Live Brief case study: Diabetes UK

ARU Public Health students

ARU BSc Public Health students participated in a Live Brief with UK national charity Diabetes UK.

Suzanne Smith from Diabetes UK working on the Live Brief alongside BSc Public Health students (L-R: Ivy-Ananda Etuk, Witness Mhango, Suzanne Smith)

The brief:

Suzanne Smith, Diabetes UK Engaging Communities and Volunteer Manager for Midlands and Eastern region, challenged ARU BSc Public Health students to design a communications programme to attract a diverse range of young people to consider volunteering for Diabetes UK.

Suzanne explained:

“In the Midlands and East region we are excited to work with young people to co-produce and deliver opportunities for young people.

“We feel that ARU Public Health students are well-placed to help us to develop a plan to reach out to younger people living with type 1 diabetes and show them the support Diabetes UK can provide and how it can learn from their experiences.

“It was a really positive experience working with the students to launch this Live Brief, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results of their work in a few weeks’ time.”

BSc Public Health students planning their response to the Live Brief (L-R: Munia Islam, Eleanor Joyce, Sue Bold, Esther Appiah-Otoo)

As part of a five-year wellbeing programme funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation, Diabetes UK aims to connect and support young people aged 11-25 who are living with type 1 diabetes.

The programme Our Lives, Our Choices, Our Voices aims to recruit and retain a diverse team of volunteer Young Leaders aged 16-25yrs who are living with type 1 diabetes. This team will develop and deliver innovative and exciting opportunities for others who by coming together (both on-line and in person) will share their lived experience and provide peer support for each other.

Our Lives, Our Choices, Our Voices is the first programme of its kind that Diabetes UK has implemented across all regions and nations. It has the potential to transform forever how the charity works with young people, and make a difference to the wider community of people living with and affected by type 1 diabetes.