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The Bigger Picture Project

The topic of diabetes is often glossed over in everyday conversation. For many people, the only time where it is a regular occurrence is if you or someone you know suffers from the disease.

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The topic of diabetes is often glossed over in everyday conversation. For many people, the only time where it is a regular occurrence is if you or someone you know suffers from the disease. On Thursday November 2, “The Bigger Picture” (TBP) project provided a truly revealing presentation to classes in the Berkeley High School community regarding the specifics of diabetes, including the two types of the disease and prevention of contraction.

One of  presentation’s objectives was to create an environment in which the subject of diabetes was as comfortable to discuss as anything else, beginning with a survey of the students in the Little Theatre and their knowledge of its effects.

Despite the TBP being an effort to inform about diabetes as a whole, the speaker was mostly focused on how to prevent Type 2 diabetes. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it is still very informative. Type 2 diabetes holds slightly more relevancy in an adolescent’s life, since it can be developed at any point in life, as opposed to Type 1 diabetes. CAS student Asase Allah said, “I still learned a lot, just not much about Type 1 since people are born with it. It seemed as if they were primarily focused on diabetes prevention in the youth, which is definitely a positive thing.”

The speaker also highlighted the racial component that plays a large role in the disease during the display. AC student Adriana Furlong said that the presentation speaks to “the racial injustice that revolves around neighborhood planning.”

Those in low income areas are often people of color, their choices of foods are restricted to establishments that are within a close proximity to them, as they are more affordable. TBP expressed that if there is a corner store on every block, residents are more accessible to unhealthier foods. This gives them a higher chance of contracting Type 2 diabetes. A solution would be to bring fresh produce to these areas, creating a healthier environment for those who live there.

These ideas were emphasized with the visuals they screened during the presentation. One visual depicted a young African American holding himself at gunpoint to convey how he was essentially killing himself due to all of the sugary beverages he consumes.

An aspect that gave TBP’s visit more intimacy was the poem read aloud by the presentation’s co-host. It illustrated  her conflict of being an overweight teenager, and personalized an issue that can seem distant to some. The writing also provided insight into not defining yourself by your physical appearance and acquiring self-love despite external sources of negativity.

The presentation was an astounding success.  It was both enlightening and drew for a chance of introspection of one’s daily food habits, and served as a source of inspiration for those who struggle with unhealthy eating habits.

Allah also said that, “The presentation was very informative. Since I went to it, I’ve tried to watch the amount of sugar I consume.”

The main intent of the presentation was to do just that — inform.  If the country is to successful in preventing Type 2 Diabetes they must combat the lack of information.  This type of presentation could help achieve that goal.

A minor flaw present was the speaker. She did well in communicating the significant subject matter. However, at times there seemed to be a disconnect between the speaker and the information, almost as if the speaker was having trouble personally connecting to the information.  An anonymous teacher who attended the demonstration said, “It seemed a little weird….It felt as if I was just getting information from the presenter as it almost seems as if she has no connection to these problems.” The teacher added, as well, that the TMP provided its message very carefully, making the presentation a great experience.

Overall, The Bigger Picture succeeded is showing the importance of diabetes, making the experience not only educational but interactive and interesting, with the addition of poetry spoken by the co-host. Furthermore, with the topic of race and class being included, the hosts nicely tied a personal problem into something bigger, successfully contextualizing diabetes into the health of the greater community.