STYPA2021 Kick-Off

STYPA 2021 has begun, and the participants have started to get to know one another and what the journey will look like in a nutshell.

This year we have 36 participants from all over Europe including Belgium, Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal, Romania, France, Italy, Ukraine, Netherlands, Serbia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Croatia, Finland, Hungary and Greece. The young patients represent different conditions such as epilepsy, ADHD, psoriatic arthritis, severe allergies, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, EDS, fibromyalgia, MS, coeliac disease, Noonans syndrome, Anorexia Nervosa, lupus, spina bifida and hydrocephalus, Chron’s disease, conversion disorder, organ transplantation, cancer and other.

It’s great to see how excited the young patients are, the initiative of each participant and what they hope to gain. The team leaders have spent time prior to the kick-off webinar gaining an insight on what their roles and responsibilities will entail and have discussed and developed expectations that they have for themselves. They revealed what they would like to gain, and which areas would they like to develop as patient advocates. The team leader insight at this stage is particularly important and below are some of the initial feelings about this year's STYPA by some of them, who are also members of the EPF Youth Group:

“I would say that the group seemed very passionate and engaged as ever, but it feels like people are also more used to doing things online when it was still quite new last year, so I hope that makes things even easier.”

• Team Leader and STYPA Alumni Sally

“Meeting new patient advocate enthusiasts has always offered me good energy and motivation. This year’s STYPA is the place where I found this eagerness to change something, but also connect. I’m glad I can be part of it and help others - and myself, to go that way.”

• Team Leader and STYPA Alumni Cornelia

“I am really looking forward to STYPA this year and to engage with the new STYPA participants, and other team leaders. The vibes that I am already receiving are very positive and the engagement from the participants and most importantly between the participants is already astonishing, and I am really looking forward to the projects initiated and the bonds that hopefully will be created.”

• Team Leader and STYPA Alumni Anastasia

As Youth Group members, we look forward to play a significant role in STYPA 2021 and further develop our own patient advocacy journeys. Stay tuned for a deeper insight on the progress of #STYPA21, the development of our teams, the projects and campaigns initiated, and so much more as the months go on.