Working with ICD this summer has been, without a doubt, the most humbling experience. As a Behaviour and Inclusion Specialist at our summer sports camp, I support our councillors and campers by ensuring that everyone can participate safely in an inclusive manner. In other words, Diabetes is a LOT of work. Some campers have more things to deal with in life than just diabetes. This makes life a little more challenging and thus they require a little bit more support. At ICD, we strive for equity, not equality – which is exactly my life motto and was a huge indicator that ICD was the place for me. I’ve never felt more empowered and proud to be a type one diabetic, than when I’m here with my ICD family! It is my true privilege to work with ICD this summer and I am so grateful that I came across their hiring post on instagram when I did <3. I am grateful to put my university degree, my experiences as a type one diabetic, and my motivation for education, accessibility, and life long learning to the best use.
-Monica Hamilton, ON
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Hey! My name’s Beth Miller, I’m 16 years old, I’m a 10-year diabetic, and I love I Challenge Diabetes. Since discovering this organization when I was 10, it has helped me to grow and learn. Not only has ICD helped me learn about Diabetes management, and grow in my own management, but it has helped me to learn more about myself, and promote self-growth. After years of participation with ICD, I took a job with them this summer as their Community Engagement Intern.
Taking a job with an organization I’m so passionate about feels so rewarding; I get to give back to an organization that has given me so much. As someone who is actively involved with ICD, it gives me such a personal connection to my job, and how I choose to do it. I understand the significance of what this organization does, and I know how important it is for each Type 1 Diabetic to be connected to a T1D community that shares their struggles and triumphs. I try to illustrate this in my work, creating a sense of community and support is my goal. I also obviously look to promote the organization itself in what I do, but I believe that the participants are such an important part of the organization. I know that ICD made such a big difference in my own life, and I want to see other people experience and enjoy the opportunities this organization presents.
With all of this mind, I’ve been working to create a social media campaign that brings my ideas into our followers’ social media feed. This job has allowed me to channel my creativity when making Instagram or Facebook posts, and gives my social media usage a purpose. As a 16-year-old girl, I’m already on social media making Instagram posts and watching trends but it doesn’t feel productive. Having the ability to use social media as a job with the purpose of promoting such an incredible organization makes it feel a lot more productive, and I get to use my knowledge of these platforms for a cause!
The job itself has been nearly stress-free for me. I get to do something I love for something I love; it’s a win-win situation! The initial stress of taking over an abundance of this organization’s communication was a little overwhelming, but after my first week on the job, my confidence grew and this job turned into something I could do to unwind. Everybody I work with shares a passion for this organization and its mission, and we accept and work with each other’s ideas to create something so much better than we could have done alone. I also really appreciate having the freedom to work this job into my own busy busy schedule.
-Beth Calgary, AB
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My name is Emilee Wilson, I’m 26 years old and I’ve had diabetes since I was just a year old! A few years ago, I had the blessing of getting connected with I Challenge Diabetes and it always held a special place in my heart. I am hugely grateful for everything that ICD does for me on a personal level as well as for the diabetic community. This summer I’ve had that honour of working for ICD as a Digital Content Creator. The opportunity could not have been more perfect for me – being able to do what I love (taking and/or editing photos and videos) for an organization that I genuinely care about so much. It has been a blast attending events like the Extreme Adventure West Coast Trail hike, the Horne Lake Leadership Retreat, and the Saanich Paddle with my baby (my Canon EOS R) to capture and then showcase how amazing they were! I’ve also really enjoyed putting together a video edit for the Mount Assiniboine Extreme Adventure. I wasn’t able to attend the event, so it was so much fun to vicariously experience it as I watched through and edited all the footage sent in by the participants! It’s been so great to be part of the ICD team – as a freelance photographer/videographer, I find I get lonely and overwhelmed in my own business, so being a part of a team who has supported me, given me feedback on my work, and encouraged me has been so wonderful! Weekly check-ins keep me on track (and are just nice) and feedback throughout the creation process has helped make my finished product the best it can be! I am very grateful for the opportunity to have been a summer employee with ICD!
-Emilee Victoria, BC
Our community blog is written by a diverse group of ICD participants and supporters. We are grateful to be able to share the various perspectives of our community with you. These are opinions, not medical advice, and may or may not be right for you!
