Diabetes awareness campaign launched to support young people living with diabetes
A new digital learning platform will provide educational resources for young people living with diabetes.
A new eLearning platform for young people living with diabetes has been launched at Leeds Children’s Hospital to provide support and education for young people with diabetes and their families.
The Blue Balloon Challenge was recently launched with school awareness packs, as part of a partnership between Digibete (Health Service Journal's 2023 award winner for Digitising Patient Care) and Leeds Children's Hospital.
The campaign was launched by Natalie Balmain, a Presenter, Host, PR and communication specialist, from Manchester, Natalie has an extensive background in the healthcare and music industries and a personal interest in delivering online advocacy to support people living with type 1 diabetes.
In 2007, three months before her 21st birthday, Natalie was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. In 2022 she appeared on Channel 4’s Make Me Prime Minister in which she was crowned the winner.
To spread the word, Natalie recently visited Gledhow Primary School in Leeds to support eight-year-old Hugo, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at nine months old.
DigiBete and Natalie raised awareness about the profound impact of diabetes on childhood mental health with the Blue Balloon Challenge.
The campaign highlights the daily challenges faced by young individuals and families managing type 1 diabetes, in addition to the crucial need for additional psychological support
The new school packs include various learning resources for primary and secondary school pupils, including a lesson plan and school assembly presentation.
DigiBete and Natalie raised awareness about the profound impact of diabetes on childhood mental health with the Blue Balloon Challenge.
The campaign highlights the daily challenges faced by young individuals and families managing type 1 diabetes, in addition to the crucial need for additional psychological support
The new school packs include various learning resources for primary and secondary school pupils, including a lesson plan and school assembly presentation.
DigiBete is also developing a new eLearning platform to enhance the understanding of what it is like to live with diabetes for teaching staff in collaboration with the National Children and Young People’s Diabetes Network.
Natalie said: “Whilst it does not define me, it does affect everything in my life. You cannot do anything without thinking about your diabetes first. I wish the world knew that type 1 diabetes does not mean you are unhealthy, and that it is not caused by eating too many sweets. It is an autoimmune condition and is incredibly challenging for young people in schools who face so many questions about their diabetes daily, and it’s exhausting.”
As reported in the recently published National Paediatric Diabetes Audit (NPDA), diagnosis of all types of diabetes is rising, with a 6% increase in type 1 diagnoses, which makes the campaign vital to supporting the increasing numbers of families facing the challenges of managing the condition.
Maddie Julian, Founder of DigiBete, said: “As we celebrate the launch of the Blue Balloon Challenge School Packs and eLearning platform, DigiBete remains committed to raising awareness about the impact of type 1 diabetes on childhood physical and mental health.
“Looking towards 2024, DigiBete has a clear focus on enhancing care in schools. We are excited to share that we are actively developing a new eLearning platform to support better understanding among school staff, reinforcing our mission to empower and educate communities on managing type 1 diabetes."
Throughout November, €5 has been donated by Medtronic, a global diabetes technology company, to the global charity Life for a Child for every post on Instagram taking part in the challenge and using the hashtag #BlueBalloonChallenge. The challenge aims to highlight that living with diabetes is like doing everything you do in your daily life while keeping a balloon in the air.
Click here for more information about the challenge and resource packs
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