Support young people with cancer this Giving Tuesday 2018

Giving Tuesday 2018

Although there are 30,000 young people diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year, cancer support services are typically tailored to support older people.

That’s where Shine Cancer Support comes in.  They are a small organisation, but despite their size they provide thirteen Shine Networks across the UK.

Shine Networks are run by young people with cancer, for young people with cancer.  This means the groups provide less typical support group activities, and instead organise socials in cafes, pub trips and days out.  They also provide peer support and online information, in addition to advocating for young people with cancer.

And it really works: 97% of people who attended a Shine event in 2018 say it’s made them feel more supported and less isolated as a young person with cancer.

How can you help Shine Cancer Support on Giving Tuesday?

The charity is looking to use Giving Tuesday to give more exposure to their fundraising efforts.  They are aiming to raise £3,000, which will fund their Shine Networks for a year, allowing them to provide support to young people with cancer across the country.

They also want to challenge the perception of cancer as something that only impacts older people.  A representative said:

“We’re hoping that participating in the Giving Tuesday campaign can make people more aware of the needs of young adults with cancer as well as the services that we provide.”

Shine are asking young people with cancer to write blogs about the impact a Shine Network event had on them.  They are asking each blogger to inspire 10 readers to donate £10 – a total of £100, enough to support the activities of five of their local Shine Networks for one month. You can support Shine by sharing the blogs on Twitter, which you’ll find under the hashtag #GIVE4Shine.

Community matters

A small charity with a national reach relies on outside support.  Shine Cancer Support are a community-led charity, and on Giving Tuesday they will be involving the community in their fundraising.

Find out more about Shine’s work here.