Can you teach empathy, awareness and safety in just two hours? If you ask the 130 coaches who joined the DIASPORTCAMP workshop this summer, the answer is yes — as long as the lesson is practical, real, and rooted in sport.

On 2 August 2025, at the start of MBA & SilverHoops basketball camps at Srebrno Jezero (Serbia), DIASPORTCAMP held a hands-on workshop on diabetes management in youth sport. The session, co-led by project coordinator Saša Ćirić and Jovana Živić from the Plavi Krug association, was designed to give coaches the confidence and know-how to support young athletes with diabetes.

The workshop was part of the broader DIASPORTCAMP project — co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Sport programme — and followed the project’s online training course available via the EMCA Studia platform.

DIASPORTCAMP in numbers

Behind the scenes of this two-hour workshop is a broader pilot programe that reached far and wide.

Over eight camp shifts, the pilot engaged more than 1,700 children and young people, ranging in age from 8 to 18. A total of 130 coaches took part — 20 of them women — making the programme a great example of inclusive coach education.

Most importantly, the programme welcomed 11 young athletes living with diabetes, who were fully integrated into regular camp activities, thanks to better-prepared staff and tailored support measures.

These numbers represent more than statistics — they tell a story of a sport environment that is starting to shift. One where health challenges are not obstacles but opportunities to grow better, safer, and more inclusive.