DRWF Events: Report from Camp in the Cloud virtual activities for young people living with type 1 diabetes
DRWF, in collaboration with children’s charity Over The Wall, present a free to attend interactive, online family camp for young people living with type 1 diabetes.
Young people with type 1 diabetes and their families recently attended an online activity camp for Camp in the Cloud.
The free event was organised by DRWF in collaboration with children’s charity Over The Wall.
Camp in the Cloud is our innovative, inclusive, and engaging virtual programme, where families can experience the magic of a residential, serious fun, camp from the comfort of their home.
Camp in the Cloud aims to provide families with an opportunity to enjoy quality time together whilst taking part in a fun programme of activities and challenges.
The camp was open to families in England with children aged 0-17 diagnosed with type 1 diabetes – one child in the household must be aged 6-17 years.
The event followed the residential Type 1 Family Camp held earlier this year.
The virtual Camp in the Cloud event was held online, and more than 40 families logged on to the camp platform at 9.30am for a full day of fun activities.
The day began with a welcome video call, filled with excited and expectant parents and children.
Lee Calladine, Event Co-ordinator from DRWF and Jed Harris, Activities Co-ordinator and his team from Over The Wall team plus volunteers kickstarted the camp programme with some fun games and set the scene for the rest of the day.
Ahead of the event, each family was sent a “Seriously Fun Box”, containing every resource they needed to take part in the event activities. This included a DRWF diabetes monster stickers pack, diabetes fun facts cards, fluffy beta cells and helpful information like our Healthy School Lunches leaflet.
In the afternoon Tim Green, Community Fundraiser at DRWF, introduced the Dance for Diabetes school fundraiser, which saw lots of campers following dance instructor Megan Jansen's lead with practice dance moves before giving it a go to themselves.
Families were encouraged to go back to their children’s schools around the UK to promote the initiative, which raises vital funds for both the school and DRWF. Check out our dance pages and video here for more information...
Watch the Dance for Diabetes video here
Throughout the day virtual campers and their families could interact in real-time with other attendees through secure message boards and fun video calls.
After a day of drawing, painting, dancing, singing and many other fun activities, DRWF hosted an evening chat and decompress for the parents with Type 1 Talk Time. This was a great opportunity for the parents and Over The Wall volunteers to ask their diabetes-related questions, share experiences and let us know about any areas of support they need as a family to help with their diabetes journey.
The in-person Type 1 Family Camp at Whitemoor Lakes in Staffordshire is set to return next May – check DRWF Events page for announcements here.
For the virtual Camp in the Cloud, planning has already started, and we have some amazing things lined up for the families. Keep an eye out on our website news and social media pages for updates and how to register.
Sarah Tutton, DRWF Chief Executive, said: “Our Camps, whether residential or online, provide an amazing safe space to have fun and meet other families affected by type 1 diabetes. A warm and friendly place that encourages Campers to learn and grow in every sense with peer support at its heart.”
A parent testimonial from a previous event said: “Even though it was an ‘online’ camp, our son Evan was not just sat at a computer on his own. In fact, Camp in the Cloud made us all interact as a family. We all got involved and really enjoyed spending family time together working on all the activities.”
Dance for Diabetes event
20 May 2024
More information here
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