Perks of living in the modern world - there's facebook, instagram, youtube and even old-school blogs like this... PERKS = support is everywhere!
So, one of the fabulous perks of living in the 21st Century, is the ability to connect with people, no matter what corner of the globe they're in. In NSW, the main services I'd recommend are Red Kite's Cancer Advisor site and CanTeen's website. They're both catered towards teen and are easy to navigate, allowing them to connect to other effected teens.
To parents: you can explore these sites with your child, but the chances are, they've probably checked it out before you even mentioned it. On top of this, there are many Facebook groups to join, related to youth cancer, or a specific type of cancer. The one I joined was Young Adult Cancer Support (YACS). Everyone in the group was in a similar age bracket and we could discuss questions relating to treatment, or even how to mention cancer in your resume.
If advocacy or leadership is your thing, something you should do is to join your local leadership group. There is a National Youth Advisory Group (YAG) under the Youth Cancer Services and the smaller branches of these are the local leadership groups. Get in touch with your social worker if you're interested in joining! Personally, I've always been passionate about people power and advocacy, so I went to a meeting when treatment finished. It was only then, when I met people around my age who were affected by cancer. Everyone was so friendly and down-to-Earth, we all just instantly clicked! It was such a great time and we even went out to dinner together afterwards.
If you're not interested in being part of the leadership group, then I'd definitely recommend going to an event where you get to meet youth affected by cancer. CanTeen is really great and they run heaps of events, so get on board! I went to CanTeen's Christmas in July Dinner party - it not only had great food and activities, there were once again great people. The social worker hosting the event were all young and relatable, as were all the guests. The atmosphere was great and we created a bond quite quickly!
I personally received treatment at Royal North Shore, which wasn't a YCS branch! If it was, then I would've had a "youth zone" to meet other patients my age, so if you have access to one of the YCS Hospitals, then go go go!
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