Each year during this month and in particular on this day, the community comes together to bring attention to diabetes and its impact on millions of people in the United States and around the world. Through advocacy and awareness events, programs, and initiatives, the diabetes community aims to bring attention to the severity of the problem. Together, we can fight to slow the growth and reduce the impact of this global epidemic.

How can you make a difference? Join us in observing National Diabetes Awareness Month by getting involved in one of these efforts:

1. Find a World Diabetes Day event near you led by the International Diabetes Federation.
2. Post about National Diabetes Awareness Month on social media using hashtags #NDAM and #DiabetesAwarenessMonth. Beyond Type 1 has some great suggestions for this.
3. Participate in the American Diabetes Association’s National Diabetes Month campaign, which reminds us that a hero lies inside everyone affected by this disease. Write a letter to Diabetes and post it on social media using #DearDiabetes.
4. Practice self-management with these tips about how to observe National Diabetes Month as someone living with it.
5. Sign up for Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly’s campaign to help people with diabetes and their loved ones get smarter about heart health at ForYourSweetHeart.com.
6. Share Virta Health’s moving video about how shame affects people living with type 2 diabetes.
7. Download In Your Own Words, a collection of letters by people with type 2 diabetes who have written back to their younger selves to share personal insights and to reflect on their experiences of living with diabetes. What would you write in your #LettersToMyYoungerSelf?
8. Create your T1D Footprint to figure out how much space T1D takes in your life. Share on social media to participate in JDRF’s National Diabetes Awareness Month “T1D looks like me” campaign.
9. Read and distribute healthfinder.gov’s American Diabetes Month toolkit, which includes resources for schools, healthcare providers, health departments, and other health organizations to raise awareness about the importance of preventing diabetes.
10. Explore the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases’ (NIDDK) National Diabetes Month campaign to remind you that you are the center of your diabetes care team.