Volunteer as a Young Leader in Together Type 1

Join Together Type 1 as a Young Leader, and you can use your experiences to help change the lives of people aged 11 to 25 living with type 1 diabetes for the better. You'll be building a community where young people can connect, share experiences, and grow in confidence.

What is a Young Leader?

This is an exciting opportunity for young people aged 16-25 with type 1 diabetes to shape and lead our work to support children and other young people living with the condition. You will be trained and supported to create spaces online and in the community where young people can chat together, share ideas, raise issues and have fun! You will be part of a network of young leaders across the UK, and will have the opportunity to get involved in activities at a local, national and UK-wide level.

“I thought: I know about diabetes, I’ll talk to them. It’s good to know you’re doing something that will impact other people.”

Phoebe, a Young Leader in the Together Type 1 programme. Read more about Phoebe's story.

What you will be doing

• Take part in project activities and meetings with other Young Leaders (online or face to face) to help create our work for young people.
• Share ideas about what would make a difference to the life of young people with type 1 diabetes. 
• Hosting social and peer support activities (online or face to face) with other young people living with type 1 diabetes.
• Planning and organising online talks to help young people live better with type 1 diabetes. 
• Helping to create social media plans to reach and engage more young people.
• Talking to healthcare professionals about the experiences of a young person living with type 1 diabetes.

The skills you need 

• Be confident in talking and listening to people and be passionate about helping people. 
• Be enthusiastic about working in a team and sharing your own thoughts and ideas.
• You'll be passionate about raising awareness of diabetes.
• Be committed to peer support and creating spaces to meet with others. 
• You're able to be a supportive and constructive team member.

What's in it for you

• The opportunity to be part of a team of young people that will make a real difference to young people living with type 1 diabetes. 
• Training to support you to develop and deliver our plans. 
• The opportunity to learn more about teamwork, project planning, peer support, leadership, event planning and many more transferable skills to help you find future employment.
• CV-boosting experience and solid references for work and educational applications.
• The option to be as involved as flexibly as you can, including taking part in other Diabetes UK activities that interest you.
• Opportunities to attend events with other young leaders from around the UK.
• If you spend money on things like travel or lunch while volunteering, we will pay you back for this.

Find out more

If you'd like to find out more about Together Type 1, please email us at type1youth@diabetes.org.uk - we'd love to hear from you.