The project aimed to create a stable and reliable partnership network for sharing good practices, knowledge, and expertise to successfully integrate youth with Diabetes. At that time, there was a gap between needs and knowledge. The project aimed to enhance the capacities of the partner organizations in the field of inclusion, raise awareness for youth with Diabetes, map relevant stakeholders in the local communities, promote universal rules of social inclusion, and work at an international level.
Diabetes is a very common word that almost everyone had heard before and has probably connected it with the level of sugar in the blood. However, diabetes is much more than that, and having incomplete knowledge can be dangerous when working with kids and youth. As 1 in 3 people are not diagnosed yet, and the fact that there are 295.000 kids and youth with Type 1 Diabetes we can see that is highly possible to work with such a person in local or international activities that youth organisations participate in (including Erasmus+). Knowing how to recognise a diabetic person, how to provide basic healthcare in case of emergency, recognizing if the emergency is about low or high sugar in the blood can be vital. At the same time, there is a prevalence of self-stigma among youth with diabetes who hide their condition. Through this project, our aim was to empower youth workers to advance their knowledge and skills in the past in the field of inclusion, particularly concerning youth with diabetes, with the ultimate goal of creating an inclusive and, most importantly, safe environment for them. It was designed as a small-scale partnership, involving one organization working in the field of Diabetes and one in the field of youth work.