The Young Adult Kidney Group is a closed Facebook support group for kidney patients between 18 and 30 years old. It was started in 2016 as a way for young people with chronic kidney disease to come together and have a safe place to support one another online. In the five years since then, we have grown into an amazing, diverse community of over 600 young kidney patients worldwide. The YAKG is now so much more than just a Facebook group!
Since 2019, we have been running in partnership with Kidney Care UK. The charity provides us with support and guidance, however we are still entirely patient-led, as this is what makes so unique, and so successful!
If you are within our age range and have CKD then you can join the group. It doesn’t matter what stage you’re at or what sort of treatment you’re undergoing, you’re welcome to come and be part of our community. You can participate in discussions if you like, or you can simply drop by and have a read if you ever need a reminder that you’re not alone in what you might be dealing with.
Most of our members are based in the UK, but you can still join if you live overseas, we currently have members from as far away as New Zealand, South Africa and India!
The group is led by a small group of members in their early 30s. They are all long-term patients themselves and have taken responsibility for maintaining the group as a supportive, encouraging, patient-led community.
The reason the YAKG is for kidney patients only is to allow our members to have a completely safe space in which to discuss their worries, fears and feelings about life with kidney disease. We know that as wonderfully supportive as family members and loved ones can be, there’s nothing like being able to chat privately with other people who directly understand your experiences.
The YAKG also provides a dedicated peer support programme. We currently have 13 trained peer supporters, who received regular supervision from Kidney Care’s counselling team. In the event of a serious incident or an emergency, or if a member requires help beyond what we can directly provide, the peer support team would signpost the patient to appropriate outside support, often in the form of a Kidney Care UK regional Advocacy Officer or renal counsellor.
If you are a parent, healthcare provider or someone else interested in learning more about the Young Adult Kidney Group, we can be found online via the links below.
- Website: yakg.co.uk
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook group: Young Adult Kidney Group
- Twitter: @YAKidneyGroup
- Instagram: @YAKidneyGroup