Carbondale: SIU's Free Camp BETA Opens Registration for Youths With Type 1 Diabetes
SIU Carbondale's free Camp BETA opens registration for youths ages 10-16 with Type 1 diabetes. The September camp at Touch of Nature includes outdoor adventures and medical support at no cost.
Registration is open for a free overnight camp at Southern Illinois University Carbondale that gives young people living with Type 1 diabetes a chance to hike, climb, and make friends with others who understand their daily challenges.
Camp BETA runs September 19-20 at the Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center, located about eight miles south of Carbondale off Giant City Road. There is no cost to attend. Families must pre-register by September 1 and space is limited, according to the university.
A camp built on a mantra
The name BETA is an acronym. Each letter stands for a message the camp shares with its participants, according to SIU:
- Believe in yourself. Diabetes can be managed with a positive attitude.
- Empower yourself. You are in control, not the disease.
- Talk. Be willing to ask for help and communicate your needs to the right people.
- Act. Be proactive by eating healthy and taking proper medications to help your body.
The name also references the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels.
Activities and medical support
Campers ages 10 to 16 will take part in hiking, orienteering, archery, arts and crafts, gaga ball, climbing wall activities, and campfire programs, according to SIU news.
The camp is a collaboration between Touch of Nature, Southern Illinois Healthcare, the Diabetes Today Resource Team, the SIU Dietetic Internship program, and numerous volunteers and civic organizations in the region, according to the university.
Youths ages 16 to 17 can also apply to serve as counselors-in-training, according to SIU.
How to register
Families can sign up online through the Touch of Nature website. For questions about the camp or the counselor-in-training program, contact Sydney Allen at Sydney.e.allen@siu.edu, according to the university.
"Camp BETA is a FREE overnight camp for children with type 1 diabetes," the Touch of Nature website states. "The camp's continued success can be attributed to the hard work of many community members, parents, students, nurses, dietitians and volunteers."