IDF Europe Type 2 Diabetes Platform
Partly reflecting the stigma often attached to Type 2 diabetes, and perhaps partly because of the demographics of the Type 2 group, people living with T2D are under-represented and under-engaged in advocacy activities, general research projects and other programmes. To remedy this and complement the YOURAH group, IDF Europe launched a platform of People living with T2D and other types of diabetes in Europe, interested in representing the voice of people living with diabetes in advocacy initiatives as well as through participation in other projects, e.g., EU-funded research projects.
A number of people living with T2D across Europe has now been identified, and an initial “advisory” group meeting took place in late 2021. The group is now working on an action plan on how best to recruit and engage meaningfully with the T2D community and raise their voice. A first working group has also been established, specifically looking at the components of a successful relationship between PwD and healthcare professionals.
As with the YOURAH group, all members of this platform are integrated in all relevant IDF Europe’s activities.
Are you interested in learning more about our T2D platform? Contact us at [email protected].
On March 16-17, IDF Europe held a Summit in Brussels with the current members of the platform and other people living with T2D who are interested in joining the community. Some 35 people from all over Europe and all walks of life joined the event and showed great enthusiasm for the opportunity to engage and share their personal experience with people living with the same condition.
The T2D Summit was the first of its kind and generated inspiring and insightful discussions on the barriers to T2D engagement in advocacy, on the opportunities for creating synergies at national and European levels and on the skills necessary to become strong diabetes advocates.