Learning to lead
Aucklander Tess James is fresh back from representing New Zealand at the 5th Young Leaders in Diabetes training summit.
For Tess James, who was diagnosed with type 1 at six years old, Diabetes Youth Auckland was a vital part of her growing up. Passionate about giving back, she began volunteering for the organisation as soon as she was old enough.
When her community urged her to apply for the international Young Leaders in Diabetes (YLD) programme last year, she jumped at the chance and was thrilled to be chosen as the New Zealand representative. She says, “I believed it would be an amazing opportunity to meet people from all over the world who are just as passionate about making a difference in the diabetes community.”
Her year culminated in a trip to Busan, South Korea, to take part in the YLD Leadership Training Summit that ran alongside the biennial International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Congress from 2 to 6 December.
There was plenty of preparation: “I had to make sure I had everything I’d need there and all the necessary paperwork to allow me to bring needles and other prohibited items. “As I was going somewhere totally unfamiliar, I needed to make sure I had enough supplies for all the worst-case scenarios: excess insulin, both my manual blood-testing meters as well as spare Libre sensors and things like juice boxes and familiar food in case of low blood sugars.”
She also had to prepare a short speech about herself and her diabetes journey, to introduce herself once she arrived. She says it was Diabetes NZ who made the journey possible. “They paid for my flights each way and helped with organising travel, as I’d never really been overseas before. Leading up to the trip, they gave lots of advice and encouragement. It was a massive help, and I wouldn't have been able to go without them.”
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Her first day began with nerves: “It was overwhelming walking into a room with about 60 others. That quickly dissipated. Conversation with them flowed so easily. It was like we all shared a hidden bond, knowing we all had diabetes and were here with the common goal to make life with diabetes easier for those all over the world.”
From there on, “the schedule was pretty full on. We met at the conference centre every morning at nine and had activities and talks until five. Activities varied, from guest speakers to hearing the experiences and projects of past YLD members, to a lot of collaboration and discussion with the Young Leaders there about our own experiences or advice that was relevant to each topic.
“A lot of what we learnt centred around how to be a successful advocate and make a positive difference through our individual projects.
“We also did smaller group work, sharing our project ideas with one another, as well as activities about how to be a good storyteller and use our own stories to create an emotional connection and teach others about diabetes. I learnt a lot about how to make my own personal story impactful and how we can be the voice for others through being storytellers.
“On two nights we organised group dinners, but even on the other nights we all ended up going out as a group. Almost all my time in Busan was spent with the other Young Leaders. I learnt so much from each of them about their home countries, as well as
who they were as individuals. It was a privilege spending time with people so passionate about making a positive impact. Just to be surrounded by all these people achieving so much in their countries was inspiring.”
EYE OPENERS
Tess says, “For the most part, after hearing other people’s experiences of diabetes care, I felt lucky to have what I have here in New Zealand: not only the actual medical care and what’s funded for us but also the opportunities we get to attend camps and other
activities. These are unheard of in a lot of places.
“Hearing about the difficulties many people face broke my heart. Many are losing their life to type 1 because the help’s not there, they have no access to insulin or insurance companies are either charging ridiculous amounts or refusing cover.”
She says that, while many New Zealanders know about the horrific difficulties with diabetes care in America, “this is also happening all over the world, in far too many other places”.
On the other hand, she learned that diabetes services in certain areas could be something to aspire to. “There are some countries, particularly in Europe and quite a few African areas, where their care is exceptional, with pumps and CGMs all funded
and vast arrays of activities.
“There is definitely space for New Zealand to grow and change, and there are areas I’d love to see improvements in, but overall I think we’re fortunate with what we do receive. We aren’t having to watch friends and family lose their lives because of lack of access to care and basic essentials such as insulin and blood-testing meters. This is the daily reality for many others.”
For Tess, the trip was life changing. “At first, the toughest part was being away from family and home, but, by the end, the toughest part was saying goodbye to the new family I’d made. We’re all still keeping in contact in a massive group chat. However, the
realisation that it may be many years before we see each other again is difficult. I think many of us found it tough to say goodbye and wished the time in Busan was longer.”
And what next for Tess? “I hope to take all that I learnt from the guest speakers and my fellow Young Leaders and use it to run a successful project that will make a positive impact. And I hope to become more involved, not only volunteering at events but in
their creation and planning.”
WHAT IS THE IDF?
The International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) is an umbrella organisation for over 230 diabetes associations from around the world, including Diabetes NZ.
Its mission is to promote diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide. Among its many initiatives is the IDF Young Leaders in Diabetes (YLD) Programme, which empowers and educates young people living with
diabetes to become advocates for themselves and others with diabetes worldwide.
