Diabetes education

Educational holidays and camps

For many years organized specialized camps and educational activity holidays for young people with diabetes have been an important feature of diabetes care in many parts of the world
Originally camps were introduced to help children from underprivileged families, but are of proven short-term benefit to children and adolescents of all backgrounds in terms of improving self-management skills, bolstering self-confidence and enhancing independence
It has not been possible to measure the longer term benefits of camps

Primary aims

To provide an enjoyable holiday for children with diabetes in a safe environment
To engage young people in a variety of interesting and exciting supervised activities to demonstrate their compatibility with diabetes

Secondary benefits

Experiential learning of social and practical skills
Gaining self-confidence and independence; feeling less isolated
Learning better self-management of diabetes
Sharing experiences with other young people outside the home environment
Respite for the parents
Educational value for the organizers and leaders

Organization and planning

Diabetes holidays are organized in many different ways and with differing objectives, from predominantly educational, to sports-orientated (e.g. water sports, skiing, specialized sports), dietetic groups, skills training (e.g. pottery, sewing, painting) and many other models. Camps may be specific for different age groups; their client group may be local, regional, national or international; they may be family weekend groups of high educational value for newly diagnosed young children; or they may be leadership outward bound holidays for adolescents

All group holidays must have the security of meticulous and safe planning, written guidelines, led by expert and experienced personnel with careful documentation not only of the young person’s diabetic management (e.g. reduction of insulin and increased carbohydrate for days of high activity and the importance of BG monitoring) but also of any unexpected organizational problems
At the end of the camp, careful communication with parents and local medical personnel will help to highlight the successes and failures of the holiday so that the young person with diabetes can gain optimal benefit from the camping experience