Registration for 2024 Sports Camps is NOW OPEN!
Toronto | Vancouver | Niagara | Victoria | Edmonton | Mississauga | Calgary | Hamilton | Saskatoon | Barrie
Our Sports Camps are multi-sport day camps that provide diabetes support, education, mentoring and normalization, integrated with awesome workouts, skill development and a whole lot of summer camp fun for all ability levels.
Regional on site Sports Camps are open to children with and without type 1 diabetes aged 5-15 each week, in an inclusive framework to allow T1Ds to participate alongside their peers. Campers aged 13-15 years can take part in our integrated leadership development program. Youth 16+ are welcome to apply to volunteer!
Incorporating sports skills and drills, challenge circuits, carb-counting, diabetes management support and great diabetes discussions each day, not to mention mentorship from our youth leaders and important connections to peers – we like to think our camps have something for everyone. Our team includes passionate leaders and world class athletes who can provide participants with knowledge of life with T1D that can help them reach their goals. Participants will get active as a group and dive into a variety of sports and exercise while managing diabetes together. ICD is a leader in exercise and diabetes with experts in the science, who talk the talk and athletes who walk the walk.
July 15-19, 2024
July 22-26, 2024
Toronto Sports Camp
Tait McKenzie Centre, York University
Communication and Development
Our goals are to connect with parents/caregivers at the start and end of each day to capture any directions from parents for the day and follow through with a flexible support plan. Any issues would be taken on by our team onsite. We track all tests, snacks and insulin captured on our log sheets integrated with activities to provide a daily print out with pointers for potential adjustments, when needed. We are flexible with your needs and can build that confidence over the course of our programs.
While we do not intend to take the diabetes management away from youth attending our camps, we do provide structured support to ensure testing and insulin decisions are being made with an individualized commitment to support any aspect of diabetes management that enables the child to join and grow. Whether that is delivering insulin whenever needed, carb counting, site changes, pump problem solving, or decisions on treatment.
Coaches and peers with T1D who share the same tasks and obstacles to success, create an immersive environment to empower growth, develop independence, self-confidence and communication skills for youth as the routines they are required to live with are now all around them.
Our coaching staff, who lead drills and games for all the kids, share their stories and demonstrate openly what they do themselves to stay on top of their health, the challenges they face, and how they overcome obstacles.
This helps to reduce the stigma and discrimination of managing diabetes as campers interact with people who have T1D in a positive, open context, which demonstrates the growth mindset behind every person with a challenge that is required to perform at a level with their peers.
Staff Training
All of our counsellors and senior team members are fully trained leaders whose knowledge of T1D is informed by lived experience. Many of them have grown up with I Challenge Diabetes, and were campers themselves!
While ICD builds its specialized camp staff roster, we will also be working with our venues to train the entire staff to broaden this awareness and give first-hand learning experiences to these staff and better prepare them to support other camp programming.
Training includes watching for lows, recognizing trends, and knowing how food and exercise affect diabetes. They will also be trained on how to use Glucagon/Baqsimi in the rare case that they have to administer it to anyone.
Thank you to our sponsors for supporting this program!
