CHILD & YOUTH DIABETES
Our Child & Youth Diabetes Strategy focuses on the prevention of type 2 diabetes and its complications affecting Indigenous Peoples and communities in northern and remote regions of Canada.
Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and youth. Type 1 diabetes, the main form of the disease in children, has been increasing around the world and is occurring much earlier in life. Type 2 diabetes, which used to be thought of as an adult disease, has been rising in Canada and globally in children and youth over the past two decades. Significant increases in overweight/obesity and physical inactivity are likely contributing to the growth of type 2 diabetes in children and youth. Diabetes during pregnancy, which heightens the risk of developing type 2 diabetes for both the mother and the child, has also been increasing steadily. The early onset of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes increases the risk for related complications, such as kidney disease, blindness and amputations. Once diagnosed with diabetes, children and youth must manage the disease throughout their lives.
While important progress has been made on a number of fronts, diabetes continues to be an epidemic in Canada and around the world. Today, more than 11 million Canadians are living with diabetes or prediabetes – and rates are on the rise, with type 2 diabetes in Indigenous youth recognized as the fastest growing pediatric chronic disease world wide. For First Nations individuals at 20 years of age in Canada, the lifetime risk of diabetes is up to 80%.
Virtual Learning and Connecting Series
Since April 2023, the Lawson Foundation has been hosting quarterly Virtual Learning and Connecting Series events as a part of our Child & Youth Diabetes Strategy. Every episode features different speaker(s) on topics related to health and Indigenous communities. The goal of the series is to inform participants from various sectors about Indigenous communities and their relationships with health and wellness, as well as with chronic disease like diabetes.
Explore upcoming episodes and watch previous recordings on our Virtual Learning and Connecting Series page.
Our Strategic Approach
The Lawson Foundation has a long history of supporting work in diabetes. Learn more about our approach and the evolution of our strategy below.
Understand our Impact
Access information about our granting history and the projects that we fund in our Grants Navigator.
Related News and Updates
Child & Youth Diabetes Strategy | Virtual Learning and Connecting Series #5 | Niqitiavait, “the Good Foods”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJoddhnhzUg In our February 26, 2024, episode of the Child & Youth Diabetes Strategy Virtual Learning and Connecting Series, we were honored to be joined by host Martha Peet, an Inuk Elder and Traditional Knowledge Keeper...
Diabetes Awareness Month
November marks Diabetes Awareness Month and an opportunity to reflect on the silent health crisis affecting millions of people across Canada, especially in northern and Indigenous communities where the rise of type 2 diabetes among youth has been recognized as the...
Child & Youth Diabetes Strategy | Virtual Learning and Connecting Series #4 | Innovative Approaches to First Nations Wellness
https://youtu.be/4R68_Lk-NWM?si=sL6M4sIXpZ8dGpN2 In Episode 4 of our Child & Youth Diabetes Strategy Virtual Learning and Connecting Series, alongside our partner, First Nations Education Council, we heard from David Gill, a retired National Team athlete...
Child & Youth Diabetes Strategy | Virtual Learning and Connecting Series #3 | Indigenous Birth Helpers
https://youtu.be/xwVG2vRKwro?si=C7KF4-FY6zyvBNIR “We have to go back to the beginning.” That’s what Indigenous grandmothers told Jolene Mercer and Kathleen Bluesky, who shared the story of Wiiji’idiwag Ikwewag with us for the latest episode of the Child &...
Child & Youth Diabetes Strategy | Virtual Learning Series # 2 | Culture & Diabetes
https://youtu.be/e1uSpCOLoXE?si=ZKi7Dl3n5G1J4WxM “I am not this disease. It came to tell me that I need to start loving myself.” Grandmother Renee Thomas-Hill shares her wisdom in episode 2 of our virtual learning series on diabetes and Indigenous wellbeing....
Child & Youth Diabetes Strategy | Virtual Learning Series # 1 | Food Matters
https://youtu.be/9lQWYl6QBRw?si=L5zAOhEIcXUXDZFI Watch episode 1 of our Child Youth & Diabetes Strategy Virtual Learning & Connecting series, which features a conversation with Demian Lawrenchuk, Fox Lake Cree Nation, and Executive Director of Food...