Selfcare Workshops for Young People with Cancer

True to our values of being an inclusive family where there is unconditional acceptance and trust, belief in our beneficiary’s potential and motivating them to not allow the “C” word to hold them back, our processes ensure that throughout their time with Teens Unite the young people are

• Welcomed with an initial ice breaker call
• Understood - their diagnosis and how it impacts them, their needs and their interests
• Engaged with regular check-ins and messages to keep them updated
• Invited to events and activities that allow them to connect with other young people
• Given a voice, that, along with input from experts, ensures that our work is always fresh and relevant
• And, most importantly, made to feel part of a very special little community, united in facing a terminal illness in teenage and young adult years

Teens Unite’s Teens Liaison Executive acts as an “onboarding” specialist ensuring that all beneficiaries are welcomed, and all questions and concerns are answered. Every young person who registers with Teens Unite receives a welcome pack with thoughtful, useful gifts which are designed to counteract the long-term effects of their diagnosis and treatment – our Liaison Executive will offer a Beauty, Creative or self-care pack whose contents have been identified from our work with service users and health care professionals to ensure that the packs contain genuinely useful items.

The welcome packs that your generosity has helped us to create contain a make-up brush kit; eyebrow powder and stencil kit; eyeshadow palette; organic lip balms; blusher; hand and nail cream; a nail file, and nail varnish.

Finding out you have cancer can be daunting and life-changing, and the added stress that the side effects of treatment can have on your appearance can be demoralising and hard to cope with. Being able to minimise the psychological stresses often caused by a change in appearance is essential for the young people’s mental wellbeing. Safe to use make-up products and professional tips help the young people to create the effect of eyebrows and lashes so often lost through treatment, take care of their hands and nails weakened by the treatment, and experiment with colour as their skin changes.

From all of the newly registered young people who have joined us this quarter and received a welcome pack of beauty items, a huge thank you to you for your generosity.