I've been asked many times for advice on how to start a local support group. I thought I'd ask here for suggestions from parents who've done just that.
Anyone care to offer advice?
Ellen
11-03-2005, 09:44 PM
A wonderful way to get publicity to start a support group is to contact the local newspapers. If the newspaper or local parenting magazine is willing to write a story about your child with diabetes, they can incorporate info re you starting a support group and the contact info etc.
If you are unable to get a story written, almost every newspaper has a local community happenings section where you can advertise "free support group for ...." . It is almost always free to post those kinds of ads.
Try to find some fun places to meet. In Florida we would meet at friends' houses who had pools. Kids would swim, test bg, eat snacks, take shots together and moms and dads chatted. We also went to local parks.
Eventually we were able to get a local hospital provide a room for us to meet, and later on they provided a CDE to run the group and even provided an activity for the kids in one room while the parents met in another room.
The possibilities are endless. Create a local support group. You'll make lifelong friends.
Red (aus)
11-05-2005, 04:48 PM
Another option is to contact your local diabetes centre, and endo's with the information about your group. Many will be happy to send out information to their clients for you so you know that the people that really need to know are being told.
Is there already a support group for a different age group? They can help with some ideas, and refer people who have and/or do contact them.
For meeting rooms, often local government have rooms that they make available free to non profit groups and are also a valuable resource in some of the specifics of what is available in your area.
maverickmom (Kerri)
11-19-2005, 02:36 AM
Finally...I have enough time to devote to this! :)
I run 2 diabetes support groups for our endo and his colleague (one is an active duty Army peds endo, the other is a recently retired Army peds endo). Both groups are for the military families in their diabetes clinics at the Army and Navy hospitals in their area (Tacoma and Bremerton, WA). I recently moved a few hours away, to Oregon, but am still running the groups from afar (I plan to attend every meeting, Lord willing!)
Here are some things you can do to get a group started:
1) Decide who your group is for (broad or focused scope). Is it for families, just parents, just kids? Is it military, civilian, or mixed etc? Is it for all type 1's (adult and children), or for all diabetics (type 1 and type 2), etc? Our groups are for families of children with both type 1 and 2 (predominantly type 1 as it turns out.) Choose a name for your group that reflects the focus (while you don't have to name your group, I've found that a name tends to stick with people and also makes the group more official. Plus it's fun to make logos etc! lol)
2) Decide when you want to hold meetings and secure a location (you shouldn't need to pay for this). Our Navy hospital area families meet the 3rd Tues of each month, currently at a Barnes & Noble Starbucks cafe (we used to meet at the Navy hospital til the group got very small), and our Army hospital area families meet the 1st Tues of each month in a small conference room at the Army hospital. We open the doors at 6:30 but typically, the meetings don't actually begin until closer to 7pm.
3) Decide what types of meetings you'll have (this can always be tweaked as you go along, as you get parents to meetings and ask them for input on what they want from the group). Do you want guest speakers monthly, every other month etc? Who do you want to come speak? Do you want to have an informal group, very structured etc? Will you provide babysitting or activities for the kids, or do you want everyone involved in the meeting? Do you want to have activities outside of meetings (swim parties, picnics, movie nights, parents' night out etc)? You can even expand the scope of your group to include a babysitting exchange with other parents or mentoring newly dx'd families. My two groups have evolved very differently despite having been started the exact same way. The Navy group has become more of a mom's thing (with occasional outside family activities and mom's lunches) whereas the Army group is your typical support group with kids and parents at the meetings and lots of outside activities (for the families, for the kids, and for just parents too). :)
4) Get the word out. You can do this in a number of ways that are cheap or free. I got our endos involved...they inform patients at dx and hand out business cards and flyers that I made myself. Due to privacy laws I cannot contact anyone directly by mail/email/phone/snailmail unless they give me the info themselves (keep a clipboard at meetings etc for any new families, for this reason), but the drs can mail info to the families for me. I have also posted info at the peds clinics at both hospitals. The peds ward at the Army hospital (which is where all of our new dx go) also has information on the groups. Something else I've done is "meet and greet" families on clinic days. I set up a table with a display of photos of our group activities and information about the groups. I've gotten to know lots of families this way but so far have only had limited success in getting more families to our groups (part of the problem is that some live far from the meeting area, and military families move a lot). I try to get involved in as many community activities as possible. This includes attending seminars (I always have my name and my support group's name on my ID), diabetes camp, walks (both volunteering and walking), diabetes/health fairs (I set up an info booth on our group - this has never cost me anything) etc. I leave my info with diabetes vendors (pump reps etc) who come into contact with lots of families (in return, I give people info on them). I have never advertised in the paper but that is another possibility (both the local paper and for us, the base newspaper)...some papers have community event pages and sometimes there is no cost for advertising your group info there.
5) Network with other support group leaders...even leaders for adult groups (yes, even type 2 groups). They often have helpful suggestions, advice, and experience to save you a lot of headaches (plus sometimes it's just nice to vent to someone who understands when things aren't going so well!) They will most likely be "in the know" about guest speakers and maintain relationships with diabetes vendors, educators, etc, which you can tap into.
6) Have fun! You'll embark on a sometimes frustrating but very rewarding journey!!! And you'll make lots of new friends in the process! :) Btw...don't be afraid to ask for help! You'd be surprised at how many parents are willing to lend you a hand when you need it.
Hope this helps! :)
Brensdad
12-27-2005, 04:20 PM
Believe it or not, some of the best support you can get are from the insulin and diabetes-supplies pharmaceutical reps. They will usually sponsor a fun night once a month.