Diabetes: protect our future

#protectourfuture #WDD2012

The World Diabetes Day 2012 campaign marks the fourth year of the five-year theme on “Diabetes education and prevention.”

The United Nations Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in September 2011 increased the urgency to take action on diabetes. We need to widen awareness of the factors responsible for the global diabetes and NCD epidemic and the solutions that are required to counter it.

This year’s campaign links the urgent need for action to the protection of the health of our future generations. Focus will be placed on highlighting the importance of education - for health professionals, people with diabetes and people at risk – in reducing the impact of diabetes throughout the world. Children and young people will be the driving force for the promotion and dissemination of education and prevention messages.  We hope these will inspire and engage local communities to recognise the importance of early awareness of the risks and dangers of diabetes.

The slogan of the campaign is: Diabetes: protect our future

Our three key messages are:

• Access to essential education for everyone
• The way we live is putting our health at risk
• People with diabetes face stigma and discrimination

A selection of posters has been developed to promote the campaign messages and a special animated video is in development. Visit www.worlddiabetesday.org to see all the materials currently available.

Children and youth are at the core of campaign activities and we are broadening our outreach to engage individuals and organisations outside of the diabetes community active in promoting a healthier future. Help us to put diabetes firmly in the mainstream!

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Go blue for diabetes

#WDDgoblue #BlueCircle

We are calling on the global healthy community to “go blue for diabetes” on 14 November and in the days and weeks leading up to the day. Here's what you could do:

• Light a monument or building in blue: last year, over 700 monuments and buildings in more than 60 countries joined our Blue Monument Challenge by going blue for diabetes in November. Help us beat this total by arranging for an iconic landmark to go blue this year and again put diabetes firmly in the public spotlight. The Empire State Building in New York has already confirmed its participation! Join her by sending your confirmed lighting to wdd@idf.org. See the full list of lightings from last year and get some tips on how to make a building go blue in your area.
   
• Wear blue: support World Diabetes Day and raise diabetes awareness by wearing blue & organising blue-themed activities in November. Start early by thinking blue and wearing blue with inspiration from the "Blue Fridays" team.
   
• Join the WDD postcard exchange: an inspiring initiative aimed at connecting people affected by diabetes globally by creating and sending postcards using the blue circle. Find out more.

Whatever you may be already thinking or planning to mark the day, start sharing your ideas with us on Facebook or Twitter or send them to wdd@idf.org. Join our blue circle community and help make a difference!

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What's new this year

We’ve launched a series of new initiatives to strengthen public awareness of diabetes and the global movement that is actively engaged in bringing lasting solutions to the epidemic.

Pin a Personality #WDDPin

What do Kofi Annan, the Prime Minister of Denmark and Olympic gold-medallist Bas van de Goor have in common? They'll all been pictured wearing the blue circle pin to show their support for the fight against diabetes.

The blue circle is not globally recognised. To help changes this, we have launched the 'Pin a Personality' campaign to get the blue circle universally recognised as the symbol of diabetes awareness. The concept is simple: identify a personality in your town or neighbourhood who you think would help profile our blue circle to a wider audience, get him/her to wear the blue circle pin, take a picture and post it on the WDD Facebook or Twitter pagebefore 14 November.

Your personality could be a local celebrity, a politician, a teacher, a chef, or your gym instructor. View our current gallery of pinned personalities.

If you’re ready to take on the pin a personality challenge, let us know at wdd@idf.org and we will send you a pack of blue circle pins.

World Diabetes Day Heroes #WDDHeroes

Do you know someone that is active in promoting the diabetes cause or engaging, motivating and inspiring others to take steps toward achieving healthier lifestyles? Send us your story about why someone should become a World Diabetes Day hero. Every week, the World Diabetes Day website will be showcasing an individual who is making a difference for the health and well-being of people in his/her community or country.

One such hero is Ms Amparo Gonzalez, Director of the Emory Latino Diabetes Education Program (ELDEP) at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, who has dedicated her life and career to empowering and advocating for Latinos with diabetes. Since 2005, she has planned, designed and implemented a culturally-relevant, ground breaking diabetes programme that has been administered to over 1,200 Latinos with diabetes. Read her full story and that of our other heroes.

