Teenage Cancer Trust: Cancer Education Programme
The main element of Teenage Cancer Trust’s Education programme is our “Understanding Cancer Together” presentation – a FREE presentation where a Teenage Cancer Trust educator visits a school and delivers to students.
Last year, over 22,000 students benefitted from the information and opportunity to explore this most important topic in this area.
Feedback was incredibly positive with comments from staff and students including
“The feedback was hugely positive from a typically difficult cohort. They insisted it was necessary for each year 10 to receive the presentation.” (Teacher, Yorkshire)
“I found it informative as otherwise I wouldn't have known about any of these things before the presentation” (Student, Yorkshire)
The details
The presentation lasts for 45- 60 minutes, is aimed at Year 10, 11 and above (it can be delivered to Year 9 too) and works best with large groups (such as whole year groups). I am keen to be flexible with this and do have a shorter assembly version available if this is the only way you can accommodate our presentation. Many schools like to use us as part of their “Drop-Down days”, particularly to the entire year group at the start or end of the day. We also have a range of educational resources freely available and I can provide a parents’ letter template at the point of booking.
Why are we doing this?
- We want to raise awareness of cancer and its potential impacts
- promote positive attitudes to health responsibility, support schools in their approach to PDBW
and
- (crucially for Teenage Cancer Trust) tackle rates of earlier diagnosis- each year approximately 2500 young people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK and this diagnosis is often delayed.
We want to give young people the necessary information to enable them to take responsibility for their health and wellbeing, but also ensure that they are “the next generation that isn’t afraid to talk about cancer”. It’s so important that young people have access to honest, accurate information and an opportunity to develop empathy, resilience and understanding. Schools and colleges are hugely important in helping us to reach as many young people as possible and we are keen that our presentation is as beneficial as possible to your school and its students.
How do we do this?
Email or ring me back with some possible times or dates which may work for your school and we can agree a convenient date. Our straightforward booking form contains all the information required such as audience number, I.T. equipment and also, most importantly, if you have a student at your school with a diagnosis of cancer themselves (or a young family member with a diagnosis) as we have developed our Mates Matter process to be extra helpful.
I can provide a parents’ letter template which many schools have found useful and helps ensure that the session is as helpful and positive as intended.
After being debated in Scottish Parliament recently, this TES article explains why this programme is so important and whilst written from a Scottish perspective, this is the picture nationally: https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/thousands-pupils-scotland-missing-out-life-saving-cancer-education
More and more schools are taking advantage of our FREE Education programme and I would be pleased to hear from you so that we can arrange a suitable time for a presentation. I have various available slots and am particularly concentrating on October, November and December at this time so please do let me know if you have any slots in mind- The diary does fill up so please let me know as soon as possible with your preferred choices. Other dates are available throughout the year too.
Get in touch for further information or to book a session;
Lenny (R. Lennon)
EDUCATION & AWARENESS EXECUTIVE (NORTH TEAM)
MOBILE: 07718 424397 (Term time only)
Email: roger.lennon@teenagecancertrust.org
93 NEWMAN ST, LONDON, W1T 3EZ
MAIN: 020 7612 0370