Participants are putting on safety gear as they prepare for an activity.

Camp BETA participants enjoy a host of special adventures and activities. Photo provided.

June 23, 2026

Camp Beta offers fun, camaraderie for youths with Type 1 diabetes

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Registration is now open for Camp Beta, Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s free overnight camp at Southern Illinois for youths ages 10-16 who have Type 1 diabetes. Counselors-in-training are also being sought.

The camp is happening Sept. 19-20 at Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center and offers a wide array of fun, authentic camp opportunities designed to provide fun, build confidence, and engage campers in new friendships.

Camp at its finest

Camp BETA participants will enjoy hiking and orienteering, arts and crafts, archery, a climbing wall, gaga ball, campfire programs and assorted adventure activities. It all happens at Touch of Nature, located about eight miles south of Carbondale off Giant City Road.

BETA is an acronym representing the camp’s mantra:

  • 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, taking action by eating healthy and taking proper medications to help your body.

The name is also notable in that there are beta cells in the pancreas, which produce and secrete insulin, the hormone which regulates the body’s glucose levels.

Touch of Nature, Southern Illinois Healthcare, the Diabetes Today Resource Team, the SIU Dietetic Internship program and numerous volunteers and civic organizations from the region are collaborating to make the camp possible.

Sign up now

While there is no cost to participate in the camp, pre-registration is required no later than Sept. 1 and space is limited. Sign up online.

Opportunities are also available for youths ages 16-17 to assist as counselors-in-training.

For additional details or questions about the camp or being a counselor-in-training, contact Sydney Allen at Sydney.e.allen@siu.edu.