insideKENT Magazine Issue 69 - December 2017 | Page 178

CHARITY
Kent Charity Profile:
YouCan YOUTH CANCER SUPPORT
EVERY YEAR, AROUND 1,500 CHILDREN ARE DIAGNOSED WITH SOME FORM OF CANCER IN
THE UK; THAT’S ONE IN ROUGHLY 500. FOR THE CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES, BEING TOLD
THEY HAVE THIS FRIGHTENING DISEASE IS A LIFE-CHANGING PIECE OF NEWS AND IT CAN BE
HARD FOR THEM TO KNOW WHERE THEY CAN TURN FOR SUPPORT IN THEIR HOUR OF NEED.
YOUCAN, A KENT BASED CHARITY THAT SUPPORTS YOUNG CANCER SUFFERERS, IS AIMING TO
CHANGE ALL OF THAT AND TO BE A POSITIVE SUPPORT THROUGHOUT DARK TIMES, KEEPING
YOUNG PEOPLE WITH CANCER AND THEIR LOVED ONES AS UPBEAT AND DETERMINED AS
POSSIBLE. WE HAD A CHAT WITH YOUCAN TO FIND OUT MORE.
What is it that YouCan does?
YouCan supports young people
throughout the South East and
London whose lives have been
impacted by cancer. Having
cancer at a young age can be a
lonely and isolating experience
and the most important part of
YouCan’s initiative is to bring
young people together through
positive interaction, such as
wellbeing weekends with the
opportunity to meet other people
who really understand.
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focuses on increasing confidence
and wellbeing through exercise
and nutrition workshops,
counselling, complementary
therapies, and encouraging peer
interaction and friendship.
Why is the work that YouCan
does so important? YouCan offer a 12-week
programme including exercise
and emotional support to help
regain confidence after cancer
treatment that is individually
tailored and devised by specialist
professionals. Exercise has been
shown to help recovery and also
reduce the chance of a
recurrence for some types of
cancer.
YouCan offer individual and
group support services to any
young person who has been
affected by cancer. Our support The charity also have Hinton
House by the seaside in Westgate,
where families can take a respite
break with friends and family to
enjoy some time away from the
day-to-day stresses of living with
cancer.
“YouCan have provided me with
great support in my post-
treatment recovery, providing
complementary therapies and
other activities to help me come
to terms with my new life. This
kind of support may seem so
simple, but to me it was absolutely
invaluable.” - Tom
What is the charity’s history?
We are a relatively new charity. We celebrated our official launch on
21st April 2016 at Turner Contemporary in Margate. Although we are
still fledgling, we have achieved a lot in 18 months and hope to continue
our good work well into the future.