A shared commitment to strengthening support pathways for young Australians with cancer has seen Canteen adopt Redkite’s Education and Career Support Consultancy Program for young adults.
Since 2014, the program has helped mitigate the long-term impacts of cancer on the lives of thousands of young people aged 18 and over by supporting them to reengage with tertiary education or redefine career aspirations.
Sandy Cham, Canteen’s General Manager of Services, said that return to study and work was a particular challenge faced by young adult cancer patients.
“This challenge is being compounded by COVID-19, which has seen young people lose their jobs at higher rates than other age groups,” Ms Cham said.
“That’s why we have embraced Redkite’s successful Education and Career Support Consultancy Program, which we will deliver alongside our other specialist supports for young people.”
Redkite’s General Manager National Services, Nicole Schleicher, said late last year Redkite had refocused its services to address the growing and unmet needs of children with cancer aged 0-18 and their families, and that Canteen was ideally placed to take up the program which catered for the needs of young adults.
“We are immensely proud of the program we created in response to the career and education needs of young adults and we are thrilled that Canteen is taking it forward alongside their other specialist support programs for this older age group.
“Redkite’s long-term commitment to education support for all school-aged children with cancer will continue through education grants and our scholarship program that relaunched this month.”
Canteen and Redkite see this as the first of many opportunities to collaborate to ensure every child, teenager and young adult with cancer can have their support needs met.
Adry (pictured) is just one of the young adults supported by the partnership. He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of testicular cancer at 17, had to go through chemo and radiotherapy during his HSC year, and thought that his dreams to go to University were shattered.
Redkite helped to connect him with education and career support, and at the end of his HSC year, Adry was accepted into uni and graduated on time
Seven years cancer free, Adry is doing well, in a job that he loves and living a healthy life which he attributes largely to the support he received from Canteen and Redkite.
For more information, visit www.canteen.org.au or www.redkite.org.au