Every year, when we start thinking about #WearBlueforDiabetes, our National Diabetes Month campaign, we have one question: How can we have the biggest impact?
This year, our answer is a little different…
#WearBlueforDiabetes & Change a Life
It’s our 5th year of #WearBlueforDiabetes this year (whoop whoop!) and we’ve made enormous strides since 2021. We’ve reached so many schools and companies and individuals, we make an annual splash in the media, there are thousands of people wearing blue to raise awareness of diabetes.
And yet.
Where we really want to make an impact is in communities. We recognise that our greatest success stories over the past 5 years have been when people like you – living with diabetes, part of the Sweet Life community – have reached out to your communities and made a difference.
Each one reach one is the way we’re truly going to create
diabetes awareness in South Africa.
Do you want to hold a diabetes event?
At the same time, every October and November we get so many emails asking for resources, materials or advice about how to hold a diabetes awareness event. People actively want to educate those around them – friends, family, schools, colleagues, church communities – they just don’t know how.
This year, we’re hoping to solve that. We’re putting together 100 Diabetes DIY Event Boxes with everything you need to be able to hold your own event. It can be as simple as having friends over to sit in your lounge and drink tea or as ambitious as an organised walk or run for your broader community. We’ll give you the tools and then you can create what your community needs.
What’s inside the Diabetes DIY Event Boxes?
A guide to how to set up the event: advice on what to say, including an intro, personal story, education, quiz, prizes and refreshments.
Educational materials to hand out: Healthy Food Guide fold-outs and TEEL leaflets, which cover the basics of how to manage your diabetes and how to eat healthy (for diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and if you want to lose weight).
A fun quiz about the myths surrounding diabetes.
Information on how to support someone living with diabetes.
Sweet Life #WearBlueforDiabetes buffs as prizes.
#BlueBalloonChallenge balloons and instructions.
A tin of NOMU Skinny hot chocolate, so that everyone can have a diabetes-friendly treat.
An invitation to share pics or video on social media, using #WearBlueforDiabetes. The event that makes the most effort wins a R2,000 PnP voucher, with 3 special mentions each winning R500 vouchers.
If you want to get a headstart on applying for one of the 100 Diabetes DIY Event Boxes, fill in the form below!
What do you think?
We’re officially launching the campaign at the beginning of October, but I wanted to share this with you now to find out what you think. Would you be keen to hold an event? Is there something else we should add into the boxes?
Please let us know! You can comment on this article, or on Facebook or Instagram.
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