I tried to join using their details online. Twice. Gave up.

Hi Chris

Who did you try to join?

Cheers

Hayden Vink

I joined the local youth society and paid the subs…….. have received very little support though in 12 months. I’ve gleaned more information from the web (such as this very useful forum) and from books than from the so-called support group.

Hey Heyden, it was about 5-6 years ago, was told to contact these chaps: http://www.diabetes.org.nz/ and sadly, multiple emails and a few phone messages over a month or so resulted in nothing. No contact, no return calls, no emails, nothing. I gave up and went off and did my own thing, and have ever since.

I gave up on dianbetes societies about 15 years ago – I found them geared to T2, and the youth groups kept doing stuff that I did on a daily/weekly basis. As a c hild I was riding horses competitively in one day events and shows, staying over at friends houses on a regular basis, doing all my own shots and testing (from age 8 when diagnosed) and all these other kids wouldn’t go anywhere without a parent and thought doing a 1/2 day tramp was a major achievement…. I was bored and my parents were looked at as if they were trying to get me killed by letting me live!
It really, really did put me off

No, I never had any interest in joining youth groups when I was younger, and I don’t know of any adult ones.

I was years and years ago but to be honest wouldn’t even know what societies are out there nowadays or what benefits they could offer!

I have been a member of the Wellington Diabetes Society for years but have not found them useful,lots of attention to T2 and young Diabetics.

I would like to reverse Ali’s comment on benefits offered and ask myself, what could I offer a society? As Dee M says, this very useful forum is a treasure trove of everyday practical Diabetes info:, which, just happens to be what a society is all about.

From a value for subs paid point of view, it ranges from nothing and generally stays there. Just leaving aside the practical everyday diabetes terms of society life, your membership increases the numbers of the overall membership of affiliated societies in DNZ and this is where the game is played from the political view point, as politicians only look at numbers and if we want to win hearts and influience political checkbooks we need the numbers.

I’d like to pick up on Roy’s point, a point which I wrote about in a previous post. I have to say that there are times I also feel that the societies are concentrating on T2 and younger T1s, but joining a society will also help us all to speak with a loud voice in Parliament.

Anyway, totally not preaching to you as to what you should do, but thought it was a good slant on the comments from Roy.

I can’t see how it will ever be any different, as the numbers of T2 continue to rise they will always out number T1 by a wide margin and I reckon the differences between us are a bit like pumping and MDI.
Over all T1 or T2 we all still have Diabetes and for the most part, have to manage it in a way spicific to type strain and individual. In my opinion, the uniting items that make us one and equal in all respects today and tomorrow, are compilations.

Anyway, I am totally preaching to you, but so what?

PS.
complications.