My ADA
The American Diabetes Association is a non-profit health organization. Our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of everyone affected by diabetes.
Living with diabetes can be hard. We're here to help you and make life a little easier. The following are some of the programs and resources we have available for youth and families affected by diabetes.
ADA Diabetes Camp
The American Diabetes Association has 46 Camps across the country. Each summer, thousands of kids and teens come to one of ADA's Camps and have a great time! Some are overnight camps and some are day camps. These Camps are safe and a lot of fun! In case someone asks, yes, they've been accredited by the American Camping Association.
Find out if there's an ADA Diabetes Camp near you!
ADA Diabetes Camp
Family Resource Network (FRN)
Family Resource Network is a local program that encourages families of kids or teens with type 1 diabetes
to get to know each other and find support from each other. See if there's a Family Resource Network near you:
Family Resource Network
- Social and educational events – Families gather to hear information about what's new in diabetes, while also getting a chance to connect with other families like hem. Usually there's a fun activity involved, too. One FRN event had a "Survivor" game show for the kids!
- Family Link – Remember when you were first diagnosed? Wouldn't it have been great for your family to connect with a family who has already been through all of this? Volunteers in the Family Link are trained to help families who are just diagnosed to let them know that they're not alone and they're going to be ok.
- School Advocacy – Believe it or not, some schools are the worst about helping you with your diabetes. Sometimes it seems like they're trying to do anything to keep you from checking your blood sugar or even getting insulin! Family Resource Network provides trainings for your parents to learn what your rights are at school and how they can work with your school to make it a safe place for you.
Usually, Family Resource Network programs are led by a parent volunteer. Ask your mom or dad if they want to be a Family Resource Network volunteer!
School Advocacy
Some kids run into discrimination at school. They may not allowed to play on sports teams or go on field trips because the school thinks it's too dangerous. Not fair, right!? Well it's definitely not fair. If you run into any problems at school because of your diabetes, there are things you and your parents can do. Check out this page with your parents. Diabetes and the Law
ADA's Safe at School Campaign works to fight school discrimination and makes sure that school is a safe environment for you. Not being able to check your blood sugar or eat a snack during the school day can be dangerous for you! ADA's Safe at School Campaign works to make sure you're allowed to do these things during school hours.
Become a Diabetes Advocate
An advocate is a person who believes in something and works in their community to make a change for
their belief. Become a Diabetes Advocate and join others in the fight to end discrimination against
people with diabetes and get more money for research for a cure for diabetes.
Become a Diabetes Advocate
National Youth Advocate
Each year, the ADA Advocacy Committee chooses one young person to represent the ADA as the National Youth Advocate (NYA). The NYA position is open to young people ages 9-17 years old with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Candidates should have either experience or a willingness to speak publicly at various events throughout the year, and should be available to travel with a parent or guardian.
This year, our NYA is Tesch West. Read more about Tesch in her blog!
Events
Do you like to walk, bike, run, dance? The ADA has many fun and interactive events that you can rally your friends and family around to raise money for diabetes education, research and advocacy. A few you should check out include: Step Out to Fight Diabetes, Tour de Cure and School Walk for Diabetes.
Resources
If you or your parents are looking for books, tools and other resources to help you learn more about diabetes, check out ADA's online store. Store