When cancer crashes into a young person’s world, the impact extends to every aspect of their life. Cancer treatment or caring for family members with cancer can cause significant disruptions to young people’s education or career which in turn have potentially long-lasting impacts on their social and emotional wellbeing.
Canteen began offering the Education and Career Service (ECS) in 2020, initially focusing on keeping young cancer patients connected to study and work.
In recognition of cancer’s broad impact, we have expanded the service to additionally support young people dealing with a close family member’s cancer or the death of a loved one. The psychological and practical impact of caring for a family member with cancer can be immense. Without the right support, young people can fall behind at a critical time in their education or career.
The ECS is a strengths-based service that helps young people impacted by cancer identify their vocational goals and values, followed by individualised support plans to help them achieve their education or career milestones.
Evaluation of the ECS shows that 92% of young people feel more hopeful and positive about their future education and career after using the service.
