Jasneel Deo recently embraced the opportunity to contribute to the EFCCA "Leaders of Tomorrow" Youth Academy program. Below, he has shared his insights into the valuable lessons he has gained so far.

What EFCCA does

EFFCA (European Federation of Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis Associations) was established to bring people together to support and advocate for change for people living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Their mission is to improve the wellbeing of people of all ages with IBD, and to ultimately find a cure! While EFFCA began as a European organisation, it is now an international one, with members from Asia, South America, and Australasia. CCNZ has been a member of EFFCA for the past five years.

Recently, I was honoured to be a part of this organisation as a youth leader for the EFCCA ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ Youth Academy. I got to be part of an international community where we shared our experiences, discussed ideas, and collaborated to increase awareness around IBD and to share knowledge about with living it.

Since IBD is truly a global issue, it has brought people from all cultures and all walks of life together for one dream: to make people’s lives better. 

The EFCCA journey

Part of my journey was completing online modules to help me understand more about EFCCA, and how to build organisations that can create change.

First, we started by covering the history of issues EFCCA faces as well as their mission, values, and strategic priorities. We then covered the foundations for democratic and harmonious development of second level associations through understanding good governance and fair representation, youth empowerment, strategic thinking and planning. We also covered team building and leadership shaping through communication, accountability and transparency. 

Mentors

We had a range of educators and leaders from diverse backgrounds that helped us understand how to be better leaders and organisers. It was inspiring to hear from people that have extensive knowledge in fields such as political sciences, EU affairs, European and international NGO’s, teaching, law, patients’ rights, patient advocacy, project management, international law and human rights. It was particularly astonishing to see the effort needed to enact change, and the people, skills and knowledge required to make it all happen.

What’s next?

EFCCA continues with their ongoing mission to better support people living with IBD by providing information including factsheets and support, as well as tools for navigating life with IBD. EFCCA also continue to work with government and third-party organisations to support and fund medicines and research into IBD. They work hard to complete their engagement and advocacy while continuing to push for greater support and policies around health and well-being for people with IBD too.

As for me, I will continue to work with EFCCA as a youth leader engaging in education and workshops. I look forward to helping spread more awareness about IBD and collaborating on international projects to build a greater sense of cohesion and international community amongst people with IBD.