ERIC Young Champions

Who are we?

In December 2021, a group of 10 young people with different bowel and bladder conditions were recruited to a group called the ERIC Young Champions supported by the Participation People. These young people are between the ages of 11 to 18 and live all across England and Wales.

They applied to be Young Champions because they wanted to raise awareness of the conditions they had and make sure that other young people weren’t feeling alone.

Between December and March 2022, the Young Champions met online and worked on improving the information for young people on the ERIC website.

All the resources, blogs and videos linked below have been written, created or approved by them.

They hope that all children and young people will find something they relate to on this page.

Due to the great feedback the Young Champions received on their resources plus the list of things they still wanted to achieve to support other young people, we worked together to apply for further funding.

Thanks to the generosity of the James Tudor Trust, Coloplast and Health Innovation, West of England we have secured funding for phase 2 of the project, which began in September 2023.

ERIC Young Champions, supported by Participation People are conducting research with young people aged between 11 and 18 to find out what they think about all things bladder and bowels, plus where they go find out about health related matters.

We are excited to get the results as they will influence what happens next. So, watch this space!

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In their own words

Here's how the Young Champions manage day to day life and face challenges such as moving school, dealing with bedwetting and changing their stoma, in their own words:

What we wish other people knew (about bladder and bowel conditions)

Explaining my diagnosis - Emily's story of living with an overactive bladder and neurogenic bowel

Making the leap to secondary school

Explaining my condition - self catheterising

Explaining my condition - George's story of having primary enuresis (bedwetting)

Preparing for ileostomy surgery - Jake's story

The transition from Primary to Secondary school - by Owain

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Helpful resources

Visual appointment planner (PDF) to fill in before and after a doctor/hospital appointment to make sure you ask all the questions you need and can prepare in advance (visual vision).

Appointment planner (PDF) to fill in before and after a doctor/hospital appointment to make sure you ask all the questions you need and can prepare in advance.

My support circle (PDF) - An activity to fill in as a reminder that you are never on your own and have lots of people around you to support you and your needs.

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Videos made by ERIC's Young Champions

The following videos include a day in the life of having a stoma, making the transition from primary school to secondary, adjusting to life at university and why it's important to remember you're not alone: