How did FACE Joven come about?
FACE Joven, our youth association, was created in 2008 when a group of Spanish young people with coeliac disease, including Jon Zabala (former president of FACE) and Beatriz Delgado (current president of the region of Cantabria) got together in order to promote the organisation of activities aimed at the youngest members of all the associations.
Thanks to the initiative of these two people, FACE Joven started to organise small gatherings, growing with the passing of time, making new activities, such as the new activities, such as the conferences, workshops, summer camps or even the CYE Summer Camp.
Moreover, I would like to mention CYE, more or less the European FACE Joven, which, although much remains to be done, is achieving, on the one hand, the union of various youth associations and, on the other hand, it facilitates mobility between European countries with projects such as Travel Net.
What is the current situation of coeliac disease among young people?
In spite of the progress that has been made and tools such as FACEMOVIL, one of the current main problems is eating out, as the options are limited and it is almost impossible to improvise.
Therefore, it is important to have friends who understand the disease and what a gluten- free diet is all about. However, one of the things that I have realised while travelling is how advanced we are in Spain, thanks to all the associations and thanks to all the projects that are implemented such as the hospitality project (Restauración).
What kind of activities do you carry out? How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected in this regard?
All our face-to-face activities such as the camps, the conferences had to be cancelled, however, despite the difficulties, we continued to meet online and achieved a lot. We also took advantage of social media in order to carry activities during the last two years.
But finally, at the end of 2021, we started carrying out “standard” activities again; and we haven’t stopped since. From the Board of FACE Joven, we have big plans which we will keep you informed about.
What are the problems that you encounter on a day-to-day basis?
As in all places, sometimes there is a certain resistance to change. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean we won’t stop fighting for what we are entitled to have and achieve our goals.
How do you combine studies, life and work with the FACE Joven secretariat?
Hahahaha! Well, I put “the balancing” with quotation marks, but organisation is key. However, above anything, all of this is possible thanks to the great team that we are in FACE Joven, where we organise ourselves to divide the work work between all of us.
What are the main demands of the youngest members of the coeliac community?
Advocacy is currently one of our main actions. Recently, we have joined the Spanish Youth Council – Consejo de la Juventud de España (CJE) – and the Platform of Children’s Organisations – la Plataforma de Organizaciones de la Infancia -, as well as having meetings with the Spanish Presidency of the Government or the Ministry of Social Rights.
Clearly, the major milestone shared by all Spanish coeliac associations is the implementation of public policies by the public administrations. The aforementioned policies guarantee the full inclusion of the coeliac community, in compliance with the obligation of the public authorities to promote equality and remove obstacles that prevent or hinder its fullness, as in this case the coeliac condition.
More specifically, we propose three measures: an effective diagnosis by carrying out a study of the population; the implementation of safe menus for for all allergies, intolerances and coeliac disease in all social action centres (as schools are already); and finally, the implementation of financial support measures.
Finally, I would like to mention Maria van der Hofstadt (former President of FACE Joven and former CYE delegate) and Izaskun Martín (former FACE worker), my godmothers in the coeliac movement and from whom I have learned the most. None of this would have been possible without them.
