Our successful LEAP 2023 Graduates are now well into the project phase of the program. Thanks to their hard work, a wide range of programs are underway to put what they learned into practice and support Member Organizations and local HAE communities. As part of the Youngsters’ Community Review and Round-up in the December issue of Global Perspectives, three countries, the US, Scandinavia, and Poland, tell us more about the projects and where they are the MO Lead, give us their impressions of what it was like to work with LEAP.

United States

Lisa Facciolla is the HAE Advocate and Community Engagement Specialist at the US HAEA. The organization had two students accepted into LEAP 2023, and their projects are complete. Lisa tells us more.

“Overall, the process was very smooth. Once the students were accepted, we met, reviewed expectations, and set a timeline with milestones for their progress. After their training in Dubai, we scheduled check-in meetings to stay updated on their progress and reassure them that they had my support throughout the process.

Both students developed written support resources for different community groups. When complete, we worked on a communication and distribution plan to promote their newly created resources. We also include them in the care packages we send out to our community.

>> Ally crafted a caregivers’ guide

>> Jasmeen created a youth advocacy guide

Overall, we’re delighted that Ally and Jasmeen took part in LEAP. It gave us a chance to work at a closer level on a meaningful project. Everything was great. It’s been a pleasure to work with them on their projects.”

Scandinavia

Victoria Schultz-Boysen successfully graduated from LEAP in 2023 and is working on her project with the HAE Scandinavia organization. Victoria gives us an update on her project.

“My project is called ‘Sums Up’ and is a progressive web app for patients and caregivers in Scandinavia. The philosophy behind the app is to provide a sense that you always have a friend in your pocket – someone who gives good advice, makes you smile and laugh, is honest, shares experiences, and makes you feel you are not alone. We have created a visual universe where content is creative through images, videos, and podcasts. We recently teased the project at the HAE Scandinavia conference in November 2023. The app is available in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and English, and it will be launched in 2024. Balancing university, life, work, and the LEAP project has been tough at times, but the project is close to my heart, and I am excited to see it come to life. My organization has supported me all the way and I want to say a big thank you to the fantastic HAEi LEAP team, Nevena and Debs for being supportive, advisory, and highly skilled throughout the journey.”

Poland

Michal Rutkowski is the President of HAE Poland. One youngster from Poland took part in LEAP 2023 and delivered their project – the first HAE Poland Youngsters’ Workshop – earlier this year. Michal tells us more about how it went.

“I have known some of our young people for a long time, and it’s fantastic to see how our Poland LEAP student, Dominika, has grown as an advocate. After the success of her project, Dominika is now the supervisor of the HAE Poland Youngsters’ Community and is in contact with our younger members. LEAP is a wonderful opportunity, and I’m delighted that two more of our Youngsters have applied to be a part of LEAP 2024. Our goal is to create a vibrant Youngsters’ Community in Poland. LEAP helps us do this by supporting our young people with life skills and advocacy skills.”