Nominate your hero and we will post the story on our website and social media channels. All heroes will also receive a “Show your Outrage' T-shirt, blue circle bracelet and a blue circle pin!

Google Doodle for Diabetes #Doodle4Banting

The International Diabetes Federation is supporting the Google Doodle petition to request Google to honour Frederick Banting’s birthday on 14 November, World Diabetes Day.

Google Doodles are known as the decorative changes that are made to the Google logo to mark holidays, anniversaries of famous individuals. Over the years, doodles on the Google homepage have helped raise the profile of obscure dates and facts. When doodles were first created, nobody had anticipated how popular and integral they would become to the Google search experience. Having a Banting Doodle would bring diabetes to the virtual mainstream world!

Sign the petition and share it on your Facebook page, Twitter account or by sending an e-mail to your friends, family and colleagues. Your support is crucial to raising diabetes awareness worldwide.

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Kids Korner

A new section in our newsletter and on our website is dedicated to inspiring stories from young people with diabetes and their loved ones.

In our Kids Korner this month, we're featuring Quinn, an 8 year-old girl with type 1 diabetes, and her mother Leighann Calentine, author of the D-Mom Blog dedicated to her daily experience living with a child with diabetes. Since her diagnosis in 2008 and thanks to the inspiration and guidance of her parents, Quinn has grown to live a healthy and happy life with her diabetes, not letting the disease stop her from being a normal kid and having all the fun that children should have. She enjoys dancing, swimming and ice-skating and has become confident in managing her condition, giving her own blood sugar checks, helping to read labels and count carbs, and even giving herself insulin with her insulin pump while her parents look on. Quinn is looking forward to attending camp this summer for the first time because she wants to have more friends her age with whom she can discuss what it’s like to have diabetes.

Read more about her mother's inspiring efforts to share her knowledge of raising a healthy and happy child with diabetes.

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19 May is Food Revolution Day!

In line with our 2012 focus on promoting healthy nutrition among the young, World Diabetes Day is proud to support Food Revolution Day on 19 May, an initiative of the Jamie Oliver Foundation. The day is a chance for people who want to stand up for real food to come together to share stories, their passion and resources, pass on knowledge, highlight the world’s food issues and promote the mission for better food and education for everyone. Together we can change the way people eat by educating every child about food, giving families the skills and knowledge to cook again, and motivating people to stand up for their rights to better food.

In acknowledgement of Food Revolution's efforts to improve the health and well-being of future generations, we are pleased to include this movement as our latest World Diabetes Day Champion (#WDDChampion). See all our Champions. 

Several IDF member associations and diabetes advocates have already planned activities to mark and support the day. Find out how you can join in.

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Healthy recipe spotlight

Healthy nutrition is a fundamental part of good diabetes management and of individual and community efforts to prevent the further rise of type 2 diabetes. In the weeks and months leading to 14 November, this newsletter and the World Diabetes Day website will be featuring healthy recipes from around the world.

This month we feature a recipe provided to us by American professional chef Sam Talbot, who has type 1 diabetes. Sam is very active in promoting the benefits of healthy eating in the USA and is our most recent Blue Circle Champion. Diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 12, Sam has not let the disease stop him from living a life packed with energy, adventure and achievement.

If you have your own healthy recipes, please share them with us at wdd@idf.org and we will feature them on our website.

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News in brief

• WDD merchandise: it’s not too early to get your World Diabetes Day merchandise to complement your local awareness activities. Blue circle pins, bracelets, flags and waist measuring tapes are available to order from our online shop. New this year are blue circle t-shirts which can be purchased in various colours and sizes from our diabetes blue circle store.
   
• Take part in our monthly giveaway and you could win an “O is for Outrage” t-shirt, blue circle bracelet and blue circle pin. A new question will be posted at the beginning of each month on the World Diabetes Day website and three lucky winners will be randomly drawn on the 14th of the month. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more details.

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Official World Diabetes Day partners

World Diabetes Day is a multi-stakeholder partnership. All partners contribute to ensure maximum exposure for the campaign and promotion of the political will that is required to improve diabetes care and prevention worldwide. Each year, our partners organise a variety of initiatives celebrating World Diabetes Day, involving their employees and communities around the world.

The International Diabetes Federation is pleased to have the support of the following partners for World Diabetes Day 2012:

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