CURRENT

The Gath of Optix

»lcome he 1 Club. Your curiosity
hos led you to us.

ar numbers, out only
£ our beli that

Secretly yours,

The 1 Gluo
Every 1 Welcome

Mtg ca i Re

Figure 2. The letter and oath serve as a welcome for newly diagnosed type 1 diabetics to The 1 Club. These artifacts
intend to provide a sense of comfort, rather than induce the fear and stigma that is often associated with a diagnosis.

secret congregations operating within the public domain. Coinci-
dentally, type 1 diabetics live under this same shroud of mystery,
and go about their daily ritualistic practices within the public

space, quite easily undetected by strangers, colleagues and friends.

Quite literally, type 1 diabetics treat an invisible disease invisibly,
which thereby makes their community secret.

The name, The 1 Club, was chosen to represent the oneness of
all its members, but also to differentiate the TID community from
the type 2 diabetes (T2D) community, as confusion exists between
these two diseases. The tagline “Every 1 Welcome” was created to
complement the name, emphasizing the inclusivity of the club’s
membership. Initial designs for a crest and New Member letter
have been used to encourage dialogue around this design concept.

The creation of a secret society allows for a visual language that
is simultaneously serious and fun. The hand-embroidered crest
draws on secret society iconography. It illustrates the characters
of Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best, the discoverers of insu-
lin, kneeling on either side of a hand with its index finger pointing
upwards. An illuminated drop of blood hovers above the finger.

The New Member letter reads as follows:

Dear 1,
Welcome to The 1 Club. Your curiosity has led you to us.

We are a secret society of blood-testing kindred. Hiddenin
plain sight, until today. This letter recognizes your readiness to
self-revitalize.

Strength is in our numbers, but only if we act as 1. It is our belief
that our bond is of vital importance to our collective wellbeing.
Sharing wisdom is at the forefront of our secret order.

Ifyou agree, lift a finger in honour of our forefathers Banting and
Best, and swear to and sign the Oath of Optimism.

Secretly yours,

The 1 Club
Attached to the letter is the Oath of Optimism:

As a1 Club member— for all other 1 Club members— I hereby
swear to tell my stories in recognition that this timeless tradition is
at the very heart of what makes us 1.

As the project continues, both the crest and New Member let-

ter will be used to support a short animation intended to inspire
type 1 diabetics to join the T1D community. Story is an incredibly
effective vehicle for relaying a message, as it builds an emotional
connection between the storyteller and audience. If done effec-
tively, the story of The 1 Club will be used to help direct type 1
diabetics to the T1D community. The film will draw on the com-
munity aspects of knowledge exchange, a sense of belonging and
psychological support as it works to emphasize the importance
of finding new perspective, and ultimately building resilience
towards diabetes burnout.

REFERENCES

[i] Given, Lisa M. Heuristic inquiry. The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research
Methods. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2008. 3. [2] Young and Ti—Unspo-

ken Truths, YouTube video. 2:01, posted by UnderDog Productions, June 2nd, 2014,
https://www-youtube.com/watch?v=BPGSVNMXRZE. [3] Vieira, Ginger. Dealing with
Diabetes Burnout: How to Recharge and Get Back on Track When You Feel Frustrated
and Overwhelmed Living with Diabetes. New York City: 2014. eBook.