On 12 June, a team from the RCH ChIPS program (Chronic Illness Peer Support) departed Melbourne for Paris, France to participate in The International Association of Adolescent Health European Congress. Between events, they’ve brushed the baguette crumbs from their keyboards to keep us updated on the experience.
In this dispatch, ChIPs Program Facilitator Meagan Hunt relates the experience of presenting about chronic illness on the world stage.
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On Tuesday June 17 the ChIPS team became international stars!
After all the hard work Scott and Jemma did at the Youth Forum, they teamed up with me to present to the delegates of the IAAH European Congress here in Paris. Together, we spoke about the ChIPS program and how to work with adolescents with a chronic illness.
The invitation to present at this European Congress came about after I met Anne Maynard, vice president of the International Association of Adolescent Health, at the IAAH Conference in Istanbul in 2013.
Upon learning about our unique model of the ChIPS program and how we work with young people using peer support and youth participation, she invited myself and the ChIPS team to present on ways to work with adolescents with a chronic illness.
It was both a pleasure and an inspiration to present alongside Jemma and Scott. We were like a well-oiled machine, sharing our stories and experiences to a captivated audience. Jemma and Scott spoke with honesty, confidence and authenticity.
I set the scene and the structured the presentation, giving the perspective from a healthcare professional and program facilitator and sharing the overall model of the ChIPS program.
Scott and Jemma then filled out the content by sharing their personal experiences of having a chronic illness and how the ChIPS program (and peer support in particular) has helped them grow and develop. We addressed three questions in our presentation:
•What is beneficial about peer support when you have a chronic illness?
•How does youth participation in daily practice empower a young person´s ability to manage their own health?
•How can healthcare practitioners better engage with young people with a chronic illness?
To help us answer these questions, we used video clips of ChIPPERS from back home and contributions from other members of the ChIPS Reference Committee. It was a truly adolescent perspective.
It was such a pleasure to be invited, participate and present at the IAAH European Congress. Everyone at the conference warmly welcomed us with delight and interest. After our presentation, many health professionals from around Europe came to congratulate us on our impressive presentation and invited us to visit their country to assist in setting up ChIPS programs! Our ChIPS program and the model we use is unique internationally and hence we generated a lot of interest around how we can support young people who live with a chronic illness.
For now, the work is done and we are off to eat more baguette, walk along the River Seine, check out the Arc de Triomphe and enjoy the Parisian sights. More on that at another date!