The Girl Scouts Diabetes Patch

Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body’s inability to produce any or enough insulin causes elevated levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. 

There are two kinds of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. 

• Type 1 Diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Without insulin, the body cannot properly process sugar from a diet. 
• Type 2 Diabetes is increasingly common in children and occurs when the body either resists the effects of insulin or doesn’t produce enough insulin.  

• What insulin’s role in a cell is
• How different things affect your blood sugar 
• The difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes 
• How Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is managed  
• How to be a good friend to someone with T1D 

Additional Outcomes for Older Girl Scouts 

• Learn about mental health and Type 1 Diabetes 
• Lab shadowing: 2-4 times per year have a group of Girl Scouts come to the Barbara Davis Center (BDC), get a tour and learn about the important work the BDC does

You should be able to complete the program in one to two Girl Scout meetings.

• Your fellow Girl Scouts in your troop
• Writing utencils (markers, crayons or colored pencils)
• Notecards
• Posterboard
• Cookies, nuts or cheese, apple slices
• Room for exercise
• Device to watch videos

• Due to the increase in diabetes in the United States, the odds are that most Girl Scouts know someone with diabetes.  
• If a Girl Scout has Type 1 Diabetes they will have to take insulin. This may be in the form of an insulin pump or multiple daily injections. 
• If a Girl Scout has Type 2 Diabetes they may take insulin or may regulate their blood sugar in the form of an orally taken pill. 
• They should be testing her blood sugar as well. This can be done using a glucometer or through a device on her body called a continuous glucose monitor. 
• Glucose tablets, juice and fruit snacks are commonly used to treat a low blood sugar. For sever low blood sugar, glucagon should be administered.  

Download the document below for some suggestions and strategies for preparing for and including girls with diabetes in your troop.