We connect individuals

• Jeff and Sarah realized they haven't gone on a date since their child was diagnosed last year. They are looking for a babysitter with type 1 diabetes, but haven't had any luck in finding one.
• Ana is a single mother in rural Manitoba. Her 5-year old daughter has just been diagnosed with T1D. She wants to connect with other parents.
• Rivka has just moved to Quebec wants to hear recommendations on endocrinologists.
• Youssef has T1D and lives in Fort McMurray. He wants to create a small support network so that, if Fort McMurray has to evacuate again, they can help each other.
• Ellie has never met with a politician before. She wants to make the most of her opportunity. She connects with someone with more advocacy experience to practice and get helpful feedback.

We share information and create resources

• Motka recently tried a new ultra-rapid mealtime insulin called Fiasp. He loved how quickly it worked. Motka wants to ensure others are aware of this new option.
• Sonja was negatively affected by the test strip restrictions that her province recently established. Her doctor wrote a strong letter and got the test strip cap removed. She wants to share the exception process and parts of that letter with others.
• Naimh saw a poster for a new CGM clinical trial in Nova Scotia. She knows most people won’t see the poster before the enrollment period closes. She wants to let others know about it.
• Elias worked hard to remove the “one pump per lifetime” restriction from his employer’s insurance. He wants to share his experiences so others can have an easier time working with their employers.
• Sick Kids Hospital is hosting a one-day diabetes conference in Toronto, and wants to let all Ontario parents know about it.

We advocate for change

We collect information to inform governments and organizations

• We want to poll members about their experiences to positively influence the drug review process. We need to work together to ensure that upcoming insulins get covered!
• We want to conduct annual Canada-wide surveys to ensure that Diabetes Canada hears and considers the voice of every Canadian with T1D.
• Paul wonders how many people would prefer to go to a Diabetes Education Centre (DEC) specific to T1D. He wants to conduct a poll about DEC experiences and preferences. He plans to discuss the results with his provincial Ministry of Health.

We create and support teams to achieve advocacy goals

• Each electoral riding in BC has hundreds of constituents with T1D. Imagine what might happen if everyone in a riding meets with their MLA to discuss insulin pump coverage for adults. If each MLA is contacted every workday for a year, this might be enough advocacy to create change.
• Alyssa wants add CGM coverage to her union's health plan. She wants to connect with union members so they can advocate for CGM coverage in the upcoming contract negotiations.