Ages: 6-16
Location: Stillwater, NJ
Duration: 3 Days or 1 Week

BFF is a program for children with diabetes to bring their best friend or family member with them to camp. Whether used as an introduction to Camp Nejeda's summer programs or simply used as a time to share the experience with others. This is a fantastic opportunity to educate family and friends on what it is like to live with diabetes, expanding support networks and creating allies and advocates.

Best For: Children that may express an interest in sleep-away camp that need a sibling or best friend to accompany them for reassurance or would just like a buddy to experience camp! This is also a great opportunity for BFFs to meet other children who love someone with T1D and share their unique experience.

Benefits: Comfort and familiarity, having a sibling or close friend provides a sense of security, making the transition to sleep-away camp less daunting.

Considerations: Ensure your child can manage daily tasks such as personal hygiene independently. This includes brushing their teeth, bathing, changing clothes, and preparing for bed. Teaching them these skills in advance will promote self-sufficiency and comfort during their stay. Assess whether your child has previously spent nights away from home successfully. If they haven’t, ensure they are comfortable with the idea and express an interest in attending.

  • A typical day at camp involves fun, excitement and friendship! We start and end the day raising and lowering the American flag. In the morning, we travel as a cabin group to different activities. There’s also a choice activity as well.  We have a rest hour after lunch and swim in the pool every afternoon. The evening activity is a camp-wide event.  Campers shower every day, and have three meals and two snacks per day. We end the day in the cabin with a session called Talkabetics. It’s a chance for campers to share their diabetes stories with their peers and counselors. There is never a dull moment at camp!

    Our activities include:

    • Zip-line

    • Climbing wall

    • Low-ropes course

    • Archery

    • Arts & Crafts

    • Sports (Basketball, Baseball, Gaga Ball, Soccer, Volleyball, etc.)

    • Evening Activities (lip sync, counselor hunts, bonfires, dutch auction, etc.)

    • Special days

    • Themed meals (Hat lunch, lumberjack breakfast, twin lunch, etc.)

    Activities are never the same year-to-year as we hire different staff with unique talents and interests every season!

  • Campers live in cabins with 8-9 campers and 3-4 counselors. Each cabin features cubbies for each camper’s belongings. Showers are taken in a separate designated building. We encourage visiting us for Open House to take a look inside a cabin and get a feel for camp life!

    BFF programs tend to have a wide range of ages between campers. Please note that your camper may be living with children who are older or younger than them. We prioritize matching bff pairs based on the age of the camper who has T1D.

    If you have any questions or concerns about your camper’s living accommodations, please email victoria@campnejeda.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We provide a fun summer camp experience for our non-diabetic campers as well as our campers with diabetes. In addition to having fun at camp, our non-diabetic campers can expect to learn about being a supportive friend for someone with diabetes, and they will have the opportunity to try checking their blood sugar if desired.

  • Yes! While most campers do register with a friend, it is not a requirement, and we welcome “truddies” or friend groups of 3 as well.

  • Absolutely! Each cabin will have more than 1 child with diabetes, and we do our best to group campers of similar ages together. There are also plenty of opportunities to make new friends throughout the day during activities.

  • If enough families request it, we can accommodate an all-gender cabin. Counselors for such a cabin may be male and/or female. Campers are never alone in the cabin without staff present, and private changing spaces are available in every cabin.

BFF