DAWN Youth Camp in Germany

Live your life! This was the motto of the DAWN Youth Camp in Germany that attracted more than 650 young people with diabetes between the ages of 16 and 25 years of age. The success of the event drew the attention of politicians, media and others, making them aware of the challenges young people with diabetes face in their lives.

Connecting with young people
It started with a vision that became an idea. And finally, after more than two years of planning, the idea became a real life adventure camp for young people with diabetes. At the Camp, a number of prominent diabetes experts held lectures especially relevant to this age group. Many spoke from practical experience on how to deal with diabetes in everyday life. When well-known sport celebrities talked about living with diabetes with themes such “Burn fat instead of burn out,” “Celebrating all night – sagging and nevertheless okay,” “Fulfilled sexuality,” “As far as your feet carry you” and “The future belongs to me,” the young audience responded enthusiastically.

Tackling practical issues
The DAWN Youth Camp had secondary objectives, too. Among these were improving care outside of families, providing a setting for strengthening cooperation between educators and parent, advocating the employment of nurses for children with chronic disease at full time schools as well as providing contacts for parents at pre-school and schools.

Thanks to the success of the Camp, it proved an excellent way to create a positive image for children with diabetes and raise public awareness to diabetic public health issues.

For further information please visit: http://www.campd.de