates. Aleksandra from Serbia, Liv Olivia from Denmark, Lynsey from UK and Pavels from Latvia had a chance to start with their presentations first.
Regular physical activity is a key part of managing diabetes. People with diabetes will agree. As a result, every day we had outdoor physical activities. On the first day, we were playing volleyball and we had a lot of fun too.
After the sessions, we had free time. We played different games and got familiar with our experiences with diabetes too.
