By Chakara Bennett, Guardian Summer Intern

Instead of shying away from taking a shot like most children her age, six-year-old Emma is happy to take her injection. In fact she is so excited that she insists on administering the entire procedure herself which includes testing her own blood sugar and then correctly measuring and injecting the insulin into her arm. Once done, she turns dancing eyes to me and has a mischievous twinkle in her smile as she holds my hand.

"You need to be tested too," she declared. Before I could protest she led me to another brave little girl, of no more than eight-years-old who had taken it upon herself to administer the checks and injections to all the other kids.

In their laughing faces and excitement in this all-important daily task, I saw more than just two diabetic little girls. I saw bravery and an unbendable determination to lead a happy normal life in their eyes.

The youngsters were both participants in the Bahamas Diabetes Youth Camp (BDYC), held July 23-27 at the College of The Bahamas, which was a fun-filled and educational five-day experience for young people and children with Type 1 Diabetes.

The camp was founded to help educate young people with the illness on how to take care of themselves and cope with it in order to lead normal, hassle-free lives. This year, bout 25 diabetic children participated.

Ms. Diana Smith, a counsel member of BDYC and one of the founders of the Diabetic Research Center said that working with kids was hard but satisfying, as she encouraged them to deal with peer pressure and their disease in the proper way.

The camp showed the kids how to deal with peer pressure from friends who are eating the wrong things and offering it to them, and how to avoid eating excessively, just because they are hungry even though their blood sugar levels may not be low at all.

The children also learned about the good foods they should eat, such as fruits and crackers which does not disturb their sugar levels too badly and to avoid sugary things and high cholesterol products.

"I came here to help the kids but mostly I needed to find information on how to control and manage my condition when I became a diabetic," says Pandora Hanna, a Nursing Officer at Sandilands.

"We, as the counselors explain everything as simply as we can since we have some really little ones. The aim is to get the kids to talk about what they learn from us and what problems they may have, and it's always very productive really. All of them, especially the little ones are so smart and so brave. We learn from them and they learn from us. It's a two way street. It's been a wonderful experience," she said.

The sun is on the horizon and the future is bright for a number of young people leaving high school this year. There were faced with a major obstacle, and are working hard to overcome them.

"When I first found out I had diabetes about a year ago I thought it was a very serious disease," said 14-year-old Dreshon Rolle. "It was a bit hard at first but I got accustomed to the routine and my new diet rather quickly. There are few other changes in my life besides the fact that I am much more aware of my health now. My friends and those people important to me know about it (diabetes) so I never feel left out or anything. I don't do too much in [Physical Education class] now but I'm pretty fit even without it, I believe," she said.

Earnessa Carey, 19 , is not phased by her condition in the least. "I am currently doing my Associates in Culinary Arts at COB, but I do intend to spread my wings and go to Switzerland to continue my studies in Management and Nutritional Cuisine. My diabetes will not stop me from doing what I need to. I admit that it's hard to cook without trying my food because you have to taste what you cook as you go along, but I try my best to eat in small portions," she said.

Similarly, Lacey Sands, 18, said that her sugar levels are normally haywire and very irregular so she has to constantly be aware of where her blood sugar levels are. Like any young person her age, she sees beyond the here and now and envisions big things on her horizon. She aspires to be a lawyer then eventually a judge and is headed to London, England this summer to follow this dream – diabetes or not.

On the other hand, 15 year old Naomi Brown found comfort at home when she found out she had diabetes. "Both of my parents have it, so we all have to be careful. My mom ensures we stay healthy food wise. We always eat boiled foods, fruits and water and I carry lunch a lot of the time to school. I found out I had diabetes five years ago a few days after my birthday. That wasn't the best present to be honest but my dad found out he had it too so the awful feeling wasn't so overwhelming since both of my parents have it too and were able to help me through it when I first found out," she said